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Two security police officers lead the attack
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At around 10:30am on 21 January 2015, Vietnamese police officers furiously attacked a dozen people visiting Trần Anh Kim. Kim, a dissident and fighter for human rights, and a former Lieutenant Colonel of the Vietnamese People’s Army, was recently released from jail and is currently under house arrest.
Brutal attack and robbery
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| A security police officer instructing the attack and robbery |
12 people were escorted to and detained at Trần Hưng Đạo ward police station, Thái Bình after they were cruelly beaten and injured by police. This group included Nguyễn Tường Thụy, Nguyễn Hữu Vinh (JB), Trương Văn Dũng, and Trần Thị Nga (in Hà Nam)...
Dr Nguyễn Thanh Giang, 80, had received a punch to his face, which knocked his glasses off. Actress Kim Chi, who had slipped to the ground, was rudely dragged to a car.
A Vietnam News Agency journalist, who happened to be passing by at the time, saw the chaos and tried to film it. He too was arrested and beaten harshly at the police station.
The police force also seized the cameras and other private possessions of the group.
Afterwards, Trần Anh Kim and his wife came to Trần Hưng Đạo ward police station, demanding the group be released. Other dissidents in Hanoi were also on their way to Thái Bình to object to the government's unlawful arrest.
Police had issued a report in which they accused the group of “inciting public disorder”. Dr Nguyễn Thanh Giang had demanded that the witnesses and thugs in plainclothes to be present.
Locked gates at the police station, as citizens beat inside
According to Kim, at 10 am on the same day, as the visitors and house owners were talking, 7 police in uniform broke into the house. Amongst them, one officer was in traffic police uniform.
The traffic police officer instructed the owner of the car (that had transported the group to Kim’s house) to go outside to sign a fine. The reason given for the fine was “Parking outside indicated parking areas”. However, there were no parking signs on the street in front of Kim’s house. At that time, there were also two other cars and a truck parked outside too.
After having separated the driver from the group, police requested the visitors go to the ward police station to complete paperwork regarding their “inciting public order”. They crudely cursed at these citizens who tried to calmly explain that they had done nothing against the law.
Then, 3 well-built men in plainclothes stepped into the house, watching.
One of these men leapt at the elderly Dr Nguyễn Thanh Giang (who is 80 years of age). “F* your mother, Giang”, he swore at the doctor.
Somebody in the group then attempted to take photos but the camera was taken from them by the second of three men. Police continued to encircle the group, cursing and attacking them for about 20 minutes before forcing them to go to the police station.
On the way to the police station, police beat the group brutally. Even as they arrived at Trần Hưng Đạo ward police station, they were continually beat as police locked the gates.
Nguyễn Hữu Vinh (JB) was harshly assaulted and badly injured. His friends had demanded that police take him to hospital, but received no response.
Protests in the police station
At 4:30pm, despite their callous beatings, the group maintained their protest at the police station.
While some police in uniform left the scene, more thugs in plainclothes came and surrounded the group.
The citizens below were brutally arrested by the police:
1. JB Nguyễn Hữu Vinh.
2. Ngô Duy Quyền.
3. Nguyễn Lê Hùng.
4. Nguyễn Tường Thụy.
5. Trương Văn Dũng.
6. Trần Thị Nga.
7. Nguyễn Thị Kim Chi
8. Nguyễn Thanh Hà
9. Trương Minh Tam
10. Bạch Hồng Quyền
11. Nguyễn Thanh Giang.
12. Nguyễn Vũ Bình.
It is known that on the previous Saturday, a young man from Hải Phòng who came to visit Trần Anh Kim was surrounded and nearly arrested. As a precaution, he ran faster than the police and safely avoided the raid.
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