HANOI, Vietnam — Churches in Vietnam are demanding transparency from police in the investigation of the brutal and mysterious death of a Christian.
The body of Y Bum Bya was found beaten and hanged from a tree March 8 after he had been summoned to a certain location to meet with police, states Morning Star News. Reportedly, police had earlier confiscated his cell phone and had made the appointment to return it to him.
Y Bum Bya was a member of Evangelical Church of Christ of the Western Highlands in Dak Lak province. Vietnam promises religious freedom but does not recognize ECCWH.
In a move that Morning Star called “bold,” 31 ECCWH congregations signed a petition calling for transparency in the police investigation of the man’s death.
Y Bum Bya was first arrested in August 2023 under Article 116 of the criminal code relating to the attempt to “destroy the great national unity.” Morning Star explains that “merely expressing a controversial idea in Vietnam can trigger this charge.”
At that time, Y Bum Bya was battered severely and then humiliated in a public assembly of fellow villagers.
Vietnam is No. 35 on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of places most difficult to be a Christian.
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