This morning, 17 May 2001, at 5:00 AM, hundreds of police surrounded the An Truyen Church and arrested Father Nguyen Van Ly while the Father was preparing the morning Mass for his parishioners. The police used batons and electrical whips to brutally beat the parishioners who tried to protect Father Ly.

· Whereas Father Nguyen Van Ly has been demanding, by peaceful means, human rights and religious freedom, using freedom of expression, a right recognized by the Charter of Human Rights and even by the Constitution of the Socialistic Republic of Vietnam.

· Whereas the demands by Father Nguyen Van Ly, through his declarations in nearly the last six months, accurately portrait the policy to oppress religions by the Vietnamese communist authority.

· Whereas, in many consecutive decades, the authority has systematically implemented, under unethical camouflages many measures with the intention of strangling the religious freedom for the people.

· Whereas Article 4 of the Constitution of the Socialistic Republic of Vietnam is indeed the origin of all violations of human rights, citizen’s rights and of the oppression of religious freedom, Father Nguyen Van Ly and all other fighters for human rights are justified in demanding the total abolishment of Article 4.

· Whereas Decree No. 961 by the Provincial Executive Committee of Thua Thien-Hue forbidding Father Nguyen van Ly from “performing religious duties and responsibilities in An Truyen village and in the entire province of Thua Thien-Hue during the administrative detention period” is a gross violation of religious freedom.  Furthermore, the administrative detention of Father Nguyen Van Ly for two years itself is a law of the jungle designed to brand reactionary label on any citizen and to jail him/her in his/her own home as the authority so desires without going through trials by an impartial Court.

For those reasons, I, Reverend Chan Tin, solemnly protest and demand the Vietnamese communist authority:

1. Immediately release Father Nguyen van Ly and the An Truyen parishioners arrested at the same time with the Father.

2. Immediately invalidate the 2-year administrative detention decrees imposed upon the patriotic citizens such as Mr. Nguyen Ho, General Tran Do, the Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, the Most Venerable Thich Quang Do, Mr. Le Quang Liem, Professor Ha Si Phu, Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, Mr. Hoang Minh Chinh, etc.

3. Allow the religious organizations the freedom to conduct religious, social, cultural activities.

4. Return the religious properties back to the religious organizations.

5. Allow all religions the freedom to conduct their own religious business.

6. Stop all measures and camouflages designed to strangle religions.

Saigon, 17 May 2001

Reverend Chan Tin