The wife of prisoner of conscience Bui Van Thuan filed a petition for help when she was harassed and threatened by a stranger, but authorities in Mai Lam ward, Nghi Son town, Thanh Hoa province said there was no basis to handle it.
Trinh Thi Nhung said that in recent times, there have been many times when strangers came to her house in Mai Lam ward to harass her while she was a single mother whose husband was arrested on charges of “conducting anti-state propaganda” in August last year and is currently awaiting trial.
The most recent time was on the afternoon of October 20, a tall young man with a mask on his face came in a car to ask to buy honey but then joked and insulted her.
She told a reporter from Radio Free Asia (RFA) by phone:
“On October 20, a guy came with a car with the same license plate, and first asked about buying honey. When I refused to sell, he asked about miscellaneous things. When I asked who he is, he didn’t answer, then turned to insult me.”
After being rejected by the owner of the house because of his rude and indecent attitude, this person turned to her and questioned her about her ability to earn money to support her children. This person also claimed that someone provided for her family when her husband is imprisoned.
Finally, this person threatened her, saying that she would move to Hoa Binh province, her husband’s hometown to live.
Through the license plate number, Mrs. Nhung realized that the car this person was driving was the same vehicle that a tattooed young man came to her house late one night two months ago and called the door asking to buy honey.
At that time, the young man intended to break into her house when it was only her and her young daughter, Nhung recalled.
Ms. Nhung said she did not believe that strangers coming to the house to disturb her was a coincidence. According to her, these people live in another commune but know her family very well.
Ms. Nhung filed a complaint twice to report being harassed with a video clip recording the scene of a man with a car with a clear control sign to the police of Mai Lam ward. She said that after reviewing the documents she provided, the local police said the matter was not serious, so no action was taken.
“On Monday, October 24, I filed a complaint with the commune police. The commune police chief saw the clip and said that because the man had not broken into her house, there was no basis to track down the man.”
The person in charge of local security told Ms. Nhung if the man came back, she could defend herself or call the ward police to deal with it.
Reporters could not contact Mai Lam ward Police to verify the information that Ms. Nhung provided.
Nhung’s husband, Mr. Bui Van Thuan, 41, was arrested at the end of August last year on charges of “making, storing, distributing or propagating information, documents, and items aimed at opposing the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under Article 117 of the Criminal Code.
This former chemistry teacher is known for his series of Facebook posts, writing about internal fighting of state officials in many localities of Vietnam, which he dubbed the “dog fighting ring.”
State media cited documents from the Investigative Security Agency, saying that Mr. Bui Van Thuan was “frequently using social networks to post articles and images with content that infringes on national security.”
After more than 12 months of interrogation, last month, Thanh Hoa province’s Police announced the end of the investigation into dissident Bui Van Thuan and transferred the file to the Procuracy to propose prosecution.
Ms. Nhung said the family had signed a legal service contract with two lawyers Dang Dinh Manh and Nguyen Ha Luan to protect her husband in the upcoming trial.
Lawyer Dang Dinh Manh met Mr. Thuan in prison last week to prepare his defense, Nhung shared.
During the time he was detained, Thanh Hoa police repeatedly threatened to arrest Ms. Nhung because she often announced the situation of her husband’s case on social networks, and made a letter of complaint to claim the rights of her husband.
In March and July of this year, Ms. Nhung was summoned for interrogation by the Security Investigation Agency of Thanh Hoa province’s police, asking her to limit posting articles about her husband on Facebook.
The police also asked Ms. Nhung to confirm her husband’s Facebook account, and also her social network account. When refused, the police threatened to arrest her for “failing to cooperate with the investigation agency.”
Thoibao.de (Translated)
