Political prisoner Nguyen Doan Quang Vien, who is serving a 14-year prison sentence at Gia Trung Detention Center (Gia Lai province), calls for help because of a serious illness that can lead to death.
Mr. Vien, 41 years old, was detained in mid-October 2021 on charges of “operating to overthrow the people’s administration” under Article 109 of the Vietnam Criminal Code 2015 for his connection with “Provisional National Government of Vietnam.” In mid-January 2023, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison and five years of probation by the Lam Dong Provincial Court.
His wife, Nguyen Thi Dao, said her husband had contracted tuberculosis a year before his arrest. However, the disease has worsened in recent times. She told Radio Free Asia (RFA) on July 27:
“When he was at home, he had tuberculosis, coughed and vomited blood. He was being treated at Pham Ngoc Thach hospital, at that time his health was as optimistic as it was early days.
But when he was locked there in a cold room and his lungs were weak, I don’t know if anything happened, but I noticed that he talks very weak now.”
Mr. Vien, who worked as a security guard and motorbike taxi driver before his arrest, and his wife have two young children under the age of five. Due to economic difficulties, his wife could not go to the prison to visit him. As a result, the couple can only communicate by mail and 10 minutes by phone per month. Mrs. Dao also said that sometimes she has money to send him food by post.
Ms. Dao said that he called her recently and told her that his health was very poor because he had not been treated for tuberculosis.
“He just said that is health is very weak right now and he didn’t say about other diseases.
He said he made a petition to let him be released on bail for medical treatment and after that, he would come back, but he hasn’t been approved yet.”
“He wrote a letter saying maybe the last letter because he was very tired and his health was weak maybe he didn’t have the strength to endure until the day he returns,” she recounted the letter he sent to his wife dated July 7.
He is currently being held in a separate room. Many seriously ill inmates who were detained nearby wrote to ask for a postponement of their prison sentences for medical treatment, but were not accepted by the prison, she added.
To inquire about Mr. Vien’s health condition, the reporter called Gia Trung Prison many times but no one answered the phone.
Mrs. Dao works as a tailor and sells lottery tickets to support her two young children. Currently, the trio are staying at an acquaintance’s house in Ho Chi Minh City.
She knew nothing about her husband’s activities and had only heard of the “Provisional National Government of Vietnam” when he was arrested. No one from the organization contacted his family after his arrest and the family received no visit or assistance from any individual or organization, she said.
She wants the domestic and international community to speak up for her husband so that he can be released on bail for medical treatment.
Mr. Vien is one of dozens of people arrested and convicted in connection with the US-based “Provisional National Government of Vietnam” in recent years.
According to the indictment, he engaged in propaganda activities to attract people to join this organization. He is said to have printed thousands of pages of propaganda materials, posted them in public places and connected many people to participate.
Vietnam considers the “Provisional National Government of Vietnam” a terrorist group. RFA repeatedly contacted this organization to ask for comments on the terrorist accusations attributed to Hanoi as well as cases in Vietnam convicted of joining this organization.
This organization has responded several times, including denying allegations of “terrorist activities” or mobilizing domestic people to participate in terrorist and anti-regime activities.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
