Prisoners of conscience locked up in Vietnam's secretive network of prisons and detention centers receive harrowing treatment, says a new report by Amnesty International (AI).
The report details the ordeals endured by prisoners of conscience in Vietnam which includes prolonged periods of incommunicado detention and solitary confinement, enforced disappearances, the denial of medical treatment, and punitive prison transfers, said a press statement from the human rights organization.
"Vietnam is a prolific jailer of prisoners of conscience; this report offers a rare glimpse at the horror that those prisoners face in detention," said Rafendi Djamin, AI's Director for South East Asia and the Pacific.
The report is based on one year's research — including interviews with 18 former prisoners of conscience, who spent between one month and a decade in incarceration.
Five of those interviewed told researchers how they endured lengthy periods of time locked up in solitary confinement in dark, fetid cells without access to fresh air, clean water and sanitation. Some were regularly beaten.