In early September, we suddenly received some good news: after six years in prison, human rights defender Nguyen Bac Truyen had been released! He left Vietnam with his wife, Bui Thi Kim Phuong, and safely arrived in Germany on 8 September.
Nguyen Bac Truyen’s actions exemplify what it means to love one’s neighbour. As a Hoa Hao Buddhist, he was already at risk of harassment and other rights violations. Yet he still used his legal expertise to defend the rights of others, making him a regular target of Vietnamese authorities.
Truyen was eventually handed an 11-year prison sentence, but he continued to stand up for what is right. This included going on hunger strike in 2019 (along with other prisoners of conscience) to protest the ill-treatment of a fellow prisoner; a Catholic activist named Nguyen Van Hoa. On this and other occasions, there were serious concerns for Truyen’s wellbeing.
Truyen’s letter from prison
On the sixth anniversary of his abduction by police, Truyen wrote a letter to his wife. The following extracts provide a small insight into the years of injustice he has endured. His words illustrate his unwavering passion for upholding human rights for all – even from a prison cell.
30 July 2023
At exactly 8:00am on 30 July 2017, I was abducted by plain clothes public security agents while on my way to the Redemptorist Church of Saigon.
I was going to prepare for an event on Monday: the organised health check-up for veterans of the Republic of Vietnam.
The public security agents took me to the nearby local police station at the intersection of Tran Quoc Thao Street and Ky Dong Street (in District 3). Then they transported me by car to the Ministry of Public Security, read the arrest warrant and searched my vehicle.
They took me to Tan Son Nhat Airport at 2pm. I took the 3.30pm flight, arrived at Noi Bai Airport around 5pm, and arrived at the B14 detention centre at 6pm.
Truyen was held incommunicado for nine months until his trial. For six of those months he was prevented from seeing his wife, and was only granted access to his lawyers two weeks before the trial began. On 5 April 2018 Truyen was convicted of ‘carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the government’.
Up until today, my prison journey has been exactly six years. 30 July 2017-30 July 2023; I have been imprisoned six years already.
When I was held at B14, my cellmate asked me how many years I would predict. My guess was 10-15 years, and I was right. [Truyen was sentenced to 11 years in prison, followed by three years of probation under house arrest.]
He asked, ‘How can you mention ten plus years in prison in such a light tone as if it was only a few months in prison?’
‘Can being worried do anything good for me?’ I ask.
I know that each day I spend in prison is one day the accusers have to pay for.
I am a nobody; just a very ordinary citizen, challenging the entire political system on their human rights records. They have more to lose than I do...
Human rights reports by the EU, the United States, the United Nations, and human rights organisations show how serious the human rights violations [by the Vietnamese government] are. Accompanying the reports are recommendations, warnings, and diplomatic, economic and political sanctions.
No one takes something from another person without having to pay a price.
You said a lot has changed in the outside world in the past six years. I know! But there are certainly things that have not changed:
1. Our love for each other.
2. Our siblings, relatives and friends who still worry, care and take care of us.
3. The advocacy for human rights by members of [the US] Congress, human rights organisations, and diplomats.
I simply wish [for] everyone [to] enjoy universal human rights and take the responsibility to respect and strictly enforce human rights.
Life is not only about material gains, but also about having dignity, character and honour. Let’s strive to promote human rights in our ability to bring human rights for all!
I love you!
Nguyen Bac Truyen
‘Righteous people must seek to do the right things; to resolutely refuse to engage in unjust acts. Even if no one else joins them, they still try to protect what is right...’ (Nguyen Bac Truyen)
At the time of writing, Vietnamese state media has been silent on why Truyen was released before serving his full sentence. However, it appears that international advocacy played a key role, and Bui Thi Kim Phuong sincerely thanked the German government in particular for their support.
We also want to thank everyone who has taken the time to pray and write to Truyen over the years.
Now that Truyen is starting a new season as a free man, we reiterate that he should never have been imprisoned in the first place.
We also remember that countless others are still experiencing injustice at the hands of the Vietnamese authorities, including three men who were sentenced alongside Nguyen Bac Truyen in 2018: Nguyen Trung Ton, Pham Van Troi and Truong Minh Duc.
With your help, we will keep working to hold the Vietnamese authorities accountable for their persistent violations of human rights. Make a gift today.