Former political prisoner denied passport by Vietnamese authorities

Authorities in Vietnam’s Dak Lak province have refused to issue a passport to former political prisoner Huynh Thuc Vy, for "national security reasons," she told Radio Free Asia.

However, the provincial police department’s Security Investigation Agency didn’t provide any documents to support the decision.

Thuc Vy, 39, is a co-founder of Vietnam Women for Human Rights and the author of many articles on democracy and human rights.

She was sentenced to 33 months in prison for "insulting the national flag" in November 2018, but released in June, three months early.

On June 6, she went to the Immigration Department in Dak Lak to apply for a new passport because her old one was confiscated by border security in 2015 when she was preparing to go to Bangkok to attend a digital security training course by Reporters Without Borders.

She was told she was barred from leaving the country until June 26.

On June 27, Thuc Vy applied for a passport online and was asked to visit the immigration department.

“The security officers of Dak Lak province informed me that I am still on an exit ban, so they will not issue a passport for me,” she told RFA on Friday.

“They said not granting a passport is not permanent but will depend on my attitude, meaning whether I continue to speak up.”

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Thuc Vy recently started a food charity near her home along with her brother Huynh Trong Hieu, asking people to donate money to help provide 50 free lunches a day to poor patients at a local hospital.

During the meeting on July 9, authorities warned her that "distributing charity gifts if not done properly will result in criminal liability."

Thuc Vy said she would stop accepting donations and wouldn't hand out any more free meals after using up the money already donated.

RFA Vietnamese called the Immigration Department of Dak Lak provincial police department to verify her claims but the reporter was asked to bring a letter of introduction and make inquiries in person.

The 2019 Law on Entry and Exit of Vietnamese Citizens states that authorities can refuse to issue a passport for “national defense and security reasons according to the decision of the minister of national defense or the minister of public security."

The ministers can decide the duration of the ban based on when they believe the person is no longer a threat to defense and security.

Thuc Vy said the police told her not to speak to the media, not to write articles about social issues and not to gather with “other government critics.”

 "It feels like I no longer have my civil rights because,” she said.

“I thought that when I was released from prison I was free and could return to a normal life, but it turned out that they continued to oppress me and don’t let me have a life like a normal citizen.”

Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn.