Please urge the Vietnamese government to cease
their harassment towards Mr. Huynh Ngoc Tuan
and his children immediately and unconditionally.
Dear President Obama,Dear Representative
Dear Senator
The Honorable Barack Obama
The President Of The United States Of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We are writing on behalf of all citizens concerned with the novelists and freedom journalists Mr. Huynh Ngoc Tuan, Ms.Huynh Thuc Vy and Mr. Huynh Trong Hieu who were the victims of assault in the hands of police agents. On November 08th, 2011 they were publicly denounced and humiliated with a warrant house search organized by the authorities. As human rights advocates, he and his family have been subjects to ongoing police surveillance and harassment – they have received threatening phone calls and has had their home attacked by thugs that were allegedly under directed order by the Public Security Forces.
When Tuan was jailed in 1992 for his outspoken opinions on the Vietnamese government's human rights violations, Huynh Thuc Vy had just turned 7 and her brother, Huynh Trong Hieu, was 3 years old. A few years later they lost their mother. Thuc-Vy and Trong Hieu became homeless for 10 years before their father was released. Regardless, they still grew to become useful and active citizens in society. Today, posts blogged by this sister-brother duo shocks the public opinion and rocks the communist regime. They are at risk of imprisonment for daring to speak out for truth and reason.
The harassment of Huynh’s family is directly related to their work in the defense of human rights in Vietnam. Mr. Huynh Ngoc Tuan, who suffers from diabetes and advanced tuberculosis, was refused adequate medical care during his previous time in prison. We are seriously concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Huynh Ngoc Tuan.
After 10 years of imprisonment writer Huynh Ngoc Tuan remains a resilient patriot. When asked if he intended to apply for a visa to a free country in an agreement to stop writing about the human violations in Viet Nam the writer answered without hesitation: “I want to stay here [in Viet Nam] and if must die I want to die in our home land.”
We believe that political suppression cannot continue to be upheld in Vietnam should Vietnam want to continue enjoying Permanent Normal Trade Relations with the United States and of being exempt from the Country of Particular Concern designation.
Therefore, we respectfully request you and your administration to intervene. Mr. Huynh Ngoc Tuan, Ms. Huynh Thuc Vy and Mr. Huynh Trong Hieu, like any citizen of the world, are entitled to basic human rights. Please urge the Vietnamese government to cease their harassment towards Mr. Huynh Ngoc Tuan and his children immediately and unconditionally.
Respectfully Yours,
