Case History: Le Cong Dinh
On 6 February 2013 Vietnamese human rights defender Le Cong Dinh was released from prison after serving 3 years of a 5 year sentence on charges of “attempting to overthrow the state”.
Le Cong Dinh is a prominent human rights lawyer and the former Vice-President of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association.
On 6 February 2013 Vietnamese human rights defender Le Cong Dinh was released from prison after serving 3 years of a 5 year sentence on charges of “attempting to overthrow the state”.
On 13 June 2009, Le Cong Dinh was arrested by Public Security Police at his office in Ho Chi Minh City. Shortly before his arrest, he had spoken out against the extraction of bauxite in the Central Highlands, and had also called for political reform in Vietnam.
On 20 January 2010, the People’s Supreme Court in Ho Chi Minh City sentenced Mr. Le Cong Dinh to five years in prison, following a one-day trial, for “carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration”, under Article 79 of the Vietnamese Penal Code, after he acknowledged working for democratisation and a multiparty political system in Vietnam.
Le Cong Dinh was sentenced together with three other democracy activists, namely Messrs. Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Nguyen Tien Trung and Le Thang Long, who were sentenced to up to 16 years in prison on the same charges.
Front Line, The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights express their deepest concern following the sentencing of human rights lawyer Mr. Le Cong Dinh to five years in prison on subversion charges.
On 20 January 2010, the People’s Supreme Court in Ho Chi Minh City sentenced Mr. Le Cong Dinh to five years in prison, following a one-day trial, for “carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration”, under Article 79 of the Vietnamese Penal Code, after he acknowledged engaging in activities for democratisation and a multiparty political system in Vietnam.
Mr. Le Cong Dinh was sentenced together with three other democracy activists, namely Messrs. Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Nguyen Tien Trung and Le Thang Long, who were sentenced to up to 16 years in prison for the same charges.
The trial, which was expected to last two days, was carried out under tight security, with more than a dozen police outside the gate and around the courthouse. Several foreign diplomats and journalists were allowed to watch the trial but only via closed-circuit television in an adjacent room of the court. In addition, reporters were barred from using recording devices, cameras or mobile phones.
Our organisations recall that Mr. Le Cong Dinh was arrested on June 13, 2009 by Public Security Police and later charged with “conducting propaganda” against the State, before being later charged under Article 79 of the Penal Code.
Mr. Le Cong Dinh is a prominent human rights lawyer and the former Vice-President of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association. Shortly before his arrest, he had spoken out against the extraction of bauxite in the Central Highlands, and had also called for political reform in Viet Nam. In recent years, he has also defended several Viet Nam human rights and democracy activists. In August 2009, he was compelled to make a public “confession” broadcast on television.
Moreover, the Observatory and Front Line wish to underline that they sent to the Permanent Mission of Viet Nam to the United Nations in Geneva a request for visas in order to send an international observer to Mr. Dinh’s trial, which received no reply.
Accordingly, our organisations urge the Vietnamese authorities to guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Le Cong Dinh and to release him immediately and unconditionally since his detention is arbitrary as it only aims at sanctioning his human rights and pro-democracy activities.
More generally, our organisations call upon the Vietnamese authorities to put an end to any kind of harassment - including at the judicial level - against all human rights defenders in Viet Nam, in conformity with the 1998 UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders as well as with international and regional human rights instruments ratified by Viet Nam.
Front Line and the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), express their concern regarding the arbitrary arrest of human rights lawyer Mr. Le Cong Dinh on 13 June 2009.
On 13 June 2009, Le Cong Dinh was arrested by Public Security Police at his office in Ho Chi Minh City and later charged with "conducting propaganda" against the State, under Article 88 of the Vietnamese Penal Code (VPC). He faces a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison if convicted on this charge.
At a press conference, following the arrest, the Investigation Agency of the Ministry of Public Security stated that Le Cong Dinh had "connived with overseas subversives to publish documents distorting the socio-economic policies" of the government.
Front Line and the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders believe that the arrest of Le Cong Dinh is directly related to his work in the defence of human rights. Front Line and the Observatory are seriously concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Le Cong Dinh while in detention.
