Next Inquiry for Vietnamese Religious Freedom Activist and Refugee ‘Mr. Y Quynh Bdap’ Scheduled on Aug 19, 2024

The next inquiry for Vietnamese religious freedom activist and refugee, Mr. Y Quynh Bdap, is scheduled for August 19, 2024, at 1.30 p.m. at the Bangkok Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road. The prosecution will present additional two witnesses, followed by testimony from four defense witnesses. Following this hearing, the next inquiry is set for August 30, 2024, at 1.00 p.m. 

Mr. Y Quynh Bdap, a Vietnamese refugee and prominent advocate for religious freedom among minority ethnic groups, founded Montagnards Stand for Justice (MSFJ) to train Montagnards in Vietnam on Vietnamese and international law, civil society, and how to collect and report information on religious persecution to the United Nations and international community. Mr. Bdap has helped to prepare many reports for the United Nations on religious persecution in Vietnam and these reports have formed the basis of “allegation letters” issued by the United Nations. After fleeing to Thailand in 2018, he was granted refugee status by the UNHCR. On June 11, 2024, Mr. Bdap was arrested by Thai immigration police following a terrorism conviction in absentia by a Vietnamese court related to an attack in Dak Lak province in June 2023. Mr. Bdap has vigorously denied that he was in any way involved in the attack, maintaining his human rights advocacy is peaceful and non-violent. Concerns have been raised over his potential extradition to Vietnam, where he may face torture, inhumane treatment, and enforced disappearance

The Cross Cultural Foundation and the Network of Human Rights Organizations invite the press, public, and civil society organizations to closely monitor the upcoming inquiry process which will take place on August 19, 2024, at 1.30 p.m., at Bangkok Criminal Court, located on Ratchada Road (Courtroom 807). Your attendance will help to support a free and fair trial for Mr. Bdap and will lend him much-needed support. Mr. Bdap is currently incarcerated in prison where his family cannot visit him. Furthermore, international cooperation in criminal cases must be conducted transparently and with full accountability to prevent transnational repression, a grave and systematic human rights violation facilitated through inter-state cooperation.