Gender: Male
Current Location: Tra Vinh Province
Perpetrator: Vietnam
Ethnic Group: Khmer Krom
Religion or Belief: Buddhist – Unspecified/Other
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Sentence: 3 Years, 6 Months' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: July/31/2023
Date of Sentencing: March/20/2024
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Ethnoreligious Identity
Nature of Charges: Subversion
Thach Cuong is imprisoned for his human rights advocacy for religious communities.
On or around July 31, 2023, Vietnamese authorities in Tra Vinh province arrested Thach Cuong and charged him with “abusing democratic freedoms” (Art. 331/2015 VCC). Thach Cuong, a Khmer Krom Buddhist activist, was reportedly targeted because he distributed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). He also advocates for the rights of Khmer Krom Buddhists to practice their religion as informed by their ethnic and cultural background and independent from state interference.
On March 20, 2024, a court in Tra Vinh Province sentence Thach Cuong to three years, six months' imprisonment.
USCIRF met with Thach Cuong during its May 2023 country visit to Vietnam.
Related Cases: Danh Minh Quang, To Hoang Chuong
Gender: Male
Current Location: Soc Trang Province
Perpetrator: Vietnam
Ethnic Group: Khmer Krom
Religion or Belief: Buddhist – Unspecified/Other
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Sentence: 3 Years, 6 Months' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: July/31/2023
Date of Sentencing: February//2024
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Civil Rights Work for Religious Communities Ethnoreligious Identity Human Rights Work for Religious Communities
Nature of Charges: Subversion
Danh Minh Quang is imprisoned for his human rights advocacy for religious communities.
On or around July 31, 2023, Vietnamese authorities in Soc Trang province arrested Dahn Minh Quang and charged him with “abusing democratic freedoms” (Art. 331/2015 VCC). Dahn Minh Quang, a Khmer Krom Buddhist activist, was reportedly targeted because he distributed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and participated in various UN events to promote human rights. He also advocates for the rights of Khmer Krom Buddhists to practice their religion as informed by their ethnic and cultural background and independent from state interference.
In February 2024, a court in Soc Trang Province sentenced Danh Minh Quang to three years and six months' imprisonment.
USCIRF met with Danh Minh Quang during its May 2023 country visit to Vietnam.
Related Cases: Thach Cuong, To Hoang Chuong
Additional Name(s): Vyacheslav Yuryevich Reznichenko, Вячеслав Резниченко
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Russia
Religion or Belief: Christian – Protestant
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: 2 Years, 6 Months' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: September/18/2023
Date of Sentencing: June/15/2023
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Conscientious Objection
Nature of Charges: Refusing & Absconding Military Service
Vyacheslav Reznichenko is imprisoned for conscientious objection.
On June 15, 2023, the Vladivostok Garrison Military Court sentenced Reznichenko to two years and six months in prison for "failure by a subordinate to comply with an order from a superior...during a period of martial law, in wartime, or in conditions of an armed conflict or hostilities, as well as refusal to participate in military or hostilities" (Art. 332-2.1 RCC). Reznichenko had refused to participate in Russia's invasion of Ukraine due to his religious beliefs.
On August 21, 2023, the Pacific Fleet Military Court upheld Reznichenko's sentence.
On September 18, 2023, Reznichenko reported to prison to begin serving his sentence.
"RUSSIA: Four now jailed for refusing to fight in Ukraine on religious grounds" Forum 18
"Баптиста из Приморья приговорили к 2,5 годам колонии‑поселения из‑за отказа воевать против Украины" Mediazona
"В Приморье верующий получил 2,5 года колонии за отказ воевать в Украине" Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)