Vietnamese Catholics to appeal convictions
AP – Friday, March 27
HANOI, Vietnam – Eight Vietnamese Roman Catholics plan to ask an appeals court Friday to overturn their convictions for disturbing public order and damaging property during a series of demonstrations last year to demand the return of former church lands.
The defendants were convicted and given light sentences in December. They argue they were merely exercising their right to free speech and committed no crime. Seven defendants received suspended sentences ranging from 12 to 15 months, and another received a warning. They all got two years of probation.
The sentences came after a series of mostly peaceful vigils near a parcel of land once owned by Thai Ha Church in Hanoi _ worth millions of dollars. The communist government confiscated the plot several years after taking power from the French in 1954. It was then given to a state-owned garment factory.
Hanoi authorities say the land belongs to the city, claiming a former parish priest signed papers turning it over in 1962. Church members insist they have documents that prove the land was never turned over.
The vigils were a bold step in a country where church-state relations are often tense and the government frowns on public protests of any kind.
The defendants were arrested after they knocked down a section of the wall surrounding the property and set up an altar and a statue of the Virgin Mary last August. Authorities then turned the land into a public park.
Last year, Catholics also held vigils at a second valuable parcel of land in central Hanoi, the site of the former Vatican embassy, which closed after the communist government took power.
In each case, the Catholics began their demonstrations after hearing rumors the government planned to sell the properties to developers.
With more than 6 million followers, Catholicism is the second largest religion after Buddhism among Vietnam’s 86 million people. Around the country, Masses at Catholic churches are heavily attended.
Vietnam has often come under international criticism for its record on religious and human rights. But in recent years, relations between Catholics and the government have begun to improve, emboldening church members to assert themselves more.
Vietnam and the Vatican have been discussing the possibility of re-establishing diplomatic relations.
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