Key Points
- Australian citizen Chau Van Kham has been released from a Vietnamese jail.
- He was jailed while visiting Vietnam in 2019 and sentenced to 12 years in prison for "terrorism".
- He was a member of the Viet Tan, a US-based group that aims to establish liberal democracy in Vietnam.
Australian citizen and has been released from a Vietnamese jail.
He was detained in Vietnam in 2019 and sentenced to 12 years in jail.
Since his arrest, his family, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and human rights organisations have been advocating for his release.
Here's what we know.
Who is Chau Van Kham?
Kham is a 73-year-old former baker from Sydney and was visiting Vietnam in January 2019 when he was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City on charges of terrorism.
He was a member of the Viet Tan, a US-based group that aims to establish liberal democracy in Vietnam through peaceful and political means.
Vietnam considers the Viet Tan a terrorist organisation.
He was sentenced to 12 years in jail over allegations he had raised money for anti-state activities, joined anti-Vietnam protests in Australia and recruited members for Viet Tan.
Vietnamese police alleged he had entered Vietnam via Cambodia using a fake ID.
Human rights group Amnesty International Australia described Kham as a "prisoner of conscience", and said he was detained "solely for his peaceful political beliefs".
What has the reaction to Kham's release been?
Kham's wife and two children thanked the government for securing his release.
They also thanked their legal team and many organisations involved.
"We share this happy news that Chau Van Kham is well and has returned to his family today," his family said in a statement.
Australian citizen and pro-democracy activist Chau Van Kham (left) has been released from a Vietnamese jail. Source: AAP / Nguyen Thanh Chung/AP
“For years, tens of thousands of Amnesty International Australia supporters who were shocked by Mr Chau’s imprisonment have worked together to support Mr Chau and his family and to help call for his release," she said.
“Today is a momentous day for the movement to free wrongly imprisoned people around the world, and serves as a reminder that Australians in their tens of thousands will take action to defend human rights.”
Human Rights Watch's Asia director Elaine Pearson said while the release was fantastic news, more than 150 political prisoners remained in detention in Vietnam for peaceful acts of free expression.
Among those still in jail were journalist Pham Doan Trang and environmental activists Mai Phan Loi, Dang Dinh Bach and Hoang Thi Minh Hong.
"The one-party state has no tolerance for anyone who expresses a narrative contrary to the government and the Australian government should continue to call on Vietnamese authorities to release all political prisoners," Pearson said.
