Vietnam Joint statement on behalf of Le Quoc Quan

On 30 August 2012, L4L issued a joint statement with Lawyers Rights Watch Canada (LWRC) and Amnesty International Netherlands (Amnesty) on behalf of Le Quoc Quan.

Mr. Le Quoc Quan is a prominent lawyer and human rights defender. Although he can no longer formally exercise his work as a lawyer following his disbarment, he continues to fight for and defend civil rights in Vietnam through his blogs and other actions.

L4L members that focus on the region South-East Asia received news of the severe injuries Le Quoc Quan endured due to a violent attack that occurred on Sunday, 19 August 2012. He was attacked near his home in Hanoi and was struck by a steel baton. As a result Mr. Le Quoc Quan had to recover in the hospital for a number of days.

Like many Vietnamese human rights lawyers, bloggers and activists, Mr. Le Quoc Quan has regularly been subject to arbitrary arrest and has been on constant surveillance. L4L, LWRC and Amnesty have reason to believe that this recent violent attack on Mr. Le Quoc Quan as well as the previous arbitrary arrests and constant harassment are directly linked to Mr. Le Quoc Quan’s work in the defence of human rights.

In the joint statement the organizations called on the Vietnamese authorities to investigate the violent attack on Le Quoc Quan, and guarantee his physical integrity and safety.

Click here for the joint statement.