Vietnam has now expelled to France the Catholic activist Peter Pham Minh Hoang, citing his violation of laws and that he had “undermined national security,” reports UCANews.
Hoang, who arrived in Paris on 25 June after being arrested and detained two days earlier, wasn’t allowed to say goodbye to his wife, Le Thi Kieu Oanh, or their daughter, who remain in Vietnam with his elderly mother and disabled brother.
But Oanh said she believes her husband will continue his struggle for democracy and human rights in Vietnam. “I trust completely in God. God chooses us to carry His cross on our shoulders, He will open other doors for us,” she said.
Rights groups condemned Vietnam’s decision to revoke Hoang’s citizenship. It’s “typical of the blatant way they harass all those who raise controversial issues,” Reporters Without Borders said.
Hoang left Vietnam to study in France in 1973, returning with dual citizenship in 2000 to teach mathematics in Ho Chi Minh City. In 2010 he was arrested for “undermining national security” and “ruining the nation’s image” through his blogging, and imprisoned for 17 months.
Hoang became an active blogger and member of the US-based political party, Viet Tan, which works to end the communist government in Vietnam. The government cited Article 88 of the country’s criminal code, which prohibits “conducting propaganda against the state” in a letter sent to Hoang on 17 May informing him of their decision.