President’s Office
No. 2, Hung Vuong Street
Ba Dinh District
Hanoi 11100
Vietnam
Your Excellency,
I am writing on behalf of Dang Dinh Bach. Bach cares deeply about the health and well-being of people in Vietnam. His organisation, the Law and Policy of Sustainable Development Research Center (LPSD), does important work to support communities threatened by powerful economic and political interests. LPSD helps them understand their rights and empowers them to protect their livelihoods.
On 24 June 2021, Bach was arrested. His newborn son was just two weeks old. Bach was sent to prison and LPSD was forced to close. Bach was charged with “tax evasion” and later sentenced to five years in prison following a trial that UN experts considered unfair. The court refused to hear his defence, and the prosecutor failed to disclose evidence.
Bach should be continuing his work supporting the communities he cares so deeply about. Instead, he is imprisoned and forced to endure poor prison conditions. His health has deteriorated. He has been harassed by prison officers.
I demand that Dang Dinh Bach is immediately and unconditionally released, and all charges against him are dropped.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]