HANOI: A well-known Vietnamese blogger, jailed for 12 years for anti-state propaganda, is “very weak” after a month-long hunger strike protesting at his treatment in prison, his family said yesterday.
Nguyen Van Hai, a founding member of the banned “Free Journalists Club” who is better known by his alias Dieu Cay, has not eaten for 30 days, according to his ex-wife Duong Thi Tan.
“He is very weak... He spoke softly and couldn’t sit up unaided,” she said, following a visit to the prison by the couple’s son on Saturday.
She said Dieu Cay went on hunger strike to protest against his treatment in a prison in central Nghe An province, adding that her son had been allowed to talk to his father for five minutes “before they dragged him away”.
“He was kept in solitary confinement for three months when he did not violate any rule,” she said, accusing the jail of having “extremely bad” conditions.
“He said he would continue the hunger strike if authorities do not respond to his complaint,” Tan said.
Dieu Cay, whose case has been raised by US President Barack Obama, was sentenced in September 2012 along with two other bloggers who received jail terms of 10 years and four years.
New York-based watchdog Human Rights Watch said it was “seriously concerned” about Dieu Cay’s health and called upon Vietnam to investigate his allegations.
“The government should also immediately release Dieu Cay without conditions, along with other prisoners held for exercising their rights to express their views and peacefully act on their beliefs,” said Phil Robertson, HRW’s Deputy Director, Asia Division. AFP
