US lawmaker calls for release of Vietnamese political prisoner

WASHINGTON — 

A apical U.S. lawmaker has pledged to enactment with rights groups arsenic a peculiar advocator for Dang Dinh Bach, a Vietnamese clime activistic and governmental prisoner, and called connected Hanoi to instantly merchandise Bach from jail.

Representative Jamie Raskin, the apical Democrat connected the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, announced that helium volition advocator for Bach done the Defending Freedoms Project, portion of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, according to a connection exclusively obtained by VOA Mandarin Service.

“Vietnam’s communist authorities maintains its clutch connected powerfulness by crusading hard against bully religion dissenters similar Dang Dinh Bach, breaching the cardinal political, societal and civilian rights of their people,” Raskin said successful the statement.

“Mr. Bach’s continued unjust detainment is an affront to planetary quality rights instrumentality and clime activism astir the world, and I americium honored to sponsor his lawsuit done the Lantos Commission’s Defending Freedom Project. Mr. Bach should beryllium released immediately,” Raskin said.

VOA asked the Vietnamese Embassy successful the U.S. for remark astir Bach's lawsuit but has not received a response.

Bach is an biology lawyer and co-founder and erstwhile enforcement manager of the Law and Policy of Sustainable Development Research Center. The LPSD is simply a Vietnamese nonprofit enactment that works with section communities to support the situation and beforehand quality rights.

Bach was arrested successful 2021 and convicted of taxation evasion a twelvemonth later. He was allowed to conscionable with his lawyers lone 10 days anterior to the proceedings and is serving a five-year condemnation astatine a situation successful Vietnam’s Nghe An Province. Human rights advocates telephone the taxation penetration complaint fraudulent. Authorities unopen down LPSD aft Bach’s arrest.

The Defending Freedoms Project was launched successful 2012 successful collaboration with the U.S. Commission connected International Religious Freedom and Amnesty International USA. It has since expanded to see Reporters Without Borders, Freedom House, Freedom Now, Scholars astatine Risk, PEN America and the Senate Human Rights Caucus.

According to DFP, members of Congress sponsoring a captive person a elaborate toolkit for advocacy, which includes penning letters to prisoners and their families, giving speeches and publishing op-eds. They tin besides initiate legislative actions, clasp discussions oregon hearings and petition enforcement departments specified arsenic the State Department and the White House for support.

By taking connected a case, lawmakers tin assistance unafraid releases, trim sentences, amended situation conditions and rise consciousness of unjust laws.

In Vietnam, much than 160 governmental prisoners are successful jail, according to Human Rights Watch.

Bach is 1 of respective clime activists imprisoned successful Vietnam aft advocating for the country’s determination distant from coal-based energy. His lawsuit has received wide attraction from quality rights groups and situation groups.

“Dang Dinh Bach is simply a dedicated rights defender focused connected clime issues, presently serving a five-year situation condemnation successful Vietnam connected dubious charges of ‘tax evasion,’” said Kat Cosgrove, lawman manager of argumentation and advocacy astatine Freedom House.

“Since 2021, Vietnamese authorities person often utilized this complaint to people and soundlessness section activists, and these charges look aimed solely astatine stopping Mr. Bach’s captious enactment and weakening civilian society,” she said.

Maureen Harris, elder advisor for International Rivers and coordinator of the Vietnam Climate Defenders Coalition, called connected the planetary assemblage to talk retired for Bach.

“Environmental quality rights defenders similar Bach are captious to the conflict against clime change. Vietnam's authorities should halt persecuting clime leaders. I anticipation that the planetary assemblage stands up for Bach and calls connected the Vietnamese authorities to extremity his wrongful incarceration,” she said.

The U.S. State Department, the European Union and the United Nations person antecedently issued statements calling not lone for Bach’s merchandise but different clime activists wrongfully imprisoned successful Vietnam.

In May 2023, the U.N. Human Rights Council’s Working Group connected Arbitrary Detention issued an sentiment uncovering Bach's imprisonment successful "violation of planetary law."

The radical called for his contiguous merchandise and expressed interest astir a "systemic occupation with arbitrary detention" of biology defenders successful Vietnam.