The situation of victims being beaten to death in police stations occurs frequently and continuously, which is very common in Vietnam.
Recently, on September 3 in Binh Thuan, state media reported that Mr. Bui Van Hai, 28 years old, in Vu Hoa commune, Duc Linh district, was beaten to death in the communal Police headquarters, a few hours after being temporarily detained as a criminal suspect. The local authorities say the reason for his death is “fatigue, shortness of breath.”
Specifically, at about 6pm, on September 3, the head of the Vu Hoa Commune Police came down to the area and summoned Mr. Bui Van Hai to the Communnal Police for interrogation. According to Mr. Bui Manh Hung, Mr. Hai’s brother, at the request of the Communal Police, Mr. Hung took his brother to the commune headquarters and left him with the representative of the Vu Hoa Communal Police.
Then, still according to Mr. Hung, at 19:20, the Commune Police Chief assigned two police officers from Duc Linh district, Bui Sy Ngan and Le Huu Tung, to take Mr. Bui Van Hai to the Duc Linh district police office for further interrogation.
At 23:45 on the same day – just after nearly 4 hours – Mr. Bui Van Hung said that he received news that someone had died and was brought to Duc Linh District Hospital by the police. Suspicious, Mr. Hung went to the district hospital, and there he found his brother had died.
Mr. Hung told RFA by phone:
“I went to the hospital after someone informed me that my brother was beaten to death and taken to the hospital. When I ran up, I opened it, I looked at my brother. My brother’s eyes widened, his mouth was open, his hands were scratched by handcuffs and had ‘bite’ marks on his biceps and thighs, ass, and back. I filmed, photographed, his body was bruised more than a piece of beef. All the beatings are internal wounds, not external wounds, he was beaten for swelling and bruising inside, not for bleeding or laceration, it is only for internal injuries. Now my family confirms that the investigation agency of Duc Linh District Police caused my brother’s death.”
At the same time, Mr. Hung added, “The hospital also said that two people wearing masks took Bui Van Hai to the hospital at 9pm on September 3 and he was the first person in the family to see his brother’s body at the hospital.”
Speaking to Radio Free Asia RFA, Mr. Bui Manh Hung said he asked the Vietnamese Minister of Public Security, General To Lam, to be responsible for the incident. Mr. Hung said, “I have not requested anything yet, but if the matter is not clarified, I also want to ask Minister To Lam to participate in clarifying the matter, so that my brother will not suffer injustice.”
Reportedly, on September 4, the Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper published an article titled “Information about a suspect of property theft who died of unknown cause in Binh Thuan” reporting on the above incident. This article said: “On the morning of September 4, Binh Thuan Provincial Police said that it is currently urgently investigating the cause of death of a suspect of property theft, which has just occurred in Duc Linh district. According to the initial report of the Duc Linh District Police to the Binh Thuan Provincial Police, at dawn on September 2, during the patrol, the Duc Linh District Police discovered two objects of dog theft. The patrol team asked them to stop for inspection. However, the two subjects above did not comply, but increased the speed and ran away, heading to Vu Hoa commune.
Being chased, the subjects abandoned two stolen dogs and used an electric stinger to sting Captain Nguyen Duc Phuong, a member of Group 506 and Lieutenant Doan Ngoc Quang, police officer of Vo Xu town, wounded two comrades, then escaped. Immediately after the incident, leaders of the district police went to the scene, directed the Criminal Police force to coordinate with the police of Vo Xu town and the police of Vu Hoa commune to make a record of the incident, conduct a field examination, verify, and capture suspects. Through verification, the authorities determined that Bui Van Hai (SN 1995) and Luu Cong Manh (SN1985), living in village 2, Vu Hoa, Duc Linh district, were the suspects who directly committed the act of stealing dogs and acted against people performing official duties.”
Still according to the Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper, “suspect” Bui Van Hai was also killed due to “fatigue, difficulty breathing.”
Soon after, on September 5, Mr. Bui Manh Hung denied all of the above allegations by the Vietnamese state media, and said that, after the strong reaction of his family, an article in Binh Thuan newspaper was removed.
Mr. Hung affirmed that at the time of the incident, his brother was sleeping at home, and was completely unrelated to the “dog theft” or “property theft” case as alleged by the police.
Mr. Bui Manh Hung also added that after the family brought his brother’s body home, the police had some acts such as, preventing his family from bringing the freezer home to preserve the body, in while waiting for the conclusion of the forensic examination. Many local government officials at all levels kept coming to convince the family to conduct an early burial, even though the family demanded clarification of the cause of death, and demanded that those responsible be identified. According to Mr. Hung, the authorities want to remove the evidence that caused his brother’s death to avoid responsibility.
Most recently, on August 30, Vietnamese state media also reported that Major Ho Thanh Hoa, Deputy Chief of the Police of Tan Thanh B Commune, Tan Hong District, Dong Thap Province, was prosecuted and arrested for “killing people while on official duty.” The victim is Mr. Tran Van Dam, 57 years old, a local resident. Mr. Dam was summoned to the headquarters of the Commune Police, and after only 15 minutes, Mr. Dam was kicked by Major Hoa, causing Mr. Dam’s death.
According to the state-controlled media, in the period from 2018 to the end of 2021 alone, there were at least 16 cases of victims dying in police stations or detention camps in Vietnam, even though Vietnam has ratified the International Convention Against Torture, effective November 7, 2013.
Tra My – Thoibao.de
