FVPoC: Khanh Hoa provincial court should void its sentences to Nguyen van Ly and Mai Dinh Tam
Yesterday June 2, 2015 Khanh Hoa province court sentenced Nguyen Van Ly (43 years) and Mai Dinh Tam (47 years) 15 month imprisonment for each with the charge of “cause public disorder”. The conviction and sentence show the nature of a police states, violating seriously the right of peaceful expression in public places of the people.
On morning Dec 31, 2013 after hearing about the news of teenager Tu Ngoc Thach (15 years) was beaten to death by police, uncles Ly and Tam with the crowd shouted “Police beat a person to death!” Công an đánh chết người, bà con ơi!”. About a thousand people frustrated had gathered to protest peacefully on the highway 1A, in the front of the local people committee’s gate where teenager Thach was beaten.
The use of corporal punishment, torture to suspects has been discovered non-stop by social media. Furthermore, these people expressing their outrage, demanding justice for victims continue to be ruled in “causing public disorder”, such as Mr. Ly and Mr. Tam.
Lawyer advocates for Ly and Tam, without any fee, Lawyer Vo An Donaffirmed at the court that: ” Võ An Đôn, trong phần bão chữa cũng đã khẳng định: “The defendants Ly and Tam shouted “Police beat a person to death” is not the action of causing a public disorder, but that’s just the anger of the duo before the sudden death of teenager Thach by Van Long village police’s violence . The words of shouting “police beat a person to death” is the true thing, not the false words to provoke people to make public disorder.”
“The prosecution to defendants Nguyen Van Ly and Mai Dinh Tam aimed at pressuring the family of teenager Thach. Because till now the family still keeps requesting agencies of the legal system to conduct serious proceedings against policemen who have killed their son.”
“The Former Vietnamese Prisoner of Consience urges the Khanh Hoa court to void the conviction and release Nguyen Van Ly and Mai Dinh Tam immediately,” said Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, co-chair of FVPoC. Nguyễn Đan Quế, đồng chủ tịch Hội nói.
“Instead of arrested, oppressed people who express the outrage for the behavior of abuse of power to beat people, the authorities, if not an accomplice, should punish appropriately the perpetrators who use violence”.
Vietnam, June 3, 2015The FVPoC Steering Committeehttp://fvpoc.org/