English PEN considers that the sentence against Father Nguyen Van Ly is in violation of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Vietnam is a state party, and continues to call for all charges against him to be dropped.
Sentenced to eight years
Nguyen Van Ly, a Catholic priest and co-editor of the underground online magazine Tu do Ngôn luan (Free Speech), was arrested on 19 February 2007 and sentenced to eight years in prison on 30 March 2007 for ‘propaganda against the State’.
According to English PEN information, on 15 March 2010 the Supreme Judge of the People’s Court of Ha Nam province, decided to temporarily defer Nguyen Van Ly’s imprisonment for one year, and ordered that he should be placed under the administration of the People’s Committee of Vinh Ninh Ward, Hue City, Thua Thien, Hue province.
Nguyen Van Ly’s health has seriously deteriorated in recent months, and he is said to be in urgent need of medical treatment which is unavailable in prison.
Background
Nguyen Van Ly is a leading member of the pro-democracy movement Bloc 8406. He was previously detained from 1977-1978, and again from 1983-1992 for his activism in support of freedom of expression and religion.
He was
sentenced in October 2001 to 15 years in prison for his online publication of an essay on human rights violations in Vietnam, but released under amnesty in February 2005. He has been a main case of International PEN, and is an Honorary Member of Sydney PEN.
More information:
BBC report.
A video of his trial.
Writers in Prison Committee‘s (WiPC) latest alert on Nguyen Van Ly.
Appeals
English PEN also asks to send appeals to Vietnamese authorities (President, Prime Minister, Minister of Culture and Information) welcoming the release of Father Nguyen Van Ly on health grounds, and calling for his unconditional release in accordance with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and 
Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Vietnam is a state party; also seeking assurances that Father Ly is given the medical treatment he requires as a matter of urgency.
Here you find more details about sending appeals.
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