Christian human rights advocate beaten & tortured in Vietnam
More than 30 organizations, including Amnesty International and Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), are calling on the Vietnamese government to conduct investigations on the case of a human rights advocate who was beaten last month.
The victim, Tan Thi Hong, is the wife of detained pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh. According to Christian Today, Hong was on her way to meet with the U.S. ambassador at large David Saperstein to discuss international religious freedom, but local authorities prevented her from doing so. They beat her and sent her home.
She never made it to the meeting, which took place in a certain hotel as scheduled. The ambassador later on confirmed that Hong had been stopped from going to the meeting.
Two weeks after the incident, Hong was forcibly taken from her home and brought to a place where she was interrogated and beaten. Her captors allegedly kicked her repeatedly, leaving her with serious injuries. Hong said they were demanding that she tell them what she and Saperstein talked about, even though she was not able to attend the meeting.
The organizations, which include both human rights and faith-based groups, addressed the issue in a statement:
"We condemn what appears to have been reliably established as the torture of Mrs Hong and call on the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to initiate a prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigation into the allegations of torture, prosecute any identified perpetrator, and provide Mrs Hong with proper medical care."
The groups also condemned the incarceration of Hong's husband, pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh, saying he was unjustly imprisoned. They called for his immediate and unconditional release.
Like his wife, Chinh sought to advance religious freedom. In 2012, he was arrested and convicted of "undermining national unity."
Mervyn Thomas, chief executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, said the organization still receives reports of violence and harrassment toward religious leaders and communities in Vietnam.
Vietnam has a population of around 93 million, eight percent of which are Christians.
