Release International

Mennonite leader Rev Nguyen Hong Quang is threatening to take legal action after security officials attacked his church in Ho Chi Minh City yet again.

The beleaguered church, home to the now-famous Mennonite Six, was raided on May 22 by about 50 officers -- over an alleged violation of a building permit. Officials forced their way into the building in Binh Khanh Ward, kicking down doors and attacking builders who were repairing damage officials had done to the building in July.

Wielding electric cattleprods and cudgels, they then attacked and arrested 11 other people, including four of the Mennonite Six.

The authorities proceeded to demolish the new building work. They continued the next morning, even during the visit of a US consular official, according to Compass Direct. Rev Quang, who was allegedly 'badly beaten', was held in custody overnight at the ward police station and released 28 hours later. All other detainees were also released.

Last July, Rev Quang's wife and children had been forced to watch their home and church being partially demolished, while Rev Quang was still in jail. Rev Quang had finally received a permit to repair his building this May. The authorities justified this latest raid by asserting that rebuilding work had gone beyond what was agreed in the permit.

Rev Quang, a prominent human rights lawyer, was released from jail last August after serving 15 months of a three-year sentence for 'inciting others to resist officers of the law'. In a statement, he said: 'The Mennonite Church has more than enough evidence to sue the Vietnamese Communist government before any international judicial court.'

• Pray for Rev Quang, his family and congregation as they come to terms with yet another brutally repressive attack on their religious freedom.
• As Vietnam negotiates its entry into the World Trade Organisation, pray that it will respond to international pressure to respect its citizens' religious rights.

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