BACKGROUND: KILLING OF PRISONER K’PA LOT IN PRISON

On 11 March 2010 a 31 year old Degar prisoner named K’Pa Lot died from internal injuries, repeated beatings and torture in prison. K’Pa Lot was arrested for speaking out about religious freedom and refusing to join the government church. His last words to his wife were that prison authorities tortured him regularly and isolated him from international monitors.
For more information about K’Pa Lot
NOW SECURITY FORCES THREATEN TO TAKE HIS CHILDREN FROM HIS WIDOW

On May 3, 2010 at approximately 9am, security forces went to the home of H’Nguen Ramah who is the widow of K’Pa Lot where she lived with her two children named H’Dang and Y-Ly. The police forced all of them to go to their police station at the commune of Nhan Hoa, district of Cu Se in the province of Gia Lai.
At the police station the security forces placed a document in front of H’Nguen Ramah stating “Here is a paper from the Government that says your children, H’Dang and Y-Ly will be cared for by our government because their father has died. We can take care of your children until they reach the age of eighteen.” The security forces then stated to H’Nguen that she will have right to see her children only when they turn eighteen years old.
H’Nguen Ramah was frightened by their statements and voiced her concerns “How can you take my children? You did not offer to help in the beginning, why now?” H’Nguen Ramah however, refuse to sign the document and stated “I can take care of my children.” Security forces kept trying to force her to sign the document until 3:00pm that afternoon but H’Nguen Rmah still refused to sign it. Then, after approximately 6 hours of threats and interrogation the security police released her and her children.
SECURITY FORCES IDENTIFIED
The security forces are identified as Nguyen Van Hai (Vietnamese), Nguyen Van Quoc (Vietnamese) from Gia Lai province and Wip Puih ( Jarai ethnic), and Manh Ramah (Jrai ethnic) from the commune of Nhan Hoa.
The Montagnard Foundation believes the Vietnamese government wants to take the children so that they can brainwash them or kill them so there will be no one will think of what they had done to Kpa Lot and urgently calls on:
Concerned Embassies, US State Department, European Commission, United Nations, Red Cross and other international humanitarian agencies to do everything in their power to ensure H’Nguen Ramah are not targeted for further persecution and her children are not taken into custody.
The US State Department seriously review the continuing religious persecution of house church Christians including demanding the release of hundreds of Degar prisoners held in Vietnam and place Vietnam back on the ‘Country of Particular Concern’ watch list as recommended by the US International Commission of Religious Freedom.
The US State Department seriously considers initiating a dialogue between the Degar people and the Vietnamese government in order to peacefully resolve the religious freedom and human rights issues in Vietnam.

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