Norwegian embassy staff have met imprisoned Norwegian in Vietnam
By NTB-Frida Anine Hagen / NTB-Edvard Stenersen
Original article in Norwegian ↗
World
On Friday morning, the embassy in Hanoi made a consular visit to the imprisoned Thuan Duc Nguyen (52). In custody he is not receiving the insulin he needs, which worries his family.
Nguyen is imprisoned in Vietnam, charged with terrorism and document forgery.
He disappeared in Cambodia on 18 September and then turned up in Vietnamese custody. The family has reported both Vietnam and Cambodia for kidnapping, and the Norwegian authorities only learned on 7 October where he is being held in custody.
A priority case for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
State Secretary Astrid Bergmål (Labour) is in Vietnam this weekend and is expected on Sunday to sign a free trade agreement between the country and the EFTA countries Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
"We take this case extremely seriously. It has high priority in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and State Secretary Astrid Bergmål is raising the case at a high level in several meetings with Vietnamese authorities during her visit to Vietnam this weekend. The Norwegian side is expressing, among other things, a clear expectation that the embassy gets regular consular access, that he receives legal assistance and adequate medical follow-up," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs writes in an email to NTB.
"The embassy carried out a first consular visit to the imprisoned Norwegian citizen on Friday morning," it continues.
Not receiving insulin or legal assistance
Nguyen is diabetic. In the report the embassy has written about the visit, it emerges that in custody he has not received insulin injections.
"Physically Thuan looks okay. He spoke clearly and distinctly, and had a clear and focused gaze. He made eye contact with the undersigned during large parts of the visit, and it was evident that he understood everything that was communicated," the report states, which TV 2 has gained access to.
The report further states that Nguyen sleeps little and poorly, but that he feels "generally better physically after starting on various medications." Among other things, he receives diabetes medication in tablet form, the channel writes.
Nguyen is not receiving legal assistance, and will not until the investigation of the case is over, which was new to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"The embassy has not previously been sent this information," the report states, according to TV 2.
The country's police can extend the investigation by four months at a time for a maximum of two years, it continues.
Worried family
His wife tells TV 2 that she is very worried, and points in particular to his saying that he sleeps poorly.
"He says himself that he sleeps little and poorly. That in itself can lead to mental illness. I know my husband. He is a sound sleeper, so when he says he is sleeping poorly, that is a bad sign," she says.
The prisoner's brother is a pharmacist and is also concerned about the lack of insulin, which he says is causing the poor sleep.
The report also states that Nguyen gets two meals a day, and that he can pay for extra food and drink. According to TV 2, the embassy has paid the prison to top up his account.
Member of opposition group
The 52-year-old is a member of Viet Tan, a Vietnamese opposition organisation that the Vietnamese authorities have classified as a terrorist organisation.
The terrorism charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. More than 160 political prisoners are imprisoned in Vietnam, according to figures from Human Rights Watch.
Nguyen's family has told VG that they are shocked by the accusations against him, and they describe him as a family man and pharmacist who has long been engaged in democracy and human rights in Vietnam, which is a one-party state ruled by the country's Communist Party.
He was travelling to meet other Vietnamese activists and was arrested together with the Australian Tran Hiep and the Vietnamese Thai Chong Truong Son.