Vietnamese Police Torture House Church Christian

Arrest and torture of Christians still an active policy in Vietnam

On 17 March of 2010, at around 8 am, the Vietnamese security police summoned two of our Christian Brothers, members of a Christian House Church, named Rmah Wi and Pan to their office in the commune of Ia Grang, Vietnam. When our brothers, Wi and Pan, arrived at the police station, the police handcuffed Rmah Wi and took him to the police station in the district of Ia Grai, Gia Lai province, but they released Pan.

In custody the police tortured Rmah Wi by beating him with batons all over his body. He was also punched on his face, repeatedly kicked and stomped on with police wearing military boots. Whilst on the ground the police continued beating and kicking him until he passed out unconscious. When he awoke they released him but threatened him with further torture if he continued involvement in house church activities. His body and face were bruised and swollen from the torture. This arrest, torture and release policy is a tactic of the Vietnamese communist authorities to repress house church Christians. The reasons Rmah Wi was arrested and tortured was because:

He refused to follow the government controlled church.
He was in possession of a cell phone.

THE MONTAGNARD FOUNDATION URGENTLY CALLS ON:

• Concerned Embassies, US State Department, European Commission, United Nations, Red Cross and other international humanitarian agencies to please do everything in their power to prevent these (and other) Degar Christians from being further persecuted.
• Concerned Embassies, US State Department, European Commission, United Nations, Red Cross and other international humanitarian agencies demand Vietnam release and account for all the hundreds of other Degar prisoners imprisoned in Vietnam.
• The US State Department seriously review the hundreds of Degars imprisoned in Vietnam and place Vietnam back on the ‘Country of Particular Concern’ watch list as recommended by the US International Commission of Religious Freedom.

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