01/10/2024 Vietnam (International Christian Concern) — In the latest prisoners list recently released from the advocacy group Defend the Defenders (DTD), Vietnamese Christians again feature prominently.

DTD statistics noted that 258 prisoners of conscience were imprisoned or on home detention sentences across Vietnam. Over one-quarter of these prisoners are from the predominantly Christian minority Montagnard and Hmong ethnic groups.

DTD showed that all these prisoners have been harassed, imprisoned, and arrested because of exercising their right to freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and religion or belief. This comes at odds with the Vietnamese Communist Party’s Marxist regime. The list includes bloggers, lawyers, unionists, land rights activists, political dissidents, and religious leaders.

ICC has highlighted in recent months the difficult plight of Vietnamese Christians. This includes Christian leaders imprisoned in Vietnam like Mr Trần Văn Bang who is currently serving four years in prison. Bang has opposed communist control of Vietnam and made public stands for his faith in Jesus.

However, we have also highlighted in recent months the harassment and persecution that Vietnamese Christians face after they have fled to Thailand seeking refugee status. Many Vietnamese Christians in Thailand have now been arrested and are facing extradition back to Vietnam, likely to face serious charges and long prison sentences if returned.