Truong Quoc Huy

Background

Vietnamese Prisoner of conscience Truong Quoc Huy (pronounced “True-ong Kwok Hoo-ee”) was arrested on 18 August 2006 while using chatroom facilities at an internet café in Ho Chi Minh City. Since his arrest, his whereabouts remain unknown. He has reportedly been charged under national security legislation which provides for up to 20 years' imprisonment for conducting propaganda against the state.

It is believed that Truong Quoc Huy's comments may have prompted his re-arrest on 18 August 2006. Plainclothes policemen took him from an Internet cafe in Ho Chi Minh City where he had again logged on to the PalTalk website. His brother, Truong Quoc Tuan, was with him at the time and was also arrested and taken by police to a separate detention facility. The police reportedly returned with Truong Quoc Huy to the family house and conducted a search, confiscating several items, including mobile phones and a camera. Truong Quoc Huy was then taken away again. His brother was released in the early hours of the following morning and is reported to be under restrictions of "house arrest".

Truong Quoc Huy's family have had no news about him since his arrest and do not know where he is detained. He has reportedly been accused under Article 88 of the Criminal Code with "conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam". If found guilty under this national security legislation, Truong Quoc Huy could face a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

Amnesty International considers him to be a prisoner of conscience, detained only for exercising his right to freedom of expression and association.

Past Arrests

Truong Quoc Huy had been previously arrested at his home in Ho Chi Minh City on 19 October 2005, along with two brothers and a female

friend. The group had been taking part in a chatroom discussion hosted by New York based web company PalTalk entitled "the voice of people in Viet Nam and Abroad". Fifty police officers entered the house at around 3pm, beat and kicked the four and took them to B34 Security Prison.

Truong Quoc Huy's brother, Troung Quoc Nghia, was subsequently released, while the others were detained under Article 79 of the Criminal Code ("carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people's administration") and held incommunicado for nine months. They were refused legal representation and family visits. Whilst in custody, the computer business of Truong Quoc Tuan, the third brother, went bankrupt. Their friend, Pham Ngoc Anh Dao, was given diplomatic assistance to return to the USA after her release.

When interviewed in August 2006, six weeks after his release, Truong Quoc Huy said that he would continue to criticize the government and expressed his support for Bloc 8406, an on-line petition calling for peaceful political change and respect for human rights.

Bloc 8406 became a fledgling movement for democracy after the 8 April 2006 launch of the Manifesto 2006 on Freedom and Democracy for Vietnam, which was signed by 118 democracy activists calling for peaceful political change and respect for human rights. Unlike most previous political initiatives, the Manifesto involved people from various political factions, religious creeds, professional background and geographical areas of the country. The petition quickly attracted more signatories and its launch marked the effective creation of an Internet based pro-democracy movement, now called Bloc 8406. Since April some 2000 people inside Vietnam have signed a petition in support of the Manifesto.