Vietnamese priest moved from prison to hospital

(November 21, 2009) Vietnamese priest serving an eight-year term as a pro-democracy political prisoner has been moved from prison to a hospital where he is receiving treatment for a stroke. According to the Foreign Missions of Paris, 63-year old Fr. Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly had a brain clot on Nov. 14 that partially paralyzed his right side. He was moved to Hanoi to receive care. Father Van Ly is recognized by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience. He has been imprisoned five times since 1975, with his last sentence beginning in March 2007. He has spent 16 years of his life in jail. The priest's nephew told Radio Free Asia that Father Van Ly is being cared for by competent medical personnel, though he is guarded by four or five police.