Y Quynh Bdap
Y Quynh Bdap is a Vietnamese human right defender and a prominent member of the Ede ethnic group, advocating for religious freedom among minority ethnic groups. He is a co-founder of the Montagnards Stand for Justice (MSFJ), which aims to train Montagnards on Vietnamese and international law, civil society, and how to collect and report information regarding religious persecution to the United Nations and international community. The term “Montagnards” describes approximately 30 indigenous groups living in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, who have been struggling for their religious rights and land rights for many years. Y Quynh Bdap has been involved in preparing reports to the United Nations on religious persecution in Vietnam. After seeking asylum in Thailand in 2018, he was granted refugee status by the UNHCR. He was convicted by Vietnamese authorities in absentia of terrorist offences in January 2024 relating to an alleged attack in Dak Lak province in Vietnam’s Central Highlands in June 2023.
Human Rights defenders in Vietnam have been facing a diverse range of attacks, including but not limited to, arbitrary and incommunicado detention, intimidation, house arrest, threats and judicial harassment. State actors have often been the perpetrators of violence against HRDs, which is almost always carried out without impunity. HRDs who work on citizen participation, the freedom of expression and environment rights face the most amount of threats and harassment in the hands of the state.
Right to free assembly and association, though enshrined in Article 25 of the 1959 Vietnam Constitution, has often been infringed when it comes to those expressing dissent or dissatisfaction with the State. HRDs engaging in free speech online and in public fora, including bloggers, writers, journalists, and documentary film makers, have been subjected to judicial proceedings.
