My heart really aches when I need to sit here, once again, to
respectfully write these words to readers in this forum, human rights
organizations, individuals and organizations at home and abroad those
who love freedom to raise the emergency alarm alerting everyone about
life of the prisoner of conscience Ho Thi Bich Khuong, one of three
female prisoners of conscience in Vietnam whose names are recently added
to a long list of whom the International Federation for Human Rights requests the Vietnamese authorities to release.
After receiving words from relatives of blogger Ta Phong Tan informing
Mrs. Khuong continues to face punishment in solitary confinement, I
immediately informed her relatives asking them to make a prompt visit to
check out her health condition. However, her older sister, Mrs. Ho Thi
Lan, was sick so she asked me to help write a letter for help, which was
posted on April 04, 2014.
I helped Mrs. Khuong’s son, Nguyen Trung Duc, arrange a visit on April
7, 2014; returning home, Duc told me what he had learned from the visit
as follows:
This morning Mrs. Khuong was escorted by two prisoners on a wheelchair
when seeing her son. Through a very weak voice, she tried to tell her
son that during a recent prison punishment she asked prison officials to
send home a letter and was denied; being very frustrated, she made a
protest and was beaten badly. Reportedly, on March 28 or 29, 2014, a
female prison warden beat her brutally on her abdomen inflicting
excruciating pains. That warden also said, "I can beat up prisoners like
you at my will, there is no problem if you are beaten to death." The
brutal attack has since confined Mrs. Khuong to a wheelchair.
Learning that the International Federation of Human Rights has recently
called for her release, she expressed her appreciation and thanks to all
individuals and organizations at home and abroad those who have
tirelessly advocated for her. However, she pessimistically told her son:
"Possibly I won’t have that chance. It’s very likely I am going to die
in prison because I doubt the Communists will release me. If you won’t
receive my phone call this month, then you know that your mother would
have died for you. My eyes are blurry; my head hurts and my body aches; I
cannot stand up."
After a brief visit, Duc had to say goodbye to his mother and it would
be his last visit to a beloved mother. But I hope the worst won’t happen
to her. The pain is unbearable for us to recently say goodbye to
teacher Dinh Dang Dinh and we cannot afford to lose Mrs. Ho Thi Bich
Khuong or anyone anymore.
Police and security forces in Vietnam still treat ordinary Vietnamese in
a thuggish and inhuman manner while Vietnam ratified the United Nations
Convention against Torture and gained a seat on the current session of
the United Nations Human Rights Council. Is it the time for the United
Nations to reconsider Vietnam’s qualifications and its compliance?
I respectfully and urgently ask everyone to do whatever you can to help save Mrs. Khuong’s life in prison.
Tel.: +84 01628387716
Email: nguyentrungtonth@gmail.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment