:''In this
Vietnamese name
Traditional Vietnamese personal names generally consist of three parts, used in Eastern name order.
* A family name (normally patrilineal, although matrilineality is possible, in cases such as divorce, children of a single mother, or if a child ...
, the
family name
In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
is Thái. According to Vietnamese custom, this person should properly be referred to by the
given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...
Dung.''
Thái Văn Dung is a Vietnamese member of the Catholic Church. He was arrested in Vietnam on 19 August 2011, sentenced to 4 years of prison and 4 years of house arrest.
2011 arrest
Dung was arrested on August 19, 2011 in Hanoi, Vietnam. He was charged with conspiracy to overthrow the Vietnamese government under clause 2, Article 79 of the Criminal Code.
[Vietnam: Release Convicted Activists - Drop Charges Against Blogger Le Quoc Quan]
. Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...
. 2013-01-09. Retrieved 12 August 2016. The arrest happened during the
2011 crackdown on Vietnamese youth activists
Between July 2011 and December 2011 a number of young Vietnamese Christian activists, primarily located in northern province of Nghệ An Province, Nghệ An, Vietnam, and working with the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, were arrested by t ...
, which included 17 other Vietnamese youth activists.
2013 conviction
On January 8–9, 2013, 14 Catholic and Protestant activists, one of whom was Thái Văn Dung, stood before the People’s Court of Nghệ An Province on trial. All were sentenced to 3–13 years in prison on charges of subversion.
Dung was accused of maintaining ties with
Viet Tan
The Vietnamese people (, ) or the Kinh people (), also known as the Viet people or the Viets, are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to modern-day northern Vietnam and southern China who speak Vietnamese, the most widely spoken Austroas ...
, a US-based pro-democracy organization to establish democracy and reform Vietnam through peaceful and political means.
2015 release
On August 19, 2015, Thai Van Dung was released.
[Hai tù nhân lương tâm Trần Minh Nhật và Thái Văn Dung mãn án tù]
(in Vietnamese). Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders (RWB; ; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organisation, non-governmental organization headquartered in Paris, which focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its a ...
. 27 August 2015. After 4 years of imprisonment, he confessed “I will bring awareness on the suppressed freedoms of religion and human rights people face in prison”.
[Thái Văn Dung. Interview by Thanh Lan. Chân Trời Mới Media, 22 August 2015,]
CTM Đặc Biệt Thái Văn Dung
Accessed 12 August 2016. Dung claims he will continue to protest for Vietnam democracy and is mentally prepared to face prison again.
Treatment in prison
He was transferred between K3, K5, and K6 prisons and was locked in rooms between 7-9 square meters. On two occasions, Dung was disciplined for disobeying prison officials' orders because he starved himself after they denied him access to newspapers, radio, TV, and an electric fan.
He repeatedly requested human rights and freedom of religion from prison officials, and protested the harsh treatment throughout his time in prison.
(in Vietnamese). Saigon Broadcasting Television Network
Saigon Broadcasting Television Network, abbreviated SBTN, is a 24-hour Vietnamese-language and liberal television channel targeted at Vietnamese audiences living outside of Vietnam. Its headquarters are in Garden Grove, California.
SBTN is di ...
. 19 August 2015. At the same time, authorities continued to pressure him to confess his crime every 3 months.
See also
* 2011 crackdown on Vietnamese youth activists
Between July 2011 and December 2011 a number of young Vietnamese Christian activists, primarily located in northern province of Nghệ An Province, Nghệ An, Vietnam, and working with the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, were arrested by t ...
* 2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents On January 8–9, 2013 a trial was held by the People's Court of Nghệ An Province, Vietnam for 14 democracy activists,
primarily belonging to the Catholic church, including high-profile blogger Paulus Le Son. All of them were sentenced to 3–1 ...
* Human rights in Vietnam
Human rights in Vietnam () are among the poorest in the world, as considered by various domestic and international academics, dissidents and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch (HRW), ...
* Viet Tan
The Vietnamese people (, ) or the Kinh people (), also known as the Viet people or the Viets, are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to modern-day northern Vietnam and southern China who speak Vietnamese, the most widely spoken Austroas ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thai, Van Dung
Vietnamese activists
1992 births
Living people