Prosecution’s Witnesses Testify Y Quynh Bdap Takes the Stand in Extradition Case Next Hearing Scheduled for August 30, 2024
On August 19, 2024, at 1.30 p.m., during the extradition inquiry for Mr. Quynh Bdap, a Vietnamese religious freedom activist and refugee, the Criminal Court completed the examination of two additional witnesses presented by the prosecution (petitioner). The prosecution’s final witnesses were a Thai immigration police officer and a specialized enforcement officer from the Department of Corrections, Ministry of Public Security, Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Following their examination, the respondent, Mr. Y Quynh Bdap, began his testimony and continued until 8:45 p.m. During inquiry by Mr. Bdap’s lawyer, the court decided to postpone further examination of Mr. Bdap and the remaining respondent witnesses to August 30, 2024, at 1.00 p.m., with an additional hearing date set for September 2, 2024, from 9.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.
During the hearing, the prosecutor informed the court that a police officer from Dak Lak Province, Vietnam, who had detained Mr. Bdap in a temporary detention center in Dak Lak Province in 2012, was present and asked if the court can record his presence in the case file. The court noted in the case file. The hearing was held in Courtroom 807, with a Vietnamese interpreter provided by the court. Only the involved parties were permitted inside the hearing room. Trial observers were accommodated in courtroom 701, where they could watch the proceedings via live video conference. Approximately 25-30 observers, including representatives from human rights organizations, embassies, international organizations, attended the hearing, with officials from Vietnam forming the largest group of observers in the 701 room.
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 30, 2024, at 1.00 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.
