Thích Huyền Quang (19 September 1919 – 5 July 2008[1]) was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, dissident and activist. At the time, he was the Patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, a currently banned organisation in his homeland. He was notable for his activism for human and religious rights in Vietnam.
Thích Huyền Quang | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Title | Tăng thống (Patriarch) |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Lê Đình Nhàn 19 September 1919 Bình Định Province, Vietnam, French Indochina |
| Died | 5 July 2008 (aged 88) Hồ Chí Minh City, Socialist Republic of Vietnam |
| Nationality | Vietnamese |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| Denomination | Thiền |
| School | Lâm Tế (Linji Chan School) |
In 1977, Quang wrote a letter to then-Prime Minister Phạm Văn Đồng detailing counts of oppression by the communist regime. For this, he and five other senior monks were arrested and detained.[1] In 1982, he was arrested and put on permanent house arrest for opposition to governmental policy after publicly denouncing the establishment of the state-controlled Vietnam Buddhist Sangha.[2]
In 2002, he was awarded the Homo Homini Award for his human rights activism by the Czech group People in Need, which he shared with Thích Quảng Độ and Father Nguyễn Văn Lý.[3]
Death
editQuang died peacefully on Saturday, 5 July 2008, aged 88, at his monastery.[4][5][6][7] His funeral was held on Friday, 11 July 2008, without incident.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b Vietnamese Federation For Fatherland's Integrity Archived 2008-08-07 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Dissident patriarch of Vietnam Buddhist group dies". Reuters. 6 July 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2020.[dead link]
- ^ "Previous Recipients of the Homo Homini Award". People in Need. Archived from the original on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- ^ Google News via AFP
- ^ Dissident Vietnamese monk dies in Vietnam[dead link]
- ^ "Star Tribune article: "Patriarch of banned Vietnamese Buddhist church dies after years under house arrest"". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2 August 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
- ^ BBC News (11 July 2008). "Vietnamese dissident laid to rest". Retrieved 20 July 2008.
- ^ Sahil Nagpal (11 July 2008). "Banned Vietnamese monk's funeral held without incident". Retrieved 12 July 2008.