Norwegian diplomatic officials have met with Norwegian citizen Nguyen Duc Thuan in Vietnamese detention, where he says he is receiving diabetes tablets instead of the insulin injections he needs, according to Norwegian media.
Thuan, a human rights activist and member of the pro-democracy organisation Viet Tan, disappeared in Cambodia on 18 September before resurfacing in Vietnamese custody. He is being held on terrorism-related and document-forgery charges, which Vietnamese authorities say stem from an alleged illegal border crossing.
Thuan and fellow activist Tran Hiep, an Australian citizen, are believed by their families and human rights organisations to have been forcibly taken from Cambodia to Vietnam. Vietnamese authorities maintain that the men were arrested while attempting to cross the border. The circumstances of their transfer remain disputed.
Norwegian embassy staff visited Thuan on 16 October, according to Norwegian news agency NTB. During the visit, he reportedly said he was receiving tablets for diabetes rather than the insulin injections he requires. The reported treatment has raised additional concerns about his health while in detention.
Norway’s Foreign Ministry has described the case as a high priority. Norwegian State Secretary Astrid Bergmål was expected to raise Thuan’s detention with Vietnamese officials during her visit to Vietnam for the signing of the European Free Trade Association’s free trade agreement with Vietnam on 18 October.
The case has drawn further international concern. Human Rights Watch has called for the release of the three detained men and for Norwegian and Australian consular officials to be granted access to them.
Thuan’s family has also filed a criminal complaint in Norway concerning his alleged enforced disappearance, seeking an investigation into the circumstances of his disappearance in Cambodia and subsequent detention in Vietnam.
Sources: ABC Nyheter, Human Rights Watch, Elden Advokatfirma,
