In a letter, Tran Phuong Thao provides an update on her husband Dang Dinh Bach‘s conditions in prison and the ongoing harassment of their family, including forcible seizure of their assets and potentially their home. Bach is currently on a partial hunger strike to protest his unjust imprisonment and has vowed to begin a full hunger strike to the death starting on June 24, the second anniversary of his arrest. An NGO leader and climate activist, Bach is currently serving five years in prison on charges of tax evasion, which we have argued are politically-motivated.

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At 9 am on April 28, my husband called home to talk to me and his parents. When I asked about his health, my husband said he was still on a hunger strike. Since starting his hunger strike on March 17, he has lost 4kg. His weight then was 50kg (he has lost more than 10kg since he was arrested). At about 10 am on the same day, when I was out of the house, suddenly a group of four people came to my house, without an appointment. At that time, only Bach’s parents were at home to witness. They said that the people were from the Hanoi Civil Judgment Enforcement Bureau and the police in the area where I live. They listed all valuable assets in the house and forced my father to sign the list; my family could not view or keep any documents.