Vietnamese Medical Doctor Nguyen Dan Que Receives 30-Month Prison Sentence

July 29, 2004

Early this morning Vietnamese medical doctor Nguyen Dan Que was convicted, by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court, of ”abusing democratic rights to jeopardize the interests of the State and the legitimate rights and interests of social organizations and citizens.” He was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Because he has already been detained in prison for 16 months, he was ordered to serve an additional 14 months. His release date reportedly has been set for September 2005. Dr. Que’s trial, which reportedly took only a few hours, failed to meet international fair trial standards in numerous substantive ways. Among other irregularities, the trial was closed to the public. Diplomats and foreign journalists were prevented from entering the courtroom; and only a few members of Dr. Que’s immediate family were permitted to attend. Dr. Que reportedly was not only denied the right to legal counsel during his trial, as well as throughout his 16-month pretrial detention, but he was prevented by the court from defending himself during the proceedings.

For background on Dr. Que’s case, please click here.