Updated on Mar 14, 2013.
Netizen Huynh Ngoc Chenh and Lucie Molliron, RSF director on communication. (http://huynhngocchenh.blogspot.com/)
Translated by Me Nam (Defend the Defenders)
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a surprise and a pleasure to be here at this honorable ceremony today, just because, in my country, many rights are regconized under the constitution but the authorities have restricted them by all means. Over the past two years, many bloggers have not allowed to travel abroad for tourism, health cares, conferences or receiving the international prizes, like myself, without any proper reason. They are blogger Dao Hieu, Nguoi Buon Gio, Nguyen Hoang Vi, JB Nguyen Huu Vinh, Huynh Trong Hieu, Uyen Vu, Le Quoc Quan…
Therefore it is a big surprise for me to be here. Perharps, its reason may be the prestige of RSF and Google Inc. who are the founder and the sponsor of this worthy award. And also it may be the lively outcome of campaigns for human rights and democracy in my country as the result of petitioning amendments of the constitution, which has had a certain effect on the authorities.
By the way, I would like to say more about the campaign for democracy and human rights which has been happening actively in my country. Three years ago, blogger and lawyer Cu Huy Ha Vu wrote articles to call for a multi-party system to democratize, he soon was sentenced up to 7 years in prison. Nowadays, I am here to witness a number of organizations with nearly twenty thousands of signatories in the petition calling for abolishing Article 4 of the constitution and pluralism, multi-party system without such fear. Continue reading