Nguyen Bac Truyen

Country:
Vietnam
Key Fact:

Hoa Hao Buddhist, religious freedom advocate, and human rights defender

Detained Since:

Jul 30, 2017

Release Date:

Sep 8, 2023

Biography:

Nguyen Bac Truyen is a legal expert who leads the Vietnamese Political & Religious Prisoners Friendship Association, which assists prisoners of conscience and their families. On November 17, 2006, Truyen was arrested and sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison on charges of “conducting propaganda” against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. He was released on May 2010. On July 30, 2017, he was again detained, arrested. At that time, he was working for the Catholic Redemptorist Church, which provides legal assistance to victims of land expropriation and health services to more than 5,000 veterans of the former Republic of Vietnam. He was sentenced on April 5, 2018 to 11 years’ imprisonment, followed by three years of house arrest for  “carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration.” He is currently serving this sentence at An Diem prison in Quang Nam Province, a thousand kilometers away from his wife in Ho Chi Minh City. He has submitted multiple requests to be transferred to a closer location, but to no avail. He also reportedly still suffers gastrointestinal diseases and back pain due to mistreatment and unhygienic water during his first prison term.

The Vietnamese government has targeted Truyen due to his human rights and religious freedom advocacy, particularly on behalf of Hoa Hao Buddhists. He is a 2011 recipient of Human Rights Watch’s Hellman/Hammett Award.

On September 8, 2023, Truyen was released from prison.

Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims List

Please visit USCIRF’s Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Victims List to learn more about USCIRF’s efforts to highlight victims who are targeted due to their religion or belief.