As mentioned, I am wondering if you would like to give your

opinion about the seven-year sentence against Mr. Cu Huy Ha Vu today.

1) What is your reaction to the sentence ?

2) How much public support does Mr. Vu have ?

3) Why does he have this support ?

4) What will the impact of his sentence be on other people who might

wish to speak against the communist regime ?

5) What do you think was the reason that Vu was arrested and convicted ?

Thank you very much and best wishes to you.

Ian

 Ian Timberlake

 Bureau Chief

Dear Ian Timberlake,

I am very glad to answer your questions, I hope that you would please with my answers. Last week I sent a letter to this email address of you. I don’t know if you receive it?

If you have any further question, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Here are my answers:

1/ I feel very disappointed about the verdict of Hanoi court. Mr. Vu has been falsely and unjustly charged by Article 88 of the Criminal Code of Vietnam. That Article 88 is unconstitutional. The sentence of Hanoi court for him is a political decision that has been decided before the trail opens.

2/ Mr. Vu has received the support of hundreds of the people who came to outside of Hanoi court this morning. Some religious organizations have prayed for him for past few days. Many political organizations of Vietnamese overseas supported him, some lawyers have complained his case to Human Rights Council of UN. Some international human rights organizations have appealed to the government of Vietnam to free him. His case has been gotten the attention of international communications and foreign embassies in Hanoi.

3/ Mr. Vu has this support because what he has done was legal in accordance with Article 69 of the Vietnamese constitution of 1992 and quite in line with the stipulations of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. And what he has done is to protect the environment of Vietnam, to protect the people whose legal benefits rights was stolen but they could not speak. His struggle for freedom, democracy and human rights is corresponding with the wishes of Vietnamese people nowadays.

4/ During past few years, the communist regime arrested many dissidents and kept them(including me) in the prison, but the democratic movement is still developing, there are many more people who speak against this regime nowadays. So I think that Mr. Vu’ sentence will not impact to us. We never scare the repression of the communist regime.

5/ There are many reasons that Mr. Vu was arrested and convicted following what the indictment of Hanoi Procuracy said. But I think that the main reason is the government would like to repress the democracy movement and protect the monopoly leadership of communist party.

Best Regards,

Dai.