Australian man Chau Van Kham says his faith and the support of his family and community helped him survive the past four-and-a-half years in detention in Vietnam.
Australian man Chau Van Kham has said the past four years in a Vietnamese prison has not dampened his fight for democracy in the South-East Asian nation.Mr Chau expressed his heartfelt thanks to his family, the government and his community for securing his releaseSome 150 people are currently jailed in Vietnam for peaceful acts of free speech, Human Rights Watch saidon national security charges.
In a press conference, he expressed his heartfelt thanks to his family, the government and his community for securing his release and safe return to Australia this week. "I never regret when I go to Vietnam to do [my] duty," he said, referring to the fact finding mission that led to his arrest.He maintained his peace of mind during questioning from Vietnamese officials by relying on the mantra of accepting the things he could not change,Above all, he wanted to thank his wife and his sons, Daniel and Dennis, saying he was proud of them.Seeing her for the first time at the airport after prison reminded him of his wedding day, he said.
She said she initially lodged an application for an international prisoner transfer in August 2020, but the process was delayed by the COVID pandemic and negotiations."But we're here today with a free man back in Australia, in the arms of his family, where he belongs."Chau Van Kham Chau was sentenced to 12 years in jail for conducting activities of "terrorism to oppose the people's administration".
Mr Chau fled the Vietnam War and arrived as a refugee in Australia in the 1980s, where he met his wife, Trang.He has long protested and advocated for democracy for his home country.He was an active member of the group Viet Tan in Australia, which put him on the radar of Vietnamese authorities after he allegedly entered the country via Cambodia on a false document.
Ms Nguyen said UK-based lawyer Michael Polak was integral in getting his case before the UN working group, which determined Mr Chau's detention was arbitrary and therefore unlawful under international law, and they ordered his immediate unconditional release.
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