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Three inmates at a prison in Vietnam’s Nghe An province are on hunger strike to protest against harsh conditions and demand the release of all political prisoners, relatives told Radio Free Asia.
On Friday, prisoner Trinh Ba Tu phoned his sister-in-law Thu Do, telling her he would refuse food from Saturday, along with two fellow inmates at Prison No. 6, Bui Van Thuan and Dang Dinh Bach.
“One reason is to call on the state to release political prisoners and social activists in order to pave the way for the country to democratize and establish a state that follows the rule of law in order to protect the human rights of each citizen,” Do wrote on Facebook.
“Only then can the country begin a great transformation. The Communist Party of Vietnam needs to give up its monopoly on the state and society,” said Do, adding that “inhumane” treatment at the hands of the officers in charge of the prison has “destroyed the health and spirit of political prisoners.”
Bui Van Thuan’s wife Trinh Nhung told RFA that since April 11, her husband and other political prisoners have been held in so-called “tiger cages” and not allowed to go outside to exercise or interact with other inmates.
The area consists of four cells, each measuring approximately 20 square meters (215 square feet). A small window in each cell provides a view of the “tiger cage,” a barred enclosure separating the cells from both the outside yard and each other.
The outside yard is a small area where prisoners are allowed to grow vegetables and exercise.
Prison regulations state that all inmates are allowed into the common yard for cultural and sports activities every Sunday.
Thuanh told his wife that the cells have poor sanitation and contain a single fan, which isn’t enough to cool them during the hot summer.
“Thuan was imprisoned in a three-person room that was only 12 square meters [129 square feet] wide. They had to go to the toilet and wash their clothes in the cell. There were three people in the cell so it was very cramped and they were locked in almost every day,” Nhung said.
She added that her husband became very thin, weak and stressed because of the harsh living conditions and had little energy.
She told RFA she was worried her husband’s health would get even worse because of the hunger strike, but she said his actions were justified.
“I believe in and support him because he is demanding legitimate rights. The goal of the hunger strike is to demand freedom for all political prisoners throughout Vietnam,” she said.
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Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, who told RFA he was "forcibly pardoned" shortly before the end of his 16-year prison sentence, said he supported the three hunger strikers.
In a Facebook post, he said if he hadn't been released against his will on Sept. 20 he would have joined the protest, calling on his social media followers to share news of the hunger strike and support it.
Dissidents object to being forced to accept a pardon for a wrongdoing that they don't accept they committed.
This is not the first time Tu, Bach and Thuan have gone on a hunger strike.
Land rights activist Tu, 35, was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2020 for "disseminating documents" against the state. In June, 2022, he was beaten by prison officers, after which he staged a two-week hunger strike.
Lawyer Dang Dinh Bach, 46, is serving a five-year prison sentence for tax evasion. He went on hunger strike on Feb. 2, to protest harsh conditions and demand the prison respect inmates' rights.
Thuan, 43, is serving an eight-year prison sentence for “propaganda against the state.” He refused food for five days in August to protest against the treatment of political prisoners.
Translated by RFA Staff. Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang.