Release of prisoner of conscience, Father Nguyen Van Ly

The orchestrated court by the Communist regime of Vietnam on 30 March 2007 in Hue sentenced Father Nguyen Van Ly to 8 (eight) years imprisonment for "propaganda against the Government of Socialist Republic of Vietnam" under Article 88 of the Penal Code. Since then, he is in solitary confinement of the Ba Sao prison in Ha Nam province. Father Nguyen Van Ly spends a total of 17 years in communist prison in Vietnam for his peaceful efforts for human rights and religious freedom. He has been repeatedly named by Amnesty International "prisoner of conscience" and is the recipient of several human rights prizes, such as Hellman/ Hammett, Salom, etc.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Human Rights Council on May 8, 2009 in Geneva proposed Vietnam to amend certain laws, one of them is the Article 88 of the Penal Code. Because these laws violate not only against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, but also against the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Father Nguyen Van Ly had in 2009 three strokes. The 3rd was on November 14, 2009. He was so bad that the prison guards brought him to police's Hospital in Hanoi. There, he was in a locked room with the secret police guard duty day and night. Although his illness is still not much better, the police brought him back to prison Ba Sao on december 11, 2009, of course, in solitary confinement. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hieu, sister of Father Ly visited him on 1 February 2010. She reported: "Father Ly can not write any more because of the paralyzed hand. Walking is difficult because he needs crutches and accompanying person for supporting. Father Ly takes no medications from the prison, but exclusively drugs brought by the Family members. He said that he will not again be admitted to the hospital like last time when a new stroke will occur again. He wants that we visit him more often.".