The Vietnamese Communist Party Must Free Le Chi Quang and All Its Prisoners of Conscience

As you may already know, lawyer Le Chi Quang was recently sentenced by the Peoples Court of Hanoi to 4 years of imprisonment and 3 years of house arrest on November 8, 2002, for acts of propaganda against the state and undermining the security of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. As a citizen concerned about democracy and the countrys independence, Le Chi Quang had used peaceful means to express his views to Vietnams government and the international media.

We, the undersigned, are dedicated to the fate and future of Vietnam, and therefore are objecting in the strongest terms to the above-mentioned sentence passed on lawyer Le Chi Quang.

In carrying out the sentence described, the Peoples Court of Hanoi and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam have with complete impunity trampled upon the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which Vietnam had ratified in September 1982. At the same time, the sentence also violated the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in which Article 69 recognizes the right to free communication and free opinion by all citizens.

As the world evolves in the direction of global progress and democracy, the voices of forward-thinking, honest, courageous, and patriotic individuals such as lawyer Le Chi Quang, Dr. Pham Hong Son, journalist Nguyen Vu Binh, and army veteran Nguyen Khac Toan should, more than ever, be sought out, encouraged, and listened to with the greatest consideration. Only with that attitude can Vietnam hope to achieve genuine, complete and lasting progress. It is only with that approach that the people will find the enthusiasm to contribute ideas and participate in the betterment of the countrys society. It is only in heeding dissident voices that the growing grievances within all segments of the people will not erupt into open instability and conflict.

We hereby affirm our determination to demand that Vietnams government release lawyer Le Chi Quang and all other prisoners of conscience, Prof. Nguyen Dinh Huy, Rev Nguyen van Ly, Ven Thich Huyen Quang, Ven Thich Quang Do, veteran Nguyen Khac Toan, Dr. Pham Hong Son, journalist Nguyen Vu Binh, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hoa, Mr. Nguyen Truc Cuong, Mr. Nguyen Vu Viet etc...

We call on all conscientious individuals, officials of international human rights organizations and officials of democratic governments around the world to intervene to obtain from the Vietnamese government the immediate release of lawyer Le Chi Quang and all other Vietnamese prisoners of conscience, considering that their actions were completely non-violent and that they simply exercised their freedom of expression to which all citizens of the world should be entitled.

I hereby sign my name, to protest in the strongest terms, the Vietnamese Communist Partys brutal policies of terorism against the people of Vietnam,

************** VIETNAMESE TEXT ****************

Nhu+ quy' vi. dda~ bie^'t, lua^.t su+ Le^ Chi' Quang, mo^.t ngu+o+`i quan ta^m dde^'n da^n chu? va` ddo^.c la^.p cu?a nu+o+'c nha`, va` su+? du.ng bie^.n pha'p o^n ho`a dde^? go'p y' xa^y du+.ng, pho^? bie^'n suy nghi~ cu?a mi`nh dde^'n nha` nu+o+'c Vie^.t Nam cu~ng nhu+ ca'c co+ quan truye^`n tho^ng quo^'c te^', vu+`a bi. To`a A'n Nha^n Da^n Ha` No^.i ke^'t a'n 4 na(m tu` , 3 na(m qua?n che^', nga`y 8 tha'ng 11, na(m 2002, vi` to^.i "tuye^n truye^`n cho^'ng nha` nu+o+'c" va` "ga^y nguy ha.i dde^'n an ninh cu?a nu+o+'c Co^.ng Ho`a Xa~ Ho^.i Chu? Nghi~a Vie^.t Nam".
Vi` thie^'t tha dde^'n so^' pha^.n cu?a da^n to^.c va` tu+o+ng lai cu?a dda^'t nu+o+'c Vie^.t Nam, chu'ng to^i, nhu+~ng ngu+o+`i ky' te^n du+o+'i dda^y, cu+.c lu+.c pha?n ddo^'i ba?n a'n vu+`a ke^? tre^n ddo^'i vo+'i lua^.t su+ Le^ Chi' Quang.

Khi thi ha`nh ba?n a'n ke^? tre^n, To`a A'n Nha^n Da^n Ha` No^.i va` nha` nu+o+'c Co^.ng Ho`a Xa~ Ho^.i Chu? Nghi~a Vie^.t Nam dda~ ngang nhie^n cha шdda.p le^n Co^ng u+o+'c Quo^'c te^' ve^` Quye^`n co^ng da^n va` Quye^`n chi'nh tri. ma` Vie^.t Nam dda~ ky' ke^'t va`o tha'ng 9, na(m 1982, va` ddo^`ng tho+`i vi pha.m Hie^'n pha'p cu?a nu+o+'c Co^.ng Ho`a Xa~ Ho^.i Chu? Nghi~a Vie^.t Nam trong ddo' ddie^`u 69 nhi`n nha^.n quye^`n tu+. do tho^ng tin va` tu+. do tu+ tu+o+?ng cho mo.i ngu+o+`i da^n.
Trong lu'c ca? the^' gio+'i ddang cu`ng nhau hu+o+'ng ve^` tie^'n bo^. va` da^n chu? toa`n ca^`u, nhu+~ng tie^'ng no'i sa'ng suo^'t , trung thu+.c va` can dda?m, nhu+~ng ta^'m lo`ng ye^u to^? quo^'c, quan ta^m dde^'n da^n to^.c nhu+ lua^.t su+ Le^ Chi' Quang, ba'c si~ Pha.m Ho^`ng So+n, nha` ba'o Nguye^~n Vu~ Bi`nh, cu+.u chie^'n binh Nguye^~n Kha('c Toa`n, ho+n bao gio+` he^'t, pha?i ddu+o+.c la('ng nghe, tra^n tro.ng va` he^'t lo`ng khuye^'n khi'ch. Co' nhu+ the^' thi` nu+o+'c Vie^.t Nam mo+'i co' hy vo.ng tie^'n bo^. tha^.t su+., toa`n ve.n va` la^u da`i. Co' nhu+ the^' thi` nha^n da^n mo+'i ha(ng ha'i go'p y', go'p su+'c cu`ng nha` nu+o+'c la`nh ma.nh ho'a xa~ ho^.i. Co' nhu+ the^' thi` mo+'i tra'nh ddu+o+.c nhu+~ng tranh cha^'p, ba^'t o^?n nguy ha.i co' the^? bu`ng no^? ba^'t cu+' lu'c na`o vi` su+. ba^'t ma~n ddang lan ro^.ng trong mo.i tu+`ng lo+'p nha^n da^n.

Chu'ng to^i cu+o+ng quye^'t ddo`i ho?i nha` nu+o+'c Vie^.t Nam la^.p tu+'c tra? tu+. do cho lua^.t su+ Le^ Chi' Quang va tat ca tu nhan luong tam khac nhu GS Nguyen Ddi`nh Huy, LM Nguyen Van Ly, HT Thich Huye^`n Quang, HT Thich Qua?ng Ddo., cu.u can binh Nguyen Khac Toa`n, BS Pha.m Ho^`ng So+n, nha` bao Nguyen Vu~ Bi`nh, ba` Nguyen Thi. Hoa, anh Nguyen Tru+.c Cuo+`ng, anh Nguyen Vu~ Vie^.t vv...

Chu'ng to^i ke^u go.i mo.i ca nha^n co`n luo+ng ta^m, vie^n chu+c ca'c co+ quan ba?o ve^. nha^n quye^`n quo^'c te^' va` vie^n chu+c ca'c chi'nh phu? da^n chu? tre^n the^' gio+'i can thie^.p dde^? nha` ca^`m quye^`n Vie^.t Nam tra? tu+. do tu+'c kha('c cho Lua^.t Su+ Le^ Chi' Quang va` ta^'t ca? tu` nha^n luo+ng ta^m vi` ho. dda~ tranh dda^'u hoa`n toa`n ba^'t ba.o ddo^.ng va` dda~ ha`nh xu+? quye^`n tu+. do ngo^n lua^.n ma` mo.i co^ng da^n tre^n the^' gio+'i pha?i ddu+o+.c hu+o+?ng.

To^i ky te^n duo+i dda^y cu+.c lu+.c pha?n khang chinh sach khu?ng bo^ nha^n da^n ta`n ba.o cu?a dda?ng CSVN,