AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

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AAAS Human Rights Action Network

FACTS OF THE CASE:

Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, an endocrinologist and former Director of Cho-Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, is reportedly suffering from poor health as a result of an untreated recurring duodenal ulcer, which has left him unable to eat solid foods. Dr. Que, who is in his mid-fifties, was arrested on 14 July 1990 for his activities in connection with a manifesto calling for social and economic change in Vietnam. The manifesto was published by the Cao Trao Nhan Ban (High Tide of Humanism Movement), which Dr. Que co-founded. He was convicted of planning to overthrow the government and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Dr. Que is reportedly being held in Z30AB Prison, Xuan Loc in Dong Nai Province, about 40 miles northeast of Ho Chi Minh City, where he has been kept in solitary confinement for extended periods of time. He is considered a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely for the peaceful expression of his political beliefs. In April 1993, his detention was declared to be arbitrary by the U.N. W orking Group on Arbitrary Detention.

In 1978, Dr. Que was dismissed from his post as Director of Cho-Ray Hospital for his criticism of Vietnams health care policies. Shortly thereafter, he was arrested, accused of rebelling against the regime, and detained, without trial, until his release in 1988.

Dr. Que was awarded the Raoul Wallenberg Human Rights Award in 1994, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in 1995, and was recognized at the Science and Human Rights Reception during the 1996 AAAS Annual Meeting.

Dr. Que's arbitrary arrest, continued detention, and denial of medical care constitute serious violations of international human rights standards, including those enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Vietnam ratified on 24 September 1982. These rights include:

• liberty and security of the person (Article 9 of the UDHR and Article 9 of the ICCPR);
• freedom from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (Article 5 of the UDHR and Article 7 of the ICCPR);
• freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention (Articles 3 and 9 of the UDHR and Article 9 of the ICCPR);
• freedom of expression (Article 19 of the UDHR and Article 19 of the ICCPR); and
• freedom of association (Article 20 of the UDHR and Article 21 of the ICCPR).

(Sources of information on this case include Amnesty International Alert, ASA 41/10/96, 1 July 1997, and Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan, brother of Dr. Nguyen Dan Que)

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Please send telexes, faxes, and airmail letters:

• expressing serious concern about the poor health of Dr. Que;
• urging authorities to allow Dr. Que access to immediate medical care; and
• demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Que on the grounds that he is a prisoner of conscience.

APPEAL AND INQUIRY MESSAGES SHOULD BE SENT TO:

Vo Van Kiet
Prime Minister
Hoang Hoa Tham
Ha Noi
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Salutation: Your Excellency

Le Minh Huong
Minister of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior
Tran Binh Trong
Ha Noi
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Salutation: Dear Minister

Nguyen Mang Cam
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1 Ton That Dam
Ha Noi
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Salutation: Dear Minister

COPIES SENT TO:

Mr. Bang Van Le
Charg? dAffaires ad interim
1233 20th St., NW, Suite 501
Washington, DC 20036

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