Y Quynh Bdap, a Vietnamese activist from the persecuted Montagnard ethnic group, was charged by Vietnamese authorities with terrorism pertaining to an attack on government buildings in 2023.
Bdap, the co-founder of Montagnards Stand for Justice, has been seeking asylum in neighboring Thailand since 2018; many believe the charge he faces is false. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese government has requested Thailand facilitate his extradition, but human rights organization Manushya Foundation warns that if this happens, there’s a high risk of ill-treatment. He is currently awaiting an extradition hearing at a detention center in Bangkok.
Bdap is not alone in facing severe risks as a result of his human rights work. A search of the Front Line Defenders directory of human rights defenders, or HRDs, and the words “sentenced,” “abducted,” or “killed” sits in red above numerous images of defenders. These are just some of the occupational hazards associated with working in the human rights space, and things are only getting worse, experts say.