New evidence shows Vietnamese security forces are continuing to mistreat and arbitrarily detain Montagnards, indigenous hill people from the communist country's Central Highlands.
Human Rights Watch today in a new 16-page briefing paper said Vietnamese officials are also continuing to force Montagnard Christians to recant their faith.
Targeted in particular are those perceived as following "Dega Christianity," an unsanctioned form of evangelical Christianity followed by many Montagnards, who distrust government-controlled religious organizations and seek to manage their own affairs, HRW said in a report received by Assist News Service.
In early April, a Montagnard from Cu Se district of Gia Lai was arrested and detained at the district police station. District police officers beat him, forced him to drink alcohol, and ordered him to stop believing in Jesus. They tied his feet and had him...