Bui Chat, the head of the independent publishing house Giay Vun (“Recycled Paper), was released on May 2 after being held for three days on his return from Argentina but was briefly detained again on May 3 for more questioning, according to Paris-based press freedom group Reporters sans Frontières (RSF).
The authorities have also kept the “Freedom to Publish Prize” which he received from the International Publishers Association (IPA) during his visit to Buenos Aires and which was confiscated when he was arrested on April 30.
Bjorn Smith-Simonsen, who heads the IPA’s Freedom to Publish Committee, hailed Chat’s release but voiced concern about the fact that the authorities were still questioning him. “Vietnamese law theoretically permits his detention for up to 12 months before charges are pressed,” he said.
RSF condemned the way the authorities are treating Chat, who has committed no crime or offence.
The IPA has awarded it “Freedom to Publish” prize to several journalists in the past, including Iran’s Shalah Lahiji in 2006 and Zimbabwe’s Trevor N’cube in 2007. It was also awarded posthumously to the Russian newspaper reporter Anna Politkovskaya and the Turkish-Armenian newspaper editor Hrant Dink.
