The independent journalist the Huu Minh Tuan, who is serving 11 years to “lead propaganda against the state,” his family told serious health problems in prison. A human rights group affirms that its treatment is “a shame for Vietnam”.
Tuan, a member of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam, is imprisoned in Xuyen Moc prison in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau. According to his family, on April 19, Tuan spent his monthly telephone call at home and reported that he had suffered from prolonged rectal bleeding, with the amount of blood increasing over time, leading to physical deterioration and mental exhaustion.
Tuan relatives said the condition lasted three weeks. Although the medical staff of prisons have examined it and diagnosed a problem linked to the colon before administering three injections, its condition has shown no sign of improvement.
The medical staff also submitted a report on the state of Tuan to the prison administration, but according to what he said during the telephone call, on June 19, the prison authorities had not yet answered.
The family said Tuan’s wish should be taken outside the prison for examination and treatment in a hospital.
“I am very worried. Tuan has an urgent need for medical assistance, but we do not know what to do. He is very concerned about his health,” said a parent to FRG on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
In response to the reports of the state of serious health of the political prisoner, international organizations called on the Vietnamese authorities to release it.
In a statement of June 20, Human Rights Watch said: “The Vietnamese government should immediately publish the independent journalist Le Huu Minh Tuan and ensure that he receives appropriate medical treatment.”
The committee to protect journalists launched a similar appeal. “Tuan’s pain and suffering in the past five years in prison are the shame of Vietnam, and it should be released immediately,” said Press Freedom Group, based in New York.
Tuan was arrested in June 2020 with two other members of the Vietnam Independent Journalists Association: President Pham Chi Dung and vice-president Nguyen Tuong Thuy. All three were accused of “propaganda conduct against the state”.
Nguyen Tuong Thuy, 75, a former contributor to the Vietnamese RFA, also suffered from poor health, and his family protested the prison authorities for the lack of appropriate treatment.
Last year, parents and rights defense groups expressed their concern about Tuan’s health, noting that he had not been able to eat solid foods, resulting in serious weight loss, stomach pain, digestive problems and numbness in his legs.
Penitentiary conditions in Vietnam, in particular for political prisoners, have long been criticized as severe by international human rights organizations. Family members also complain that prisoners have contracted serious illnesses due to severe living conditions – ranging from poor quality food and dangerous drinking water to insufficient medical care.
According to information from the relatives of the prisoners, from 2019 so far, at least six political prisoners have died in detention centers, in particular: the independent journalist Do Cong Duong, the former educator Dao Quang Thuuc and Pastor Dinh Diem in prison n ° 6 (Nghe An Province); Phan Van Thu in Gia Trung prison (Gia Lai province); Doan Dinh Nam at Xuyen Moc prison (Ba Ria-Vung Tau province); and Huynh Huu dat in Xuan Loc prison (Dong Nai province).
Edited by Mat Pennington.