Vietnam calls for extradition of Christian activist
The Vietnamese government accuses the activist of terrorism. He was tried and convicted in absentia. They claim that the organization, Montagnards Stand for Justice, established by him. is responsible for carrying out an attack in 2023. Now the Vietnamese government has renewed its appeal for the extradition of the activist, who is currently living in Thailand.
The Vietnamese government tried and convicted in absentia Y Quynh Bdap, a Christian, ethnic Ede activist and founder of the group Montagnards Stand for Justice. He is accused of terrorism in connection with an attack in June 2023, when two government offices were attacked in Dak Lak province. In the attack, nine people lost their lives.
Vietnam claims that Montagnards Stand for Justice helped plan the attack against the government offices. Y Quynh Bdap is considered a terrorist in Vietnam, even though he always denied involvement. Bdap is currently in the territory of Thailand, and the Vietnamese government sought the cooperation of the Thai government to extradite him so he could serve his 10-year prison sentence. A court in Bangkok, at the request of Vietnamese authorities, recently held a trial and ruled that the Christian activist can be sent back to Vietnam. Now it is up to the Thai government to overrule the court decision or allow the extradition to happen.
It is not the first time that the Vietnamese authorities targeted Y Quynh Bdap. In 2012, he was detained for five months without legal representation, and during this time, he was repeatedly pressured to deny his faith and abandon Protestantism. After years of pressure and intimidation by the authorities, Bdap decided to flee from Vietnam with his family and seek refuge in Thailand.
Source: RFA
Photo: FMT
