Father Nguyen Van Ly
| Father Thadeus Nguyễn Văn Lý | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Nguyễn Văn Lý 15 May 1946 Vĩnh Chấp, Vĩnh Linh, Quảng Trị, Vietnam |
| Nationality | Vietnamese |
| Occupation | Roman Catholic priest and political dissident |
Father Thadeus Nguyễn Văn Lý (born 15 May 1946) is a Vietnamese Roman Catholic priest and dissident involved in many pro-democracy movements, for which he was imprisoned for a total of almost 15 years. For his ongoing imprisonment and continuous non-violent protest, Amnesty International adopted Father Lý in December 1983 as a prisoner of conscience. Most recently, his support for the Bloc 8406 manifesto has led to his sentence on 30 March 2007, for an additional eight years in prison, where he was released and then returned in 2011.
Nguyễn Văn Lý began his dissident activities as early as the 1970s. He spent a year in prison from 1977–78, and an additional nine from May 1983 to July 1992 for "opposing the revolution and destroying the people's unity."
In November 2000, Father Lý gained global and official attention when members of the Committee for Religious Freedom visited him in his village, during the visit of U.S. president Clinton to Vietnam. On 17 May 2001, Father Lý was arrested at An Truyền church, for his alleged "failure to abide by the decisions on his probation issued by authorized State agencies". In October 2001 Lý received another prison sentence of 15 years for activities linked to the defense of freedom of expression.
In 2002, Lý was awarded the Homo Homini Award for human rights activism by the Czech group, People in Need, which he shared with Thích Huyền Quang and Thích Quảng Độ. The sentence was later reduced several times and he was finally released in February 2004.
In 2002, Father Lý, together with Thích Quảng Độ, received Vietnam Human Rights Award from Vietnam Human Rights Network.
As a result of international pressure, including activities of the Vatican's Center of Pastoral Apostolate for Overseas Vietnamese under the leadership of Monsignor Philippe Trần Văn Hoài, Father Lý was released from prison in early 2004 but remains under house arrest in the Archdiocese of Huế. On 8 April 2006, he collaborated with other writers on the "Manifesto on Freedom and Democracy for Vietnam". Later, the signers of this Manifesto called themselves "Bloc 8406", referencing the date of the document.
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