Eleven Vietnamese Christians — sentenced to a collective 90 years and eight months in prison for their religious practices — have mysteriously gone missing from police custody.
The individuals arrested between 2011 and 2016 consist of six Protestants and five Catholics, according to a report from International Christian Concern, a religious persecution watchdog group.
Among those who have disappeared are Degar Protestants Ro Mah Pla, Siu Hlom, Rmah Bloanh, and Rmah Khil, each of whom was accused of “undermining national unity policy.” According to ICC, the other two Protestant believers were accused of refusing to deny Christianity.
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“Degar,” it should be noted, is the term the Vietnamese government uses to refer to non-state-sanctioned Protestant Montagnards living in the country’s Central Highlands — a people group who have long claimed to face persecution for their religious convictions.
The five Catholic believers — Runh, A. Kuin, A. Tik, Run, and Dinh Kuh — faced similar charges for their involvement in the Ha Mon Catholic Church, also not approved by the Vietnamese government.
For context, in 2018, Vietnam enacted the Law on Belief and Religion, requiring the faithful to register with the government before they are allowed to practice their beliefs.
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