US protests treatment of diplomat in Vietnam

Associated Press

HANOI, Vietnam

Police roughed up an American diplomat in Vietnam and repeatedly slammed a car door on his legs when he went to visit a prominent dissident, an official in Washington said Thursday, detailing an encounter that prompted a strong U.S. protest.

Christian Marchant, a political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, was expected to make a full recovery after being roughed up while trying to visit the detained dissident, said the U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose details.

Neither the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi nor outgoing Ambassador Michael Michalak would describe the incident, but he said the U.S. had protested what occurred Wednesday in the central city of Hue.

He called the issue a matter of grave concern, saying foreign diplomats are protected under international law.

“All governments are responsible for complying fully with the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, including ensuring the safety and security of diplomatic personnel,” he said.

The State Department summoned the Vietnamese ambassador to Washington to protest the incident, according to State Department spokesman Mark Toner.

Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga said the government is reviewing the incident but added that foreign diplomats also have a responsibility to abide by the host country’s laws.

Marchant’s work on human rights recently was recognized with an award from the State Department.