On June 3, 2022, Ms. Bui Thi Thien Can on behalf of her daughter, journalist Pham Doan Trang, received the Martin Ennals international human rights award.
Speaking at the award ceremony held in Geneva – Switzerland, the mother of the activist, who is currently imprisoned by the Vietnamese government on charges of “conducting propaganda against the state,” said she was very proud of her daughter and It’s been almost 20 months she hasn’t seen Pham Doan Trang.
“As Doan Trang’s mother, I am very proud, I love my child very much, I feel he is a courageous woman.
She has steadfastly followed a path that is very dangerous and arduous, but she is still committed to fighting tirelessly for democracy and human rights in Vietnam; for the Vietnamese people to have freedom and happiness.
Trang had to overcome all the powers of the government, and Trang steadfastly committed herself to achieve that goal.
As her mother, I had to sacrifice my motherhood in order for my child to function. And I also hope that one day, as soon as possible, Vietnam will have democracy and human rights; people can have freedom and happiness,” said Ms. Can at the ceremony, which was reported live on social networks Facebook and YouTube.
Ms. Tran Quynh Vi, the co-founder of Luat Khoa/ Legal Initiative magazine with Ms. Pham Doan Trang, shared on the stage of the award ceremony about the difficulty of independent journalism in Vietnam and the price to pay is the judgment. nine years in prison for the Hanoi-based journalist.
“The good news is that despite Ms. Trang’s arrest, our newspaper is still working, and more and more people are writing for us.
I think there is a good side and a bad side, when the ban is tighter, we want to work in this field even more,” – Ms. Vi, a Vietnamese-American in the delegation that campaigns for the freedom of Ms. Trang said.
Mr. Will Nguyen, a democracy activist in the delegation accompanying journalist Pham Doan Trang’s mother to receive the award, also took this opportunity to call on citizens of Switzerland and developed countries to talk with legislators and politicians. diplomacy in host countries.
He said he wants the people of other countries to know that the rights that people enjoy in these countries are lacking in Vietnam so that Hanoi can become a responsible and active member of the order international.
“I think we have a lot of leverage, the more we shine on this issue, the more able the Vietnamese government is to treat its citizens with dignity and respect,” said Will Nguyen who was imprisoned by the Vietnamese government and sentenced to be deported back to the US in 2018.
Pham Doan Trang is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence for her peaceful journalism work, having been awarded numerous awards, including the US Department of State’s International Women of Courage Award, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) for Impact category, the Homo Homini Award from People In Need (Czech Republic)… and the 2022 Media Freedom Award by the Canadian and UK Ministries of Foreign Affairs.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
