Rights group says Vietnam's jailing of Khmer monks violated religious freedom

28/11/2024 12:53

        Human rights activists accused Vietnam of infringing freedom of religion after a court handed jail sentences this week to six ethnically Khmer Buddhist monks and three religious activists.
        
        A court in the southern province of Long An condemned the men to prison terms between two and six years after finding them guilty of "abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon state interests" and illegally detaining people, according to a police statement.
        
        Among them, Khmer Krom Buddhist monk Thach Chanh Da Ra was given the longest, six-year prison term during a trial on Tuesday, Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security said in a statement.
        
        Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates (AHRLA) said late on Wednesday the sentences against the monks were "outrageous and unacceptable."
        
        The police said Thach Chanh Da Ra instructed his followers to illegally detain and attack local authorities when they tried to search the temple where he resides.
        
        It was not immediately clear why the temple was searched and the motives for the monks' resistance.