Vietnamese priest-activist returned to prison

July 26, 2011

Father Nguyen Van Ly, a human-rights activist, has been arrested once again by the Vietnamese government.

In 2007, Father Ly was sentenced of an 8-year prison term for his public criticism of the Vietnamese regime. After many pleas from international advocates, he was released in March 2010 for medical treatment. Father Ly has suffered several strokes that left him partially paralyzed; he also needed treatment for a brain tumor. At that time, prison officials said that he would be jailed again if his medical condition improved.

Friends of the priest say that his medical condition remains very precarious, and the police who re-arrested him came prepared with an ambulance. The decision to put him back in jail appears to have been motivated by his recent public statements, issued from house arrest, denouncing the government for human-rights violations.

 

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Further information:

• Father Nguyen Van Ly arrested again (AsiaNews)
• Jailed Vietnamese priest, seriously ill, released for treatment (CWN, 3/16/10)