Everyone knows the Communists are cruel, but it was not until the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe that the European Union condemned their actions. The people currently living under Communist regimes continue to endure the dictatorships.
This past Summer 2013, however, in Long An, Vietnam, the voice of a young Vietnamese woman standing strong on trial at the Supreme People's Court of Vietnam stirred up a combination of both worry and hope. She stood and proudly stated, "I am against the Communist Party, I am not against the State."
How was this young woman able to to say something like this in front of a court which was ready to sentence her? From the loss of season on the rice fields year round, to the price fluctuations on the dragon fruit farms , this girl grew up listening to the historical stories of her grandfather about the truth of the country to the various moments of happiness with her parents.
From the threats, pressure and the terrorizing of the security forces, to the supportive messages from prison inmates through the sewerage... all of these made this young student Nguyen Phuong Uyen, the person who was courageous enough to speak up clearly and distinctly in front of the court, without any fear.
"I do not need you to reduce my sentence. I want you to give the right sentences to the appropriate crimes. Please do not equate the Communist Party with our country".
