A/HRC/42/30 29. Viet Nam 110. The case of Mr. Nguyen Bac Truyen was included in the 2016 report of the Secretary-General (A/HRC/30/29, para. 42) due to his arrest, incommunicado detention and charges, allegedly in reprisals for his support to the 2014 visit of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief to the country. Mr. Nguyen Bac Truyen has been the subject of several special procedures communications (VNM 4/2014; VNM 11/2014; VNM 8/2016; VNM 6/2017). He is currently serving an 11-year sentence at An Diem Prison, Quang Nam province, 1,600 kilometers away from his hometown. The Government has responded to allegations in June 2014, March 2015, January 2017, and January 2018. Mr. Nguyen Bac Truyen reportedly submitted a petition on 11 February 2019 requesting to be transferred to a prison near Ho Chi Minh City to allow for visits by his family and lawyer, and on 12 March 2019 his request was denied. He was also reportedly denied access to letters of support from international organizations. A member State requested the immediate release of Mr. Truyen in the context of the UPR of Vietnam in January 2019 (A/HRC/41/7, para. 38.145). 111. Special procedures mandate holders expressed grave concern about surveillance, intimidation and travel bans against rights defenders and some members of the independent religious communities for their cooperation with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion of belief during his visit to Viet Nam in July 2014 (VNM 11/2014). Despite concerns raised during and after the visit, 166 individuals and groups reportedly continue to face severe restrictions in sharing information and meeting with United Nations experts and staff members. 112. A number of representatives of civil society, human rights defenders and religious organizations reportedly faced acts of reprisals after attending the NGO-organized August 2018 Southeast Asia Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in Bangkok, which included engagement with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion of belief. Of the 28 advocates invited from Viet Nam, two received police warnings against attending the conference, five were prevented from leaving Vietnam at border checkpoints or at the airport, two were detained and interrogated at the airport and their passports and cell phones were confiscated, and eight participants were summoned to the police station or visited by the police for questioning about their participation in the conference. Additionally, the police harassed family members of three participants while they were at the conference. 113. On 26 June 2019, the Government responded to the allegations. Regarding the situation of Mr. Nguyen Bac Truyen, the Government indicated that Mr. Truyen has participated in establishing an organization aimed at overthrowing the Government and his conviction was because he broke the law, not because of reprisals after the 2014 visit of the Special Rapporteur. The Government indicated that Mr. Truyen is currently detained in An Dien prison, his health is normal and he has access to healthcare, family visits and letters. The reply informs that his request for transfer could not be considered. Regarding the civil society representatives that attended or tried to attend the 2018 Southeast Asia Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief, the Government stated that allegations are untrue, and that authorities do not “intimidate” or “harass” any individuals because they attend an international workshop. 166 68 OHCHR, “Autonomy of religious communities, a crucial test for the development of religious freedom in Viet Nam,” (31 July 2014). GE.19-15332