The police barged into a concert and caused a ruckus, allegedly beating people and arrested several activists including noted blogger and critic Pham Doan Trang who was beaten to the point of disfiguring her face.
Title: Viet Nam: Authorities must investigate alleged torture and ill-treatment of concert-goers by police
Publish Date: August 16, 2018
Publisher: Amnesty International
Excerpt:
Viet Nam’s authorities must immediately investigate allegations that a group of activists were attacked and severely beaten by police officers while attending a private performance of pre-Communist era songs in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday, said Amnesty International.
After breaking up the event – a performance of pre-1975 apolitical love songs by the musician Nguyen Tin held in a small coffee shop – police searched everyone for their ID cards, and proceeded to beat the concert-goers, focusing their attention on prominent rights activists Pham Doan Trang, Nguyen Tin and Nguyen Dai.
When the crackdown on Viet Nam’s civil society reaches the point of beating and torturing people for listening to love songs, it is clear the situation is deteriorating to a disturbing level – Clare Algar, Amnesty International’s Director of Global Operations
The three said they were subsequently taken to separate police stations and tortured, with Pham Doan Trang eventually requiring hospital treatment.
Pham Doan Trang, who recently gave a press interview criticizing the ruling party, says she was later dropped off by police at an unknown road outside the city, where she was beaten further to the point of disfiguring her face. She is currently receiving medical care in hospital.
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