Vietnam rights lawyer disbarred after defending activists

One of Vietnam’s most prominent human rights lawyers has been expelled from his local bar association in what an opposition group claims was retribution for arguing several high-profile political cases.

The Bar Association of Dak Lak province made the decision to remove Huynh Van Dong, 33, on August 12 in response to a June request by a provincial court to disbar the lawyer for “disrespecting the law,” according to court documents.

In May, Dong had represented democracy activists Tran Thi Thuy and Pham Van Thong in their preliminary trial in southern Ben Tre province.

In the request to the Dak Lak Bar Association, the Ben Tre People’s Court said that during the trial, Dong had exhibited “behaviors that violated Attorney’s Laws and took advantage of freedom and democracy rights to infringe upon the interests of the state, ” according to court documents.

 

Category: Legal