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Letter of Appeal from the AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility

5 April 1999

Phan Van Khai
Prime Minister
Hoang Hoa Tham
Ha Noi
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Your Excellency:

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the largest organization of natural and social scientists in the United States, and the world's largest federation of scientific organizations, with 143,000 individual members and 275 affiliated groups. Our AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility was formed in 1976 to protect the human rights of scientists and to deal with issues relating to scientific freedom worldwide.

On behalf of the Committee, we are writing to express our deep concern about the arrest of Dr. Nguyen Thanh Giang, professor of geology and former president of the Vietnamese Geology Society. The Committee has received information indicating that Dr. Nguyen was arrested on 4 March 1999 for the possession of "anti-socialist propaganda." The Committee is concerned that formal charges against Dr. Nguyen have not been made public and his whereabouts are unknown.

The Committee fears that Dr. Nguyen's arrest may stem from his international recognition as an outspoken advocate of human rights and democracy and his writings calling for multi-party democracy and peaceful reform.

We respectfully point out that the arrest of Dr. Nguyen constitutes a serious violation of international human rights standards, including basic protections listed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by Vietnam on 24 September 1982. These include:

* the right to life, liberty and security of person;
* freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile;
* the right to freedom of opinion and expression without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers; and
* the right to freedom of association.


The Committee urges your government to adhere to its obligations under the international human rights treaties to which it is a State Party and to insure Dr. Nguyen's immediate and unconditional release from custody.

Sincerely,


Irving Lerch, Chair
AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility

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