A file photo of two prisoners pushing a cart of waste outside the Phuoc Co jail on the outskirts of the southern coastal town of Vung Tau, March 1, 2006. A Catholic blogger and mother of three faces 3-12 years in prison for being critical of Vietnam's communist government. (Photo by AFP)
A prominent Catholic activist has been arrested and is being detained in Vietnam for publishing anti-government writings after she tried visiting a prisoner of conscience in prison.
Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, a blogger known as "Mother Mushroom," was held on Oct. 10 after she and three others tried to visit Song Lo prison camp on the outskirts of her home city of Nha Trang, central Vietnam, a church source told ucanews.com.
Prison officials did not allow them to meet the prisoner and detained them when they protested. The police took Quynh home, searched her residence and took her away again, the source, who wanted to remain anonymous, said.
Khanh Hoa provincial police accused the 37-year-old blogger of conducting "propaganda against the state" and arrested her under Article 88 of the country's penal code.
The communist government retains tight media censorship and has zero tolerance for criticism.
Police have accused Quynh of being involved in democratic activities, organizing protests against Chinese-state activities, undermining national solidarity, slandering government officials and criticizing Chinese-sponsored mine projects.
If convicted, the mother of two could face 3-12 years in prison.
In 2014 Quynh posted the Stop Police Killing Civilians report compiling 31 cases in which civilians died in police custody, which showed "hostility towards the police force," officials said.
Quynh received the 2015 Human Rights Defender of the Year Award given by Civil Rights Defenders, an independent Swedish organization.
Criticizing Taiwan's Formosa Plastics
Activists said Quynh was also arrested for speaking out against a steel plant owned by Taiwan's Formosa Plastics that discharged hundreds of tons of toxic waste into coastal waters along four provinces in April. She also called on government officials to ensure transparency in compensation payments.
"Her arrest shows that the government is seeking to threaten and silence activists who support the thousands of fishermen and women who are suing the steel plant," an activist said.
The Ky Anh District Court in Ha Tinh province on Oct. 5 rejected 506 lawsuits filed by fisherfolk against Formosa. The court said they did not have any proof of the damages claimed and the government had already decided how much the victims will be paid.
On Oct. 11, deputy Minister of Finance Nguyen Huu Chi said his ministry transferred 3,000 trillion dong (US$150 million) to the affected provinces: Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue, to compensate marine pollution victims.
The money was from Formosa’s US$500 million compensation payment.
Online petition
Five days after Quynh was first detained around 100 former government officials, intellectuals, Catholic priests and activists signed an online petition protesting her arrest and the government's harassment of other activist.
"These actions only add oil to fire and bring no benefits to anyone including the government," said the petition.
"We demand the release of all political prisoners and immediately end the arresting and harassment of individuals and civil society organizations who speak out in a peaceful way," it continued.
They called on the government to take notice of the petition. "This is the best opportunity for government officials to show that they work for the country and people," they said warning that if not, the people would lose their belief in the government.
Separately, the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius also said he was "deeply concerned by the recent actions taken against peaceful human rights advocates, including the arrest of Quynh," in an Oct. 12 statement.
"The United States calls on Vietnam to release these individuals and all other prisoners of conscience, and to allow all individuals in Vietnam to express their political views online and offline without fear of retribution," said Osius.
Vietnam has been accused of applying vague laws to constrain bloggers and activists who are getting more exposure due to the increase of social media in the country.
Vietnam was holding at least 130 political prisoners by the end of 2015, according to the New York-based Human Rights Watch.
