In what many believed to be Da Nang communist government's retaliatory action against their adversary, six Catholics were convicted and sentenced severely for “disturbing public order, disorderly conduct, and attacking state security officers” after a speedy trial on Oct. 27 in which defendants were deprived of their rights to a lawyer.
Hundreds of police and army in riot gear with guard dogs were deployed in front of Cam Le district court, Da Nang on Oct. 27 to guard an infamous trial which has been condemned by both civilians, politician worldwide, and in particular by thousands of Catholics who braved the cold, rain, and wind to participate in a sit-in protest outside the courthouse.
Immediately after a one-day trial, at 17:00, the chief judge, Tan Thi Thu Dung, imposed a sentence of 12 months to two of the Con Dau defendants while four others got 9 months. The accused claimed their innocence.
On May 4, during the funeral procession for Mary Tan, 82, police intervened to prevent the burial in the parish cemetery which had been seized to build a tourist resort. For almost an hour, there were clashes between 500 Catholics and agents, with many wounded and 59 people arrested.
Dung insisted that the six parishioners had incited riots, falsely accused the government, and instigated others to attack State officials on-duty. Catholic defendants maintained that they simply self-defended against the brutal attack of police.
Attorney Cu Huy Ha Vu who had been denied permission to defend the six Catholic defendants condemned the trial sentence disclosing that an anonymous source from the Cam Le People's Court had told his associates that the sentence for each defendant had already been decided and approved by leaders of the local government and the Party; and hence a defence lawyer would deem unnecessary.
Speaking to BBC, the lawyer stated that the real cause of the Con Dau incident is the widespread and bold seizure of land by local authorities. “Taking land by force has become widespread. It happens everywhere,” he said.
“However, the incident at Con Dau stands out from the others as the local authorities have employed police and armed forces to violently dismiss the protest. That’s why it has caused fury not only among Catholics but also among those with conscience,” added lawyer Cu.
Thousands Catholics of the capital city of Hanoi joined in a Candlelight Vigil hold simultaneously with another one in Saigon that drew another 2,000 people, Catholics and non-Catholics, prayed against the unjust trial.
A letter of Bishop Paul Nguyen Thai Hop, the president of the Vietnamese Bishop’s Peace and Justice Commission challenging the legality of the government’s seizure of the parish property was read at the Vigils.
With property values skyrocketing in Vietnam, the government has laid claim to many pieces of property, citing a principle of the Communist system that "land is under the whole people’s ownership and is managed by the State". In practice, the land is often seized, and then sold to developers who profit from their ties to the government. Bishop Nguyen pointedly asked whether “the decision of local authorities of Da Nang to seize Con Dau parishioners’ properties in order to sell them to Sun Investment Corporation” can be justified under law.
The bishop went on to question “why the government is pushing the peaceful Con Dau parishioners into current tragic situation, causing one death, many arrests, others facing total loss of properties, and dozens fleeing to another country seeking asylum, when the government's duties are supposedly to protect the rights of the citizens, to stabilize their lives and their welfare.”
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| Candlelight Vigil in Saigon |
Immediately after a one-day trial, at 17:00, the chief judge, Tan Thi Thu Dung, imposed a sentence of 12 months to two of the Con Dau defendants while four others got 9 months. The accused claimed their innocence.
On May 4, during the funeral procession for Mary Tan, 82, police intervened to prevent the burial in the parish cemetery which had been seized to build a tourist resort. For almost an hour, there were clashes between 500 Catholics and agents, with many wounded and 59 people arrested.
Dung insisted that the six parishioners had incited riots, falsely accused the government, and instigated others to attack State officials on-duty. Catholic defendants maintained that they simply self-defended against the brutal attack of police.
Attorney Cu Huy Ha Vu who had been denied permission to defend the six Catholic defendants condemned the trial sentence disclosing that an anonymous source from the Cam Le People's Court had told his associates that the sentence for each defendant had already been decided and approved by leaders of the local government and the Party; and hence a defence lawyer would deem unnecessary.
Speaking to BBC, the lawyer stated that the real cause of the Con Dau incident is the widespread and bold seizure of land by local authorities. “Taking land by force has become widespread. It happens everywhere,” he said.
“However, the incident at Con Dau stands out from the others as the local authorities have employed police and armed forces to violently dismiss the protest. That’s why it has caused fury not only among Catholics but also among those with conscience,” added lawyer Cu.
Thousands Catholics of the capital city of Hanoi joined in a Candlelight Vigil hold simultaneously with another one in Saigon that drew another 2,000 people, Catholics and non-Catholics, prayed against the unjust trial.
A letter of Bishop Paul Nguyen Thai Hop, the president of the Vietnamese Bishop’s Peace and Justice Commission challenging the legality of the government’s seizure of the parish property was read at the Vigils.
With property values skyrocketing in Vietnam, the government has laid claim to many pieces of property, citing a principle of the Communist system that "land is under the whole people’s ownership and is managed by the State". In practice, the land is often seized, and then sold to developers who profit from their ties to the government. Bishop Nguyen pointedly asked whether “the decision of local authorities of Da Nang to seize Con Dau parishioners’ properties in order to sell them to Sun Investment Corporation” can be justified under law.
The bishop went on to question “why the government is pushing the peaceful Con Dau parishioners into current tragic situation, causing one death, many arrests, others facing total loss of properties, and dozens fleeing to another country seeking asylum, when the government's duties are supposedly to protect the rights of the citizens, to stabilize their lives and their welfare.”