After decades under the dictatorial rule of the Vietnamese Communist Party, numerous Vietnamese citizens have been terrorized and incarcerated simply because they expressed different opinions from the Party's, or dared to ask for their basic human rights which the world has solemnly recognized in the 1948 Universal declaration of Human Rights.
Waves of oppression by the Party show no sign of abatement. In just the past 14 months, a string of theatrical trials with real sentences were imposed on peaceful voices for freedom and democracy in Vietnam.
Among the most well-known trials:
- On August 12, 1995, Professor Nguyen Dinh Huy and fellow members of the Movement To Unify The People And To Build Democracy were sentenced between 4 and 15 years in prison for their advocation of a pluralistic democracy in Vietnam.
- On August 15, 1995, Reverend Thich Quang Do, the Secretary General of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam was sentenced to 5 years in prison for his calls on the government to respect people's right to religious freedom.
- On November 8, 1995, Hoang Minh Chinh and Do Trung Hieu were sentenced to 12 and 15 months in prison for their calls on the Party leadership to restore the names of those members that were falsely accused by the Party in the past.
- On August 22, 1996, Ha Si Phu, Le Hong Ha, and Nguyen Kien Giang were sentenced from 15 months of suspension to 2 years of imprisonment for their expression of opinions not favored by the Party.
The above cases as well as the imprisonment and house arrest of numerous other religious leaders, intellectuals, writers, artists, and even outspoken party members, show the Vietnamese communist government's contempt for international public opinion and humankind's conscience.
The Free Vietnam Alliance earnestly calls on all overseas Vietnamese, our international friends, human rights organizations, and governments of free countries to join us on October 26-27, 1996, all across the world to raise our united voice for political prisoners in Vietnam. Activities on the two days will include demonstrations, hunger protests, information displays, community meetings, petition drives and other events.
With our joint effort and pressure, we strongly believe the Vietnamese Communist Party and its government shall eventually have to release all political prisoners and end its human rights violations in Vietnam.
Paris, September 14, 1996
The Free Vietnam Alliance