05/31/2019 Vietnam (International Christian Concern) – A group of religious leaders and activists in Vietnam have launched a national campaign to demand the government to halt placing unlawful restrictions on their freedom of movement.

According to UCA News, these Vietnamese citizens said their right to travel has been rampantly violated for a long time across the country, as secret agents stationed in front of their houses try to keep them at home, while strangers throw stones at people’s houses and shout threats.

Nguyen Quang A., a well-known democracy activist based in Hanoi, said in the past three years, he has been kept at his home, kidnapped or detained 26 times while travelling for work.

He is one of 100 priests, pastors and activists who launched the campaign against restrictions on their mobility on May 24.

In a statement, they said, “In many cases, strangers use foul language to destroy our honor and dignity and even use physical force to damage our bodies and threaten our life.”

“If strangers continue violating our rights to travel, we will act in self-defense by law,” the group added. They demand the government to immediately end violations of civilians’ freedom of movement to show that all civilians are equal before the law.

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