Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nhung told how police attacked and escorted Nguyen Phuong Uyen with force


VRNs (Sept. 26, 2013) - Translated by Như Ngọc (Danlambao) - Binh Thuan - Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nhung said the suspended sentence imposed on the patriotic student Nguyen Phuong Uyen became effective on Sept. 25, 2013. Phuong Uyen and her planned to return to Binh Thuan on the evening of Sept. 25, 2013, so they absolutely did not violate the law.

As we have reported, last night police illegally raided blogger Nguyen Tuong Thuy’s house to arrest him, blogger Pham Ba Hai, Mrs. Duong Thi Tan, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nhung and her daughter Nguyen Phuong Uyen, Le Quoc Quyet and a few other people.

Nhung told VRNs: "Uyen and I were taken to a faraway place on the way to the Hung Temple. They took us to a police station called Dai Ang, Thanh Tri. I told them my flight schedule and asked them to let us take the flight on time, if not, they must take full responsibility."

Nhung said, later they took her and her daughter to Noi Bai airport and forced them to board a plane while all of her belongings and money were illegally seized by police and they didn’t get dinner yet. Police told Nhung and her daughter to take the flight to Saigon then return to Binh Thuan with their own mean. Nhung told them: "We cannot go like that." She then got a call from her relative and decided not to leave Hanoi without taking back her belongings.

Immediately police and plainclothes security rushed in to beat both of them. Phuong Uyen was badly beaten (someone could take pictures of Phuong Uyen in the attack and we are trying to obtain them for publishing.) Nhung said the airport staffs took the order from police to attack them too, but they were not as brutal as the police, who mercilessly beat them and acted like thugs.

Red bruise marks on Phuong Uyen’s arms inflicted by the police attack at Noi Bai Airport

Uyen was also beaten on the neck, back, legs and feet. Her redden left ankle and a bleeding toe.

An injured and bleeding toe on her right foot.


(We also have a few pictures of Uyen’s bruised back. However, it’s not appropriate to publish them.)
Uyen could only rest after a day of struggle

Mrs. Nguyen was beaten on her head

Nhung told VRNs that when returned to their hometown they were surrounded by a force of hundreds of police, officials and security agents. Such mobilization of manpower was only to serve the enforcement of the suspended sentence of Phuong Uyen, which became effective on Sept. 25, 2013. Nhung explained: “We returned yesterday, Sept. 25, 2013, as planned. Thus we didn’t violate anything. Why did the police make such an escort with a show of force?"

After working on the matter of Uyen Phuong, police returned the handbag that they seized at Noi Bai Airport yesterday night to Nhung. They asked her to take it back but refused to open it for her to check its contents; therefore, she refused to take it. She told police: "You should open it for me to check and take back my belongings. I do not open the bag and claim it my bag while I don’t know what else could be put inside. You would put the drug inside then arrest me, wouldn’t you?"

She left the bag behind at the office of the Commune People’s Committee and walked home with her daughter.

A posting on a Facebook page of Luat Su Nhan Quyen wrote: "For more than a week Phuong Uyen had visited the North with the help of blogger Pham Ba Hai. Uyen visited Hai Phong, Halong Bay, Hung Temple, and a landmark in Hanoi. While in Hanoi, Phuong Uyen had received greetings from international diplomats such as representative from the embassies of the U.K., the U.S., Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Canada. They expressed their admiration for the courageous actions and statements of Phuong Uyen in court. A diplomatic mission promised to find a school and scholarship for Phuong Uyen to study abroad.”


VRNs Reporter



Translated by Nhu Ngoc