Nguyen Van An
Cases- Location of case in SG report
- 2019-121-001
- Relevant SG report
- Year of the report
- 2019
- From Country
- Country Geolocation
Latitude: 14.058324
Longitude: 108.277199
- Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
- Vietnam
- From Region
- Type of record
- Named individual
- Gender
- Male
- Was the victim a foreign national?
- No
- Was the victim a minor?
- No
- Individual's/organization's activity
a Catholic from Ke Gai Parish; witness to violent incident that took place in December 2017 involving members of “Red Flag Associations”
- Type of rights defended
- Religious freedom
- Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
- No
- Reported trigger of reprisal
for documenting a violent incident that took place in December 2017 involving members of “Red Flag Associations” and reporting it to the Special Rapporteur for freedom of religion or belief in February 2018
- Engagement with UN body
- UN Special Procedures: thematic
- Dates of engagement
- February 2018
- Type of attempted engagement
- Submission of information to UN
- Dates of mentioned reprisals
- 26 September 2018
- Reprisal information
On 26 September 2018, Mr. Nguyen Van An, a Catholic from Ke Gai Parish, was informed of an arrest warrant for documenting a violent incident that took place in December 2017 involving members of “Red Flag Associations” and reporting it to the Special Rapporteur for freedom of religion or belief in February 2018. Mr. Nguyen Van An was also an official government witness for the incident, but was later persecuted for his documentation role. He was the subject of four police summons and accused of “unlawful restraint.” His family was reportedly subjected to police harassment.
- Types of reprisals suffered
- Charge/Investigation/Prosecution: Charge/Investigation/Prosecution - General
- Family/friends/acquaintances targeted
- Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
- Alleged/likely perpetrators
- State actors
- Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
- No
- Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
- No
- Further case development
Due to these incidents, Mr. Nguyen Van An and his family have left the country.
- Government response dates
- 26 June 2019
- Government response content
Regarding the situation of Mr. Nguyen Van An, the Government indicated that claims of threats against him and his family are unjustified. The Government stated that there is no “Red Flag Association” in the country and that when tension between Catholic followers and local residents erupted in December 2017, the authorities convoked the two groups requesting them not to engage in acts causing disruption to local social order and security.
- Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
- No
- Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
- No
- Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
- No
- How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
- 0