The People’s Procuracy of Bac Giang is investigating suspicions of coerced testimony in the case of a man who was imprisoned for 10 years on charges he denies.

The  People's Procuracy of Bac Giang Province

Bui Thi Ngan, Deputy Head of the provincial People’s Procuracy, said the agency is investigating possible violations in the methods to gain testimony leading to the man's apparently wrongful conviction. At President Truong Tan Sang’s request, the agency is investigating individuals and organisations involved.

Ngan said the case of Nguyen Thanh Chan happened in 2003, and the people who were involved in the investigation of the case worked for the inspection board of the provincial People’s Procuracy. She also worked at the board that year, but was not directly involved in the case.

“We will conform to the president’s instructions. We are inspecting all related parties and will report any violations to the The People’s Supreme Procuracy," Ngan said.

Colonel Nguyen Van Chuc, Office Manager and Spokesman of Bac Giang Province’s Police, said, "It is illegal for any investigator to carry out coercive methods in retrieving testimony, but the official conclusion about the crime is still waiting on the results of the investigation,” Chuc added.

He noted that provincial police have summoned all investigators related to the case, adding that the People’s Supreme Procuracy will be responsible for dealing with any violations found.

Nguyen Thanh Chan said that many investigators who forced him to confess

Chan has said that he was not only suffered from beatings by other prisoners but also from many investigators who forced him to confess.

Chan disclosed that after signing a confession, he was moved to another jail, where he was regularly beaten by his cellmate.

According to Chan, he was not allowed to sleep many nights because investigators forced him to reenact the way he supposedly killed the victim. He was forced to rehearse the crime, using a spoon with another inmate until he had perfected it. Later he was taken to a house in which they filmed him acting the scene out on film.

Chan also said that a cadre named N.H.T often threatened him with a knife to force him to admit his guilt.

After Chan was imprisoned, his wife was sent to a hospital for mental treatment and his four daughters left school to support the family.

Nguyen Van Linh, Vice Chairman of Bac Giang Province People’s Committee, called on different agencies to support for Chan’s family.

Asked about whether the provincial People’s Committee knew about Chan’s appeals claiming his innocence, Linh only said that the case happened ten years ago.

Over the past three years, since working as deputy head of Bac Giang Province People’s Committee, he has not yet received any petition related to Chan’s case. The provincial People’s Committee is not authoritised to deal with appeals, but only refers them to management agencies.