Three prisoners in communist-ruled Vietnam have started a hunger strike protesting the harsh living conditions and demanding the release of all political prisoners, according to a report.
Prisoners Trinh Ba Tu, 35, Bui Van Thuan, 43, and Dang Dinh Bach, 46, started a hunger strike at a prison in Vietnam’s Nghe An province on Sept. 28, Radio Free Asia reported on Sept. 29.
Tu had informed his sister-in-law Thu Do of the decision to refuse food along with his fellow inmates over the dire prison conditions on Sept. 27.
One of the reasons for the hunger strike is to call on the state to release political prisoners and social activists to pave the way for the country to democratize, Do said in a Facebook post.
Tu and his fellow prisoners aim to encourage the authorities to “establish a state that follows the rule of law [to] protect the human rights of each citizen,” Do said.
“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,” Do added.
Do added that the “inhumane” treatment at the hands of the officers in charge of the prison has “destroyed the health and spirit of political prisoners,” RFA reported.
This is not the first time Tu, Bach, and Thuan have gone on a hunger strike.
Tu is a land rights activist who was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2020 for allegedly “disseminating documents” against the state. In June 2022, he was beaten by prison officers, after which he staged a two-week hunger strike, RFA reported.
Bach is a lawyer who is serving a five-year prison sentence for tax evasion, and Thuan is serving an eight-year prison sentence for “propaganda against the state.” Both have refused food over prison conditions earlier.
Trinh Nhung, Thuan’s wife, told RFA that her husband and other political prisoners have been housed in crowded “tiger cages,” since April 11.
The tiger cages have an area of 215 square feet (around 20 square meters). A small window in each cell provides a view of the “tiger cage,” and a barred enclosure separates the cells from both the outside yard and each other, RFA said.
The prisoners are permitted to use the small yard outside to grow vegetables and exercise.
Nhung alleged that Thuan and the other prisoners were restricted from outside to exercise or interact with other inmates.
Vietnam’s prison regulations state that all inmates are allowed into the common yard for cultural and sports activities every Sunday.
Citing Thuan, Nhung stated that the cells have poor sanitation and a single fan, which is not enough to keep the inmates cool during Vietnam’s summer season.
Thuan’s condition was even worse as he was placed in a three-person room that was only 129 square feet wide, Nhung said.
“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 alleged.
Thuan had become thin, weak, and stressed because of the harsh living conditions and had little energy, Nhung added.
Nhung expressed concerns about the further deterioration of her husband’s health due to the hunger strike while adding that 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,” Nhung said.
