Australian activist Tran Hiep held in Vietnamese detention centre
Australian human rights advocate Tran Hiep detained at Ho Chi Minh City facility for political prisoners since September 18.
Tran Hiep, an Australian human rights advocate from Melbourne, is being held at B34 Detention Centre in Ho Chi Minh City. Tran Hiep went missing on 18 September after travelling to Cambodia to meet with human rights defenders and was supposed to meet his wife at Bangkok airport but never arrived.
Vietnamese authorities arrested him along with two other activists and accused them of attempting to illegally enter Vietnam from Cambodia. Vietnamese authorities claim he is a member of Viet Tan, a pro-democracy group Vietnam classifies as a terrorist organisation.
Hiep spent his 51st birthday in detention this week. A UN report describes the facility as having windowless cells and poor oxygen, with tiny slots in steel doors.
- 11 days
- Days missing before location revealed
- 51st
- Birthday spent in detention
- B34 Detention Centre, Ho Chi Minh City
- Detention facility
- 2
- Other activists arrested
Why it mattersAustralia's consular services can now seek access to a detained citizen, but conditions at the facility raise serious safety and human rights concerns.
AustraliaAn Australian citizen is imprisoned in Vietnam on political charges, raising questions about diplomatic leverage and his family's ability to secure his release.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 3 h ago
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