The International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) and the Evangelical News Agency IDEA have named Nay Y Blang, a Protestant Christian from Vietnam, as their “Prisoner of the Month for May 2024.” They are calling for action on behalf of the 48-year-old. The member of the Ede ethnic group from the Central Highlands region was imprisoned on May 18, 2023. According to official reports, the Phu Yen Provincial People’s Court sentenced him on January 26, 2024, to four and a half years in prison for “abuse of democratic freedoms.”

Prayer meetings and online gatherings had taken place at his home, which the authorities objected to. He allegedly used these gatherings to “bring together forces to destroy national unity and establish a separate state for ethnic minorities.” He was also accused of spreading misinformation about religious freedom, as well as defaming and distorting the religious policies of the socialist regime. Blang , who had previously been imprisoned, had reported on the suppression of religious freedom. No defense attorney was permitted at the trial.

In August 2022, Blang met with a diplomat from the American Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City. He and his family were subsequently pressured by local authorities to provide information about the meetings.

Officially, the constitution of the Southeast Asian country guarantees freedom of belief and religion. However, Christianity is often viewed as a Western religion and rejected. The ISHR and IDEA are calling for letters to be sent to Vietnam’s interim president, Vo Thi Anh Xuan, demanding the release of Nay Y Blang.

Sample letter

Interim President Vo Thi Anh Xuan,
Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Elsenstraße 3

12435 Berlin-Treptow

Your Excellency,

Blang, a 48-year-old Vietnamese Christian, has been in detention since May 18, 2023. On January 26, 2024, the People’s Court of Phu Yen Province sentenced him to four and a half years in prison. Blang had simply gathered peacefully with others in his home for prayer meetings without any political agenda and had advocated for religious freedom. He was denied the right to legal counsel during his trial. Vietnam is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to freedom of religion in Article 18. I urge you to do everything in your power to secure Nay Y Blang’s release .

Respectfully