AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL URGENT ACTION: JAILED SCHOLAR ON HUNGER STRIKE Dr Cu Huy Ha Vu, a Vietnamese legal scholar, has been on hunger strike since 27 May in protest at his treatment in prison. He is serving a seven-year sentence for “conducting propaganda” against the state. He has a chronic heart condition, and his health is at risk. Dr Cu Huy Ha Vu, a 56-year-old prisoner of conscience, was arrested in November 2010 and accused of calling for a multi-party political system in online articles and giving interviews to foreign media. In April 2011 he was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment and three years’ house arrest on release for “conducting propaganda” against the state. He had previously attempted to sue government officials, including the Prime Minister: once in an attempt to stop a controversial bauxite-mining project, and later – two months before his arrest – to challenge the legality of a decree banning class-action petitions. He is now in Prison No 5, Department of Police, Yen Dinh in the northern province of Thanh Hoa.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 00:44:21 +0000