Vietnam: priest in coma after attack by police

Fr Joseph Nguyen Van Binh

A young Catholic priest who runs an orphanage in Hanoi, is in a coma in hospital today, after he was badly beaten up by police. The incident took place early on Saturday morning at Chuong My, near the harbour in Hanoi. Earlier large numbers of police had stormed the orphanage, driven out the children, demolished their house, and smashed religious items. When Fr Joseph Nguyen Van Binh, the pastor of Yen Kieu Parish arrived with dozens of parishioners to protest, they were attacked with batons by the police. Fr Joseph was kicked, beaten and left unconscious on the ground.

Parishioners rushed him to a local hospital where doctors transferred him to the Emergency Department of Viet Duc Hospital. Police have reportedly banned anyone from visiting Fr Joseph.

On Sunday evening, Fr Joseph was taken to the Hanoi Archbishopric Office for private treatment.

In another incident, on 23 February Fr Nguyen Quang Hoa of Kontum Diocese was seriously beaten at Turia Yop, Dak Hring on his way home from a funeral Mass. Dak Hring is one of towns in Central Highlands Vietnam where freedom of religion has not been allowed for decades.

A few days before Easter, on 4 March, Letter No 269/UBND-NC from the county of Dak Ha, local authorities banned Bishop Michael Hoang Duc Oanh of Kontum Diocese from celebrating Easter Mass in Dak Hring.