Jubilee Campaign is partnering with other organizations to pray for Nguyen Van Dai during this upcoming week, and send letters of support to his wife. Dai is a prominent Christian lawyer and religious freedom defender.
Dai was one of the first lawyers in Vietnam to take on cases involving violations against Christians. Incensed by stories of house churches raided by the police, Dai became committed to defending human rights – at great personal cost. As a result of his work on “sensitive” cases, he served a four year prison sentence for “spreading propaganda” under Article 88 of the Penal Code. He was released in 2011 and put under probation/house arrest, which ended in March 2015.
While under probation/house arrest, Dai was closely monitored by police and security agents. His home was attacked by people believed to be hired by the government, and on at least one occasion he was prevented from going to church. Then on 6 December 2015, Dai was badly beaten after being involved in a conference on human rights for Catholic citizens.
On 16 December 2015, Dai was again detained for “spreading propaganda”. His colleague, Ms. Le Thu Ha, was taken into custody on the same day. Both Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thu Ha are being held in prison in Hanoi.
If you are interested in sending a letter of encouragement to Dai’s wife, please reply to this email and we will send you her name and mailing address. Out of respect for Dai’s wife, we are asking for her mailing address to not be shared on any social media platforms. We also ask for you to avoid any political or anti-government remarks. Jubilee Campaign has also ordered postcards with pre-made messages to Dai’s wife. If you are interested in sending one of these postcards, please email us your mailing address and we will send you one right away. You can write to: jubilee@jubileecampaign.org
Please join us in praying for lawyer Nguyen Van Dai and for his family and colleagues.
Monday: Pray for Christian lawyer Nguyen Van Dai, that justice will be done and he will be released and allowed to continue his work defending religious minorities and other victims of oppression.
Tuesday: Give thanks for Dai’s courage and for his faith in God despite difficult circumstances.
Wednesday: Pray for Dai’s young colleague, Le Thu Ha, aged 33, who is also in detention and is accused of serious crimes against the state.
Thursday: Give thanks for the growth of Christianity in Vietnam and the many thriving churches and missions in the country.
Friday: Pray for comfort and strength for the families of Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thu Ha, and for peace about the future.
Saturday: Give thanks for the international community’s attention to Dai’s case and a new understanding of the situation for religious groups in Vietnam.
Sunday: Pray for wisdom for lawyers and advocates in Vietnam who are working for religious freedom for Christians and other minorities.