Battison: The Vietnamese government planned and orchestrated the kidnapping of these three men

Hiep and Chloe’s lawyer, Alison Battisson, delivered a speech at the candlelight vigil held outside Sydney Town Hall on 17 October 2026, standing in solidarity with Hiep, Thuan and their families.

Alison Battisson is an internationally recognised human rights lawyer known for her advocacy on behalf of refugees, stateless people and individuals wrongfully detained or imprisoned by governments.

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Thank you, and thank you, everyone, for coming tonight.

I am an Australian and international human rights lawyer, and we have an international and Australian issue. I represent Chloe, Hiep’s wife.

The kidnapping of Hiep from Cambodia to Vietnam and his imprisonment is a clear violation of international law. It is also a clear violation of Australian law.

There is no doubt that the Vietnamese government planned and orchestrated the kidnapping of these three men. These men were doing nothing more than supporting democratic values and human rights. For this, they were kidnapped and held incommunicado for weeks.

It was only when the Vietnamese government announced on social media that they had the men that their families and the Australian and Norwegian governments knew where the men were and who had them.

This is no ordinary consular case. None of the men placed themselves in danger; they were taken to a place of danger. The men face two years of pre-trial detention before the commencement of any substantive criminal proceedings.

The Australian government should not and must not recognize the legitimacy of any criminal proceedings, pre-trial or otherwise.

Instead, it must demand the immediate return of Hiep, Thuan, and the other gentleman.

If the men are not immediately returned, we call on the Australian government to take the following actions:

First, to file a case against Vietnam before the International Court of Justice for breach of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

Second, pursue sanctions under the Criminal Code Act of Australia, particularly against the Minister for Public Security.

Third, impose sanctions on, at a minimum, the Minister for Public Security and the Vietnamese General Secretary and President.

Fourth, summon the Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia to answer questions regarding what is now unquestionably a hideous act of transnational oppression, and then expel the ambassador.

The Australian government, particularly our Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and Senator Wong, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, must take immediate and strong action against the Vietnamese government and bring Hiep home to Chloe now.

Thank you.