Debate: Where is Norway's backbone when a Norwegian is imprisoned in Vietnam?

The government must demand an independent investigation into how Thuan Duc Nguyen (pictured) ended up in Vietnamese custody, write the authors of the article.

For those of us close to Thuan Duc Nguyn, this feels like a betrayal.

This is an opinion piece that expresses the views and opinions of the writer.

While the Norwegian citizen Thuan Duc Nguyen (52) is imprisoned in Vietnam, accused of terrorism on grounds we consider absurd, Norway has signed a free trade agreement with the country. For those of us close to him, this feels like a betrayal.

What is a Norwegian's freedom really worth, if zero tariffs on salmon weigh more heavily than basic human rights?

On 15 September, Thuan and his Australian friend Hiep Tran travelled to Cambodia to meet human rights activists. A few days later they disappeared. Their luggage was left behind at the hotel, and Thuan had already paid for the plane tickets to Bangkok and onward home to Norway.

Ten days later, the shocking news came from Vietnam: the men had been arrested, accused of illegal border crossing and terrorism. Today Thuan is held in B34 pre-trial detention centre in Ho Chi Minh City.

We believe the Vietnamese authorities' explanation does not add up. Why would a Norwegian citizen, who can enter Vietnam visa-free, try to cross the border illegally and at the same time give up a paid trip home?

According to the family, Hiep Tran has stated through Australian diplomats that he did not enter Vietnam voluntarily. Human Rights Watch describes the case as an apparent abduction. If this is confirmed, we are facing a serious case of transnational repression and a possible violation of international law.

Thuan is no terrorist. He is a family man from Lørenskog who for many years has worked peacefully for democracy, freedom of religion and human rights. He has diabetes, depends on daily insulin and needs follow-up for kidney problems. Nevertheless, it took almost a month before Norwegian diplomats were allowed to meet him.

In the midst of this, Norway chose to sign the free trade agreement between EFTA and Vietnam. The government highlights economic gains, better market access and tariff cuts on salmon and mackerel.

We understand that trade means jobs. But we cannot accept that Norway carries out such a signing with a country that holds a Norwegian citizen imprisoned under such serious and disputed circumstances.

The agreement should have been put on hold until Thuan was released and safely back in Norway. The signing gave the Norwegian authorities an opportunity to put political pressure on Vietnam. By signing while Thuan was still imprisoned, the government let this opportunity slip away.

Norway likes to present itself as a defender of human rights and international law. But principles that are only defended when it costs nothing are not principles. They must also apply when economic interests are at stake.

We acknowledge that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working diplomatically, but diplomatic assurances are not enough. When a Norwegian citizen may have been abducted from another country and imprisoned on the basis of charges we believe are groundless, it must have consequences for Norway's relationship with the country that holds him.

The government must demand an independent investigation into how Thuan ended up in Vietnamese custody, ensure he receives necessary medical treatment, and use the political influence Norway still has to work for his release.

At home in Lørenskog, children are waiting. For them this is not about export revenues or tariff rates. It is about getting their dad home.