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Vietnamese Catholics on trial in land dispute case
AP - 1 hour 58 minutes ago
HANOI, Vietnam - Eight Vietnamese Catholics went on trial Monday on charges of disturbing public order and damaging property while holding prayer vigils to demand the return of confiscated church land.
The Catholics are accused of knocking down a brick wall surrounding property near the Thai Ha church in Hanoi's Dong Da district during several weeks of prayer vigils late last summer. They face up to seven years in prison.
Several hundred Catholics gathered outside the Dong Da district court Monday morning, displaying pictures of the Virgin Mary. Scores of riot police stood guard around the building, but no clashes were reported.
As testimony began Monday, defendant Nguyen Thi Nhi, 46, said church members held the vigils to "protect the prestige and property of the church."
Property laws are complex in Vietnam, where communist authorities seized buildings and acreage from wealthy landowners, churches and other groups since taking power in 1954. Such properties were used by the state or redistributed to veterans or others who helped bring the communists to power.
Hanoi authorities, who have since turned the property into a public park, say the Thai Ha church and its surrounding land belong to the city.
The church claims it has documents verifying its claim. The city claims a former parish priest signed papers turning the property over to Hanoi in 1962.
With more than 6 million followers, Catholicism is the second most popular religion after Buddhism in the nation of 86 million.
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