Catholic dissident Nguyễn Năng Tĩnh receives a human rights award
The music teacher has received the 2022 Lê Đình Lượng Human Rights Award. He is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for opposing Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea. For his wife, the award is a “priceless gift" and "source of encouragement". Meanwhile, he is not allowed to pray in prison.
Hanoi (AsiaNews) – Catholic activist and prisoner of conscience Nguyễn Năng Tinh has received the 2022 Lê Đình Lượng Human Rights Award, an annual prize given by Việt Tân, the US-based Vietnam Reform Revolution Party, to individuals or groups fighting for human rights and freedom in the Asian country.
This year's theme was “defending sovereignty against threats from China”. The award ceremony was held last Saturday (10 December), a symbolic date because it is Lê Đình Lượng’s birthday and UN World Human Rights Day. Lê Đình Lượng is currently held at the Ba Sao prison camp, Hà Nam province.
In November 2021, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) published a document denouncing Tinh's arrest and conviction as arbitrary, in violation of international law.
Đông Xuyến, a spokeswoman for Việt Tân, notes that Tinh beat many strong candidates.
"Recognizing and upholding the efforts of peaceful, responsible citizens in contributing to promoting human rights and protecting national sovereignty [while they are] persecuted, smeared and abused by the state shows that their work is very meaningful and valuable for the life and development of the Vietnamese people and the country,” she told Radio Free Asia.
“The award helps their families visit them in prison and represents a small share of their courage, affirmation, integrity and love of their nation,” she added.
Tinh’s wife Nguyễn Thị Tính said she was overjoyed by the “priceless gift”, which “is also a source of encouragement for the family as well as all those who have been, are, and will be fighting for democracy, human rights and justice in Vietnam”.
In his cell, Nguyễn Năng Tĩnh is not allowed to read religious books, meet priests or pray. Despite the harsh prison regime and pressure from the authorities, he has always claimed his innocence, and promotes peaceful forms of protest such as hunger strike.
Tinh, 46, hails from Vinh, Nghệ An province, north-central Vietnam. A married father of one, he taught music at the Nghệ An College for Culture and Art. He was arrested in at home on 29 May 2019 while preparing to eat breakfast with his son, he was locked up in Nghi Kim prison.
On 15 November 2019, a court sentenced him to 11 years in prison, plus five years under house arrest on charges of “making, storing, spreading information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the State of Socialist Republic of Vietnam."
In Vietnam he is famous for teaching young people songs considered taboo, such as "Trả Lại Cho Dân" (Return to the People), or "Việt Nam Tôi Đâu?" (Where is Vietnam?), which praise the country’s culture and independence from Chinese influence.
In order to uphold Vietnamese sovereignty against China, he took part in protests aimed at defending Vietnam’s claims to the Paracel and Spratly Islands and against concessions in special economic zones.
He was also involved in protests against the Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation, which dumped toxic waste into the sea, polluting the coast of four Vietnamese provinces.
In his struggle for freedom and human rights, Tinh joined several groups such as NoU FC Vinh, Nhóm Bảo Vệ Sự Sống (Life Protection Group), Quy Phát Triển Con Người (Human Development Fund) and Truyền Thông Công Giáo (Catholic media).
For Human Rights Watch, arrests like Nguyễn Năng Tĩnh’s are carried out to silence anyone who criticises the government. All of this is “part of an ongoing crackdown against critics and pro-democracy campaigners”.
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17/06/2008
