Authorities in Vietnam’s Central Highlands province of Dak Lak on April 8 arrested former prisoner of conscience Y Krec Buonya and charged him with “Sabotaging implementation of solidarity policies” under Article 116 of the country’s Criminal Code for his religious activities.

According to the state-controlled media, Mr. Y Krec Buonya, 45 years old, is considered the leader of the unregistered religious sect named Central Highlands Evangelical Church of Christ co-established by Pastor Aga who is residing in the US.

The sect is an anti-state group consisting of members of the former Fulro group (United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races) which is said to had worked for an independent state of ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands, said the state media.

Citing information from police, the electronic Dak Lak of the province’s People’s Committee and Party’s Committee, the Central Highlands Evangelical Church of Christ is working for undermining the people solidarity policy of the state and calling for inciting violence with the goal to establish an autonomous state.

Mr. Y Krec Buonya, who was imprisoned eight years in the past, lives in Knia 2 village, Ea Bar commune, Buon Don district. He was said to receive instruction from Pastor Aga to organize regular training courses in writing human rights violation reports and dealing with police forces. He is also said to be the main factor inciting others.

The news outlet said the province’s police also conducted a house search of his family and confiscated a lot of documentation and important evidence without saying in detail.

After arresting him, he was taken to the provincial Temporary detention center for further investigation, the outlet said. He faces imprisonment of up to 15 years if convicted, according to Vietnam’s law.

Accordingly, the Dak Lak province’s police will arrest other members of the sect in a bid to eliminate it. It is worth noting that authorities in the Central Highlands totally abolished independent Christian sects named Ha Mon and Dega Protestant Churches by 2020.

According to Pastor Aga from North Caroline (US), on April 8, police in Dak Lak also detained eight other members of the sect and released five of them after short interrogation. The remaining three are still under detention but have not been charged.

Since late 2022, authorities in Dak Lak have intensified suppression against the Central Highlands Evangelical Church of Christ, striving not to allow its members to gather for religious meetings, especially on the Christmas celebration. Police detained many members in the different districts for a short time for interrogation and forced them to denounce their religion, blocked them from going out of their residences or confiscated their vehicles.

In late February, a delegation of the US General Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City took a tour in the Central Highlands to meet with Mr. Y Krec Buonya and other members of the sect, however, the delegation was blocked by the local authorities from entering their houses.

Vietnam says the regime respects the right to freedom of religion and belief, however, it requires all religious groups to register with the local authorities.

Dozens of clerks and members of unregistered religious groups in mountainous regions have been imprisoned with lengthy sentences on the allegations of “undermining great solidarity” or “sabotaging implementation of solidarity policies” and “abusing democratic freedom” in the Criminal Code.

The arrest of Y Krec Buonya was made one week prior to the visit of US Secretary Antony Blinken to Hanoi.

On Dec. 2, the U.S. State Department included Vietnam in the group of countries on its Special Watch List for religious freedom. The department said there are not enough violations of religious freedom to label Vietnam a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) which is the highest level of censure for countries that violate religious freedom. However, it said it would monitor the government closely and add it to the CPC if there was no improvement.