According to VOM contacts, one of the "Mennonite Six" arrested in March 2004, was released on March 3, 2005. Evangelist Nguyen Van Phuong appeared to be in fair health when he was met by his wife and one-year-old son. He is the third to be released in recent months. Two brothers, Nguyen Huu Nghia and Nguyen Thanh Nhan, were released in early December 2004.
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Le Thi Hong Lien |
Appeal hearings for the other two, Nguyen Hong Quang, general secretary of the Vietnam Mennonite Church, and Pham Ngoc Thach, have been postponed. No hearing date has been announced. On March 4, the wife of Nguyen Hong Quang and acting president of the Vietnam Mennonite Church, Le Thi Phu Dung, sent a letter to the Vietnamese president. In her letter, she outlined the persecution facing the Mennonite Church in Vietnam and asked for fair treatment. A translation of that letter is available on our website.
Concerned readers are encouraged to contact government officials on behalf of these and other suffering Christians in Vietnam. More details and contact information are available online (click here).
Continue to pray for those imprisoned for their faith in Vietnam. Pray that appeals will be successful and that the Le Thi Phu Dung's letter will be favourably received. Pray for safety for those advocating on behalf of Vietnamese Christians.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in Vietnam, click here. The April edition of The Voice of the Martyrs newsletter will feature the arrest and plight of the "Mennonite Six." Special web features including reports and video footage will be made available to newsletter subscribers. To subscribe today, click here.
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