Bloc 8406
{{Short description|Outlawed political party in Vietnam}}
{{Infobox political party
| name = Bloc 8406
| native_name = Khối 8406
| logo = Bloc 8406 Logo.jpg
| foundation = 8 April 2006
| ideology = Liberal democracy
| colorcode = yellow
}}
Bloc 8406 ({{langx|vi|Khối 8406}}) is a small unified coalition of political groups in Vietnam that advocates for democratic reforms in Vietnam. It is named after the date of the group's Manifesto on Freedom and Democracy for Vietnam 2006 ({{langx|vi|Tuyên Ngôn Tự Do Dân Chủ Cho Việt Nam 2006}}) declaring the need for democratic reforms in Vietnam. The manifesto was issued on 8 April, 2006 and was signed by 118 dissidents calling for a multiparty nation.{{cite web |url=http://www.upi.com/Emerging_Threats/2009/10/09/Vietnam-clamps-down-on-democracy-activists/UPI-48301255093200/ |title=Vietnam clamps down on democracy activists |date=9 October 2009 |publisher=United Press International |access-date=21 July 2012}} The support later grew into the thousands.{{cite web |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/HI14Ae01.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019073527/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/HI14Ae01.html |url-status=unfit |archive-date=19 October 2006 |title=Heed the call of Vietnam's Bloc 8406 |author=Shawn W. Crispin |date=14 September 2006 |work=Asia Times Online |access-date=21 July 2012}}
Notable Bloc 8406 members
Roman Catholic priest Nguyen Van Ly was sentenced to eight years in prison on March 30, 2007, for his support of the group's manifesto.{{cite web |url=http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=8872&size= |title=Catholic Priest, Fr. Nguyen Van Ly, condemned to 8 years in prison |author=Nguyen Van Tranh |date=30 March 2007 |work=Asia News |access-date=21 July 2012}} He was released in 2011, but then he was returned to prison that same year.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2011/07/26/vietnam-father-nguyen-van-ly-should-remain-free|title=Vietnam: Father Nguyen Van Ly Should Remain Free|date=2011-07-26|website=Human Rights Watch|language=en|access-date=2019-08-15}}
Lawyer and labor activist Tran Quoc Hien was accused of being a part of Bloc 8406 in his 2007 trial that led to a five-year prison sentence for "endangering state security".{{cite book |title=Not yet a workers' paradise: Vietnam's suppression of the independent workers' movement |year=2009 |publisher=Human Rights Watch |isbn= 9781564324764|page=24 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VgAO5tpkWeoC&q=Tran+Quoc+Hien&pg=PA24 |access-date=18 January 2012}} He also posted articles critical to the government online, such as "The Tail", a description of life under plain clothes police monitering.
Former Communist Party cadre Vi Duc Hoi joined the Bloc after leaving the party in 2007.{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/viet-nam-activist-prison-sentence-condemned-2011-01-26 |title=Viet Nam activist prison sentence condemned |date=26 April 2011 |publisher=Amnesty International |access-date=20 July 2012}} He was imprisoned in 2011 for "spreading anti-government propaganda" after posting copies of pro-democracy articles online.{{cite web |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/vietnamese-dissident-sentenced-to-8-years-in-jail |title=Vietnamese dissident sentenced to 8 years in jail |date=26 January 2011 |publisher=Fox News |agency=Associated Press |access-date=20 July 2012}}
Trần Anh Kim was a founding member of Bloc 8406. In 2009, he was sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly attempting to overthrow the government; shortly after his release in 2015, he was arrested again on the same charges, and in 2016 was sentenced to 13 years in prison. Kim's sentence was criticised by the US State Department as well as Amnesty International, who recognised him as a prisoner of conscience.{{Cite web |last=Nhan |first=Quyen |date=24 December 2016 |title=U.S. Ambassador Concerned about Imprisonments of Two Vietnamese Activists |url=https://vietnamhumanrightsdefenders.net/2016/12/24/u-s-ambassador-concerned-about-imprisonments-of-two-vietnamese-activists-2/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625163839/http://vietnamhumanrightsdefenders.net/2016/12/24/u-s-ambassador-concerned-about-imprisonments-of-two-vietnamese-activists-2/ |archive-date=25 June 2022 |access-date=12 July 2024 |website=Defend The Defenders – Người Bảo Vệ Nhân Quyền |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=16 May 2018 |title=Viet Nam: Serious health concerns for prisoner of conscience: Trần Anh Kim |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa41/8432/2018/en/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128100614/https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa41/8432/2018/en/ |archive-date=28 November 2023 |access-date=12 July 2024 |website=Amnesty International |language=en}}
References
External links
- [http://hrw.org/pub/2006/manifesto_040606.pdf Manifesto]
{{Vietnamese political parties}}
Category:Political opposition alliances
Category:Political party alliances in Vietnam
Category:National liberation movements
Category:Vietnamese democracy movements
Category:Political repression in Vietnam