Stand with Bach and ALL Climate Defenders

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Stand with Bach and ALL Climate Defenders -

June 24th, 2024 marks the third anniversary of the wrongful arrest and imprisonment of environmental lawyer and climate justice advocate, Dang Dinh Bach, on trumped-up charges and under harsh and degrading conditions.

Bach has requested that the international community write letters to him in prison and call on government decision-makers abroad to raise his case with the Vietnamese government and request a humanitarian visit. Although individual letters might not reach Bach directly, they will show prison officials the global support behind him and the scrutiny they are under. 

Every year, many human rights and environmental activists around the world are imprisoned or killed. Bach wishes for June 24th to become a day of commemoration and recognition of the sacrifices environmental defenders have made and to criticize all institutions that do not respect human rights.

On June 24, we are launching a global letter writing campaign to express solidarity with Bach. We urge you to join the campaign and send him a letter. You can do this on June 24th or during the days and weeks that follow.

More details on the solidarity campaign are below, including sample letters and where to send them, as well as how to amplify this campaign on social media. Thank you for your support!

Background

During summer 2024, Bach suffered several life-threatening asthma attacks and was found unconscious in his because of the stifling heat and lack of oxygen in his cell. Just before a historical heatwave in Vietnam, prison officials suddenly moved Bach to a cell that it contained only one fan. His family and supporters believe that this transfer was intentional and intended to increase his suffering because two fans are needed to effectively move heat and are present in all other cells in the ward. Prison authorities also terminated Bach’s access to the common yard, limiting him to a small enclosed patio area with no shade as his only access to fresh air and light.

The impacts of these unbearable, punishing conditions were deeply felt by Bach. He expressed fear about his ability to withstand his long-term isolation and concern that he may have permanent physical damage from heat exposure. From June 24-29, he undertook a 5-day hunger strike in protest of his treatment and the treatment of other other prisoners in his ward being denied humane and adequate conditions.

Following sustained advocacy efforts, in July 2024 Bach received a second fan and permission to open his cell door during the day to increase airflow and oxygen in his cell. These improvements likely saved his life. However, prison authorities are still failing to respect Bach’s rights or to protect his mental, emotional, and physical health. In August, Bach was exposed to Tuberculosis and he has yet to be properly tested or treated. Prison officials have never investigated the attack against him that took place in August 2023, despite Bach and his family naming who attacked him. His family is still prevented from bringing him sufficient food, and he is not given access to common spaces like the prison library, canteen, or outdoor yard used by other detainees in his ward. Thus, Bach is still unable to access books or other reading materials, social time, sufficient food, medicine or access to an independent doctor, or permitted to speak or visit with his family unsupervised. These conditions and his differential treatment constitute violations of the The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules), UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, and constitute inhuman, degrading, treatment and may rise to the level of torture.

In recognition of the extreme injustice and human rights violations Bach is enduring, and the repression all environmental defenders are facing in Vietnam, we are calling for a global solidarity letter-writing campaign to raise awareness and demand the immediate release of Bach, Hoang Thi Minh Hong, and all other climate leaders who have been unjustly incarcerated.

Share on social media along with the hashtag #StandWithBach and others hashtags if possible: #FreeClimateLeaders #FreeHong #FreeThemAll

Dear Mr. Bach,

I’m writing to you to let you know I stand in solidarity with you and the other climate defenders who have been wrongfully imprisoned in Vietnam. 

As one of the countries in the world most vulnerable to climate change, we understand the importance of Vietnam’s efforts to address this global challenge and know that advancing environmental, climate and energy justice for the people of Vietnam is impossible without your and your colleague’s freedom and participation. We also believe that your unjust incarceration undermines civil society participation in the energy transition process, which is a fundamental aspect of a “just” energy transition. 

The reports about your inhumane treatment and worsening health are deeply distressing. Please know the world is watching and you have many supporters around the globe. 

I’m thinking of you and sending you my support. We hope you can stay strong. We will continue to do all we can so that you and others will walk free and be reunited with your family, friends and colleagues as soon as possible.

Signed,

[NAME]

Sample letter to Bach : 

Where to mail your letter :

Dang Dinh Bach
Thanh Chương District, Nghe An        
Prison No. 6 in Hạnh Lâm Ward
VIETNAM

If you prefer to write something yourself, here are sample statements to use :

  • • June 24th marks the third anniversary of the wrongful imprisonment (which the UN Human Rights Council has declared a “violation” of international law”) of environmental justice lawyer and climate advocate, Dang Dinh Bach.

    • I call for the immediate release of environmental lawyer, Dang Dinh Bach, who is serving a five-year prison sentence in Vietnam on trumped-up tax evasion charges after advocating for the country’s movement away from coal, as well as Hoang Thi Minh Hong who was convicted to three years in prison on similar charges.

  • • Reports directly from Bach highlight the inhumane conditions he is enduring where he is incarcerated, including denial of sufficient food, medicine, medical treatment, or social contact with other prisoners or his family.  

    • The government’s failure to ensure basic, fundamental rights and minimum standards of treatment for prisoners in Vietnam violates its responsibilities under the Convention against Torture.

  • • The Vietnamese government has committed to net zero emissions by 2050 and was given US $15.5 billion for a Just Energy Transition Partnership to implement clean energy solutions, but this cannot succeed with climate leaders like Bach in jail.

    • Bach is one of four members of the Vietnam Sustainable Energy Alliance who were imprisoned in Vietnam, despite playing an instrumental role in the country’s ambitious climate commitments. 

    • Targeted attacks on climate leaders in Vietnam severely limit–or perhaps eliminate–genuine opportunities for consultation with civil society, an essential part of the Just Energy Transition Partnership.

  • • We must act now to safeguard Bach’s life, as well as Vietnam’s ability to successfully transition away from coal and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

    • Bach is a climate champion and should not be punished for his participation in Vietnam's clean energy transition.

    • Last year, the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found Bach's imprisonment to be a "violation of international law" and expressed concerns about a "systemic problem with arbitrary detention" of environmental defenders in Vietnam.

    • The green energy transition will not succeed until environmental defenders can speak openly and lead freely.