Three of the five lawyers who defended a Buddhist organization in a case in Vietnam last year – and who were later summoned for police questioning after publicly discussing the case – have fled the country and arrived safely in the United States.
Dang Dinh Manh and Nguyen Van Mieng flew into Washington’s Dulles International Airport last week. A third lawyer, Dao Kim Lan, told Voice of America that he was in “a very safe place” and was arranging his new life.
Now public: I wrote to #Vietnam about the launch of a criminal investigation against human rights lawyer Dang Dinh Manh, allegedly in relation to legal services he provides. Lawyers must not be sanctioned for undertaking professional duties. Full letter: https://t.co/mPVrOMJqwW
— Margaret Satterthwaite (@SRjudgeslawyers) May 31, 2023
“When the plane landed, I felt really relieved after 100 days of being hunted down,” Mieng told Radio Free Asia. “With my visa, it took me only around 30 minutes to go through customs. I was so ecstatic that I almost forgot to pick up my luggage.”
The lawyers defended six members of the Peng Lei Buddhist House who were found guilty in July 2022 and sentenced to a combined 23 years and six months for incest and fraud.
Now public: I wrote to #Vietnam about the launch of a criminal investigation against human rights lawyer Dang Dinh Manh, allegedly in relation to legal services he provides. Lawyers must not be sanctioned for undertaking professional duties. Full letter: https://t.co/mPVrOMJqwW
— Margaret Satterthwaite (@SRjudgeslawyers) May 31, 2023
While they were providing legal support to the Peng Lei members, the three lawyers, as well as two others – Ngo Thi Hoang Anh and Trinh Vinh Phuc – also used the YouTube account Nh?t ký Lu?t s? (Lawyer’s Diary) to frequently post information about the case. The account no longer has any video content.
The public discussion of the case could be a violation of Vietnam’s Article 331 – a statute in the penal code widely criticized by international communities as being vague. Vietnamese authorities routinely use it to attack those speaking out in defense of human rights.
Important @ICJ_Asia letter to #Vietnam, demanding gov't end rights abusing harassment of lawyers Dang Dinh Manh & Nguyen Van Mieng. Outrageous & unacceptable actions by @MOFAVietNam @VNGovtPortal that should be condemned by @UN_HRC & in'tl community! https://t.co/B76iFCB6gP
— Phil Robertson (@Reaproy) May 10, 2023
Public search notice
Authorities in the southern province of Long An issued a summons to the five lawyers in March that required them to report to the police for questioning. When the lawyers didn’t appear, police followed up with several more summonses.
Provincial Police on June 11 posted a search notice on its website, saying that Mieng, Lan and Manh had neither attended the meetings nor provided excuses for their absence.
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https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/lawyers-flee-06232023144453.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/southeast-asia/vietnam-coal-energy-dang-dinh-bach-b2344734.html
https://www.rfa.org/vietnamese/in_depth/lawyer-of-thien-am-case-comes-to-the-us-06192023110815.html (VIETNAMESE)
