Update: Nguyen Bac Truyen Released from Prison!
On September 8, 2023, Nguyen Bac Truyen was released from An Diem prison in Quang Nam province and sent directly into forced exile in Germany with his wife, Bui Kim Phuong.
Nguyen Bac Truyen and his wife Bui Kim Phuong upon arrival in Germany.
Global Campaign to Free Nguyen Bac Truyen
Religious Freedom Activist - Viet Nam
Twice Imprisoned as a Prisoner of Conscience
Mr. Nguyen Bac Truyen, 54, is a lawyer and Hoa Hao Buddhist who has been imprisoned twice for his peaceful advocacy for religious freedom, democratic reforms, and human rights.
Contents:► Truyen's Human Rights Work
► Timeline of Arrests and Imprisonment ► Background: From Businessman to Rights Defender ► Activism Behind Bars ►Testimonial Videos about Truyen ► International Recognition and Action for Nguyen Bac Truyen ► WHAT YOU CAN DO ► Truyen Sings the Prisoners' Lament Song Truyen's Human Rights Work:► Documenting rights abuses of religious communities in Vietnam who are persecuted simply because they do not belong to state-sanctioned religious organizations.
Truyen acted as a liaison between persecuted religious communities and the outside world. In June 2017 he and his wife (center, in light-colored shirts) escorted fellow Hoa Hao Buddhists to meet with members of the German Parliament.
► Advocating for the release of prisoners of conscience and providing support and assistance to their families.
In July 2010 Truyen greeted long-time prisoner Truong Van Suong upon his temporary medical leave from Ha Nam Prison.
► Coordinating humanitarian assistance for disabled war veterans who face discrimination from the government.
Truyen with a disabled veteran, one of many former soldiers that Truyen assisted at the Catholic Redemptorist Bureau for Justice and Peace in Ho Chi Minh City.
► Providing pro-bono legal assistance and human rights training to victims of illegal land expropriation, families of prisoners of conscience, and marginalized religious communities.
► Co-founding the Vietnam Coalition Against Torture, which advocates for the abolition of torture and all forms of ill-treatment. |
Timeline of Arrests and Imprisonment:► 2006-2010: Arrested and imprisoned for 3.5 years followed by two years' probation on charges of “conducting propaganda against the state" (Penal Code Article 88) for distributing leaflets and posting online articles criticizing the government’s violations of human rights and calling for multi-party democracy.
► July 20, 2017: Abducted by police on the street and held incommunicado for six months. ► April 5, 2018: In a one-day trial closed to the public he was sentenced to eleven years’ imprisonment and three years’ probation. ►June 4, 2018: The Appeals Court upheld his sentence. ►Currently imprisoned in An Diem prison in Quang Nam province. |
From Businessman to Human Rights DefenderUntil his first arrest in November 2006, Nguyen Bac Truyen was a successful businessman. He was the first Vietnamese entrepreneur to voluntarily introduce workplace standards protecting the rights and safety of workers in his two companies.
He was arrested in 2006 for his activism and online posts calling for multi-party democracy and respect for human rights. After his release in 2010, Truyen faced constant government harassment and official reprisals for his human rights work, including at least four instances of physical assault by state security agents and their henchmen. In one instance on February 9, 2014, hundreds of police violently expelled Truyen and his then-fiance, Bui Thi Kim Phuong, from their home in Dong Thap province, where they had been supporting persecuted Hoa-Hao Buddhists. “More than 100 policemen and undercover agents raided my home," Bui Thi Kim Phuong said. "They broke our front and back doors, barged into our home. They violently kicked my husband to the ground, blindfolded him, duct-taped his mouth, slapped him in the face, and handcuffed him." Police detained and interrogated the couple separately before releasing Bui Thi Kim Phuong that evening and Nguyen Bac Truyen the following day. |
Truyen holding a poster calling for the release of human rights lawyer Le Quoc Quan, who was imprisoned from 2012-2015.
Nguyen Bac Truyen (L) and his wife Bui Thi Kim Phuong (R) greet fellow activist Bui Thi Minh Hang upon her release from prison in February 2017.
Nguyen Bac Truyen and his wife, Bui Thi Kim Phuong, after being assaulted by plain clothes police in February 2014.
I am still traumatized by the terrorizing act when hundreds of police surrounded our home in Dong Thap province in February 2014, only 10 days before our wedding. Several shots were fired. The police shattered our front door and windows. They searched our house and smashed the worship altar. My husband was beaten mercilessly and forcefully taken away." |
Activism Behind Bars
Nguyen Bac Truyen is currently held at An Điềm Prison in Quang Nam province, 800 kilometers (500 miles) from his wife and family.
Truyen suffers from several medical ailments, including heart valve disease, gastritis, back pain, and swollen joints. Despite numerous requests, he has not had a proper medical examination since his arrest in 2017. In a September 2020 report, the UN Secretary General raised concerns about Truyen’s worsening health and lack of proper medical care in prison: “Since his arrest in July 2017, Mr. Nguyen Bac Truyen has reportedly not had a proper medical examination, faces restrictions of food and medical supplies, and his health condition has deteriorated. A petition on 18 January 2020 to the Board of Supervisors at An Diem prison requesting a medical check reportedly remains unanswered.”
In prison, Truyen has led hunger strikes in May 2019 and November 2020 to protest mistreatment of fellow prisoners, inadequate medical care, confiscation of mail, and other violations of prisoners’ rights under Vietnamese and international law.
Truyen suffers from several medical ailments, including heart valve disease, gastritis, back pain, and swollen joints. Despite numerous requests, he has not had a proper medical examination since his arrest in 2017. In a September 2020 report, the UN Secretary General raised concerns about Truyen’s worsening health and lack of proper medical care in prison: “Since his arrest in July 2017, Mr. Nguyen Bac Truyen has reportedly not had a proper medical examination, faces restrictions of food and medical supplies, and his health condition has deteriorated. A petition on 18 January 2020 to the Board of Supervisors at An Diem prison requesting a medical check reportedly remains unanswered.”
In prison, Truyen has led hunger strikes in May 2019 and November 2020 to protest mistreatment of fellow prisoners, inadequate medical care, confiscation of mail, and other violations of prisoners’ rights under Vietnamese and international law.
Testimonial Videos
From Vietnam, Bui Thi Kim Phuong speaks on behalf of her husband to the 2022 International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C.
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Professor Heiner Bielefeldt, former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, calls for the release of Nguyen Bac Truyen
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Kasit Piromya, former Thai Foreign Minister and member of Parliament, urges Vietnam to immediately release Nguyen Bac Truyen.
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International Recognition and Action
Truyen’s human rights work has earned him the 2011 Hellman-Hammett Award by Human Rights Watch and the 2020 Stefanus Alliance International Prize.
The United Nations Secretary General, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and six UN Special Rapporteurs have sent numerous communications to the Vietnamese government regarding the harsh persecution and harassment of Truyen and his family, official reprisals for their cooperation with UN human rights representatives, and Truyen’s arbitrary arrest, incommunicado detention, imprisonment, and mistreatment in custody.
In 2020, 68 parliamentarians in 28 countries called for Truyen’s release as part of a global campaign led by the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief and the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights.
Concerns about Truyen’s arbitrary arrest and imprisonment have also been raised by the U.S. State Department, the German Federal Commissioner on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief, and members of the German Bundestag, European Parliament, and US Congress,
The United Nations Secretary General, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and six UN Special Rapporteurs have sent numerous communications to the Vietnamese government regarding the harsh persecution and harassment of Truyen and his family, official reprisals for their cooperation with UN human rights representatives, and Truyen’s arbitrary arrest, incommunicado detention, imprisonment, and mistreatment in custody.
In 2020, 68 parliamentarians in 28 countries called for Truyen’s release as part of a global campaign led by the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief and the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights.
Concerns about Truyen’s arbitrary arrest and imprisonment have also been raised by the U.S. State Department, the German Federal Commissioner on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief, and members of the German Bundestag, European Parliament, and US Congress,
What you can do:
Send a letter or postcard calling for Nguyen Bac Truyen’s immediate and unconditional release to:
► Mr. To Lam, Minister of Public Security, 44 Yet Kieu St., Hoan Kiem, Hanoi.
► Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, 2 Hung Vuong St., Ba Dinh, Hanoi.
► Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary, Communist Party of Vietnam, 1A Hung Vuong St., Ba Dinh, Hanoi.
For a sample letter, please click here.
Send a personal letter to Nguyen Bac Truyen at:
► An Diem Prison, Dai Hung commune, Dai Loc district, Quang Nam province, Vietnam.
► Or call: +84 (0235) 377 4502.
► Mr. To Lam, Minister of Public Security, 44 Yet Kieu St., Hoan Kiem, Hanoi.
► Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, 2 Hung Vuong St., Ba Dinh, Hanoi.
► Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary, Communist Party of Vietnam, 1A Hung Vuong St., Ba Dinh, Hanoi.
For a sample letter, please click here.
Send a personal letter to Nguyen Bac Truyen at:
► An Diem Prison, Dai Hung commune, Dai Loc district, Quang Nam province, Vietnam.
► Or call: +84 (0235) 377 4502.
Truyen Sings "A Prisoner's Lament for His Mother"
Nguyen Bac Truyen sings the Prisoner's Lament prior to his most recent arrest and imprisonment in 2017.
INTRODUCTION:
This song is a collaboration among three prisoners of conscience who have served a combination of more than 60 years’ imprisonment.
The lyrics are based on a poem by Son Nguyen Thanh Dien, a political dissident who was imprisoned for 16 years.
The music was composed by Nguyen Huu Cau, a prisoner of conscience who served a total of 37 years of imprisonment and Nguyen Bac Truyen, a religious rights advocate who is currently serving his second prison term of 11 years’ imprisonment followed by 3 years’ probation.
During Nguyen Bac Truyen’s first prison term, his mother, who was in her seventies at the time and in poor health, still tried to make the long trips to visit him in prison and send him “care packages”. At night, Truyen and his cellmates looked at the gifts and missed their mothers dearly. In prison, there’s no incense with which the prisoners could pray for their mothers’ good health. Therefore, they lit cigarettes, instead.
Sadly, Truyen’s mother passed away in November 2021 while he was serving his second prison sentence. She had not been able to see her son for more than four years. Truyen was not allowed to have his sentence briefly suspended so that he could return home to attend her funeral and perform his filial duty according to Vietnamese custom.
In this video clip -- made prior to Truyen’s second imprisonment in 2017 -- he sang this song during his lunch break in the church corridor while working at the Redemptorist Order’s Justice and Peace Office as the coordinator of its assistance program for disabled veterans of South Vietnam.
-- CFVD Media
This song is a collaboration among three prisoners of conscience who have served a combination of more than 60 years’ imprisonment.
The lyrics are based on a poem by Son Nguyen Thanh Dien, a political dissident who was imprisoned for 16 years.
The music was composed by Nguyen Huu Cau, a prisoner of conscience who served a total of 37 years of imprisonment and Nguyen Bac Truyen, a religious rights advocate who is currently serving his second prison term of 11 years’ imprisonment followed by 3 years’ probation.
During Nguyen Bac Truyen’s first prison term, his mother, who was in her seventies at the time and in poor health, still tried to make the long trips to visit him in prison and send him “care packages”. At night, Truyen and his cellmates looked at the gifts and missed their mothers dearly. In prison, there’s no incense with which the prisoners could pray for their mothers’ good health. Therefore, they lit cigarettes, instead.
Sadly, Truyen’s mother passed away in November 2021 while he was serving his second prison sentence. She had not been able to see her son for more than four years. Truyen was not allowed to have his sentence briefly suspended so that he could return home to attend her funeral and perform his filial duty according to Vietnamese custom.
In this video clip -- made prior to Truyen’s second imprisonment in 2017 -- he sang this song during his lunch break in the church corridor while working at the Redemptorist Order’s Justice and Peace Office as the coordinator of its assistance program for disabled veterans of South Vietnam.
-- CFVD Media
Release Nguyen Bac Truyen Now!
