Prisoner of conscience Trinh Ba Tu, who is serving his eight-year prison sentence at Prison camp No. 6 (Thanh Chuong district, Nghe An province), has not been allowed to meet his family by the prison’s authorities in October, after more than a month he declared a hunger strike and the prison’s punishment against him ended.
On October 15, a former prisoner of conscience Trinh Ba Khiem went to Prison camp No. 6 to visit his son, but he was not allowed to meet him. On October 17, Mr. Khiem told Radio Free Asia by phone:
“I just went there on October 15 to ask about Trinh Ba Tu’s health condition, but a police officer who considered Trinh Ba Tu’s area answered ‘normal.'”
Ten days ago, Mr. Khiem also came to this prison, asking to see his son, but the prison refused. Prison officials wouldn’t even let him send foodstuff for his son on the grounds that his son was still being disciplined.
During Khiem’s visit on September 20, Mr. Trinh Ba Tu told his father that he had been beaten. A prison official told Mr. Khiem that Mr. Tu was disciplined “for writing false accusations.” The unnamed official also told Mr. Khiem that because of the disciplinary sentence, Mr. Tu could only see his family once in September-October, and the family could not see Mr. Tu this month.
Tu’s family did not know the specific contents of Tu’s denunciation but only knew that Tu was then beaten and taken to the solitary cell on September 6, where his feet were shackled for 10 days.
Mr. Khiem said the family was very worried about the health of their second son after this prisoner of conscience went on a hunger strike.
“I went to Thanh Chuong 6 Detention Center twice in October because I was worried about Trinh Ba Tu. On September 20, Trinh Ba Tu said he had been on a hunger strike for 14 days since September 6. Since that day, I have not heard any news about Trinh Ba Tu and I do not understand if Trinh Ba Tu has stopped his hunger strike or not.”
According to Article 43 of the Law on Execution of Criminal Judgments passed by the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on June 14, 2019, there are three forms of discipline for prisoners: reprimand, warning, and detention in a solitary cell for up to 10 days. During their time in solitary confinement, prisoners are not allowed to see their relatives and may have their feet shackled.
According to the information Mr. Khiem provided, Mr. Trinh Ba Tu was detained in a solitary cell from September 6 to September 15, and nearly a week later, Tu was allowed to see his family.
Reporters on October 17 called Prison No. 6 to verify information, but no one answered the phone.
Mr. Trinh Ba Tu (33 years old) along with his mother Can Thi Theu and brother Trinh Ba Phuong have been land rights activists for many years.
Ms. Theu and her two sons were arrested on the same day of June 24, 2020, on charges of “conducting propaganda against the state” and then found guilty with a total sentence of 26 years in prison. Mrs. Theu and Tu were sentenced to eight years in prison, and the eldest son Trinh Ba Phuong was sentenced to ten years in prison.
Last month, shortly after returning from prison, Mr. Trinh Ba Khiem filed a petition with the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security to request an investigation into Mr. Trinh Ba Tu’s beating. However, so far, his family has not received a response.
Prison No. 6 is located in the region with the harshest climate in the Central region. Many former prisoners have shared with RFA that the warden and prison guards here treat prisoners of conscience extremely harshly.
In 2019, former teacher Dao Quang Thuc died in this prison while serving a 13-year prison sentence. Three years later, in early August this year, citizen journalist Do Cong Duong also died here. Both men were healthy before being transferred to this prison camp.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
