Investigators in southern Vietnam charged the 92-year-old chief of a Buddhist neighborhood with incest on Friday after gathering proof – together with blood samples – from members of the church, state media reported.
Le Tung Van of the the Peng Lei Home Buddhist Church in Lengthy An province has beforehand been on the heart of allegations of incest, fraud and abusing freedoms. In 2022, he was sentenced to 5 years in jail for “abusing democratic freedoms.”
The provincial Safety Investigation Company stated it launched the brand new case after receiving experiences of Van’s alleged incestuous habits, based on the Vietnam Information Company.
The brand new cost additionally comes every week after two of his protection legal professionals have been stripped of their membership within the Ho Chi Minh Bar Affiliation – a choice they warned may precede new motion towards Van.
An legal professional who spoke anonymously to Radio Free Asia for safety causes stated Van hasn’t been required to serve the 2022 jail sentence as a result of his previous age and frail well being.
The legal professional added that the brand new costs introduced on Friday have been “obscure” and appeared to make use of previous proof.
Police forcibly collected DNA samples from members residing within the Peng Lei Buddhist Home Church at the very least thrice in 2021 and 2022, together with one event the place they obtained blood samples within the title of COVID-19 testing.
Days after the church was searched in January 2022, authorities introduced the “abusing democratic freedoms” cost towards Van. He was accused of benefiting from faith and philanthropy for their very own private profit, based on the U.S. Fee on Worldwide Non secular Freedom.
Van was additionally charged with incest and fraud, however these costs have been later dropped.
The grievance was reportedly made by the government-recognized Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, the state-backed spiritual entity, and a member of the Sangha’s board of administrators, based on the fee.
Vietnam maintains strict legal guidelines on spiritual exercise that require teams to be supervised by government-controlled administration boards. The Peng Lei Buddhist Home Church is an unbiased Buddhist neighborhood.
Protection legal professionals search asylum
Van was indicted in June 2022 after authorities accused him of directing different defendants to create movies and write an article that insulted Duc Hoa District Police and the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, based on the fee. The five-year sentence was issued the next month.
Van has appealed his conviction and sentencing, and he’s been beneath home arrest since then. Authorities have continued to research the incest allegations.
In October 2022, certainly one of Van’s protection attorneys, Dang Dinh Manh, criticized the best way that blood samples have been taken from Van and his relations.
Samples ought to adhere to prison procedural rules and medical requirements and the consent of the people or their authorized guardians ought to be obtained, he stated.
Van’s legal professionals have additionally criticized authorities for stopping them from assembly with Van and different accused church members.
Final yr, Dang Dinh Manh and two different protection attorneys for the church – Nguyen Van Mieng and Dao Kim Lan – sought political asylum in the US after they obtained a police summons associated to accusations of “abusing democratic freedoms” throughout their authorized protection of Van and the church.
Final week, the Ho Chi Minh Bar Affiliation introduced its resolution to revoke the membership of Dang Dinh Manh and Nguyen Van Mieng for not paying charges.
Each legal professionals instructed RFA final week that the choice may pave the best way for authorities to take new motion of their investigation of the members of Peng Lei Buddhist Home Church.
RFA’s makes an attempt to contact Lengthy An Police on the offered telephone quantity went unanswered on Friday.
Moreover, RFA was unable to succeed in anybody from the Peng Lei Buddhist Home Church to confirm Friday’s state media experiences.
Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Matt Reed.
