Arrested and Beaten
Pray for Tran Thi Hong, who was arrested and beaten by law enforcement for meeting with a human rights delegation from the US. Hong is the wife of Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh, currently imprisoned for charges against the Vietnamese government.
In an interview with Radio Free Asia, Hong says that on the morning of April 14, local officers from Gia Lai Province forced her to go to the community ward. “Two men held my legs, two others held my arms, threw me inside the police car, and sent me to the community center. They brought me to a room in the third floor, and a woman who was waiting there slapped my face. I asked them why they were beating me, then two other ladies dragged me and pulled my hair.”
Hong says her captors asked her to cooperate, which she refused because the arrest and the beatings were unreasonable. “They told me I had to tell them what happened during the meeting with the freedom of religion delegation, and I didn’t reply. They stamped on my feet, hit my face and my body, and I lost my voice.”
Her Current State
“I couldn’t stand ‘til 12pm. I couldn’t breathe. They brought me out to the police car, stopped by my house, and threw me out. I couldn’t walk. People around me had to lead me by the hand.”
When asked if she was able to go to the hospital to have her wounds checked, Hong says she had no time. “Not only that, but I can’t go. They are keeping an eye on us and suppressing me to go out of my house. I can’t stand too because they stamped on my feet. My knee is very painful now.”
· Pray for Hong to be healed from her wounds. May the Lord be her rock as she faces her emotional and physical pain.
· Pray for the Lord’s divine protection to cover her and her family as they continue to fight for their freedom to worship in Vietnam.
· Pray for the many other believers in Vietnam who experience the same intimidation and suppression to continue having confidence and joy in the Lord.
Learn more about Christian persecution in Vietnam.
*representative photo