Pham Gia Khiem - Minister of Foreign Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1 Ton That Dam Street
Ba Dinh district
Ha Noi
Viet Nam

Dear Minister,

I am writing to you to express my concern at the arrest of Vu Hung and eight others in September 2008 for what appears to be their peaceful activism.

I call on the authorities to reveal immediately the whereabouts and current state of health of those detained; and to give assurances that they are not being mistreated whilst in custody.

Please do everything within your power as a senior member of the Vietnamese government to initiate an investigation into the allegations that Vu Hung has been tortured and ill-treated in detention. The results of the investigation should then be made public and anyone found responsible brought to justice.

I would like to also take this opportunity to remind you of your governmental obligations to ensure that Vu Hung and the other activists are provided with proper medical treatment and hospitalisation if necessary; and that they are allowed access to family, and to lawyers of their choosing.

Thank you for giving this matter your careful consideration, I look forward to hearing about the release of Vu Hung and the other eight activists very soon.

Sincerely,

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