UNPO Appeals after Death of Montagnard
On August 30, 2006, a Montagnard Degar man known as Thup died in Trai Ba Sao prison in Ha
Over 350 other Degar prisoners remain in prisons in
UNPO remains deeply concerned at the current and ongoing situation for the Montagnard Degar people in
- make a public commitment to end the practice of torture, aligned with
- urge the appointment of a special commission with the power to prosecute and discipline security officials accused of torture and excessive use of force during demonstrations in the Central Highlands;
- ensure religious freedom by ending the arrests and imprisonments of the Montagnard Degar people for attending religious gatherings and stopping forced pledges renouncing their religion; and
- end the arrests of Montagnards Degar people returning from Cambodia, in violation of the 2005 Memorandum of Understanding between UNHCR, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
The Montagnards have been Members of UNPO since 2003.