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Vietnamese Court Sentences Quang and other Mennonite Church Workers

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — The Ho Chi Minh City People's Court handed down sentences to six Vietnamese Mennonite church workers Friday morning, Nov. 12, in a four-hour trial.

Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang, Vice-President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Mennonite Church, was given three years imprisonment, the most severe sentence, for obstructing officials carrying out their duties. A close associate, evangelist Pham Ngoc Thach, was given a two-year sentence. The others were sentenced to prison from nine to twelve months.

About 200 Christians reportedly came to show their support for Pastor Quang, including many persecuted ethnic minorities from the central highlands. None was allowed into the courtroom, though some were permitted to enter the courtyard area which was guarded by an estimated 300 well armed police.

A few family members were allowed inside the courtroom. These included Quang's wife, the fathers of Thach and Ms. Le Thi Hong Lien, the wife and mother of Nguyen Thanh Phuong, and the mother and younger sister of two brothers, Nguyen Thanh Nhan and Nguyen Hieu Nghia. International diplomats and foreign reporters were not allowed in to observe the proceedings.

The court permitted some legal defence. One attorney defended Quang and another represented the other five defendants. Quang was charged with "inciting others to resist persons performing their duty," under a criminal code which carries penalties of two to seven years in prison. The attorneys were prepared to argue that Quang and his co-defendants were trying to help the authorities maintain law and order, and that there were no grounds for charging them with criminal offenses.

In an interview given to BBC after the trial, Mrs. Le Thi Phu Dung, Pastor Quang's wife, said that her husband was judged very harshly. Asked if she would appeal the sentence, she said that is her intention, but she wanted to speak with her husband before proceeding.

She and 45-year-old Quang have three children, all under ten years of age.

Mennonite World Conference sent letters to Vietnamese authorities after the trial date was announced, asking that the six persons be given fair trials.

If the court recognizes time already served, the brothers Nghia and Nhan could be released in early December. Phuong and Ms. Lien were sentenced to twelve months.