About Us
Our Mission
Who we are?
The Montagnards Stand for Justice (MSFJ) is a vital organization founded in 2019 by Y Phic Hdok, Y Quynh Bdap, Y Pher Hdrue, and other dedicated Montagnard human rights activists. Registered in the USA, the MSFJ boldly advocates for the fundamental rights of the Montagnard people, who are indigenous to Vietnam's Central Highlands.
Tragically, many MSFJ members have endured severe religious persecution and unjust land grabbing. Despite the Vietnamese government's baseless designation of the MSFJ as a terrorist group, the organization has consistently upheld peaceful advocacy without engaging in any violent activities.
The Montagnard people have a storied history of courageously fighting alongside American forces during the Vietnam War, with their loyalty and contributions well-documented. Post-war, countless Montagnards faced severe persecution and discrimination in Vietnam, forcing many to seek refuge in countries like the USA. The MSFJ tirelessly works to raise global awareness about the numerous challenges confronting the Montagnard community and fervently advocates for their rights and freedoms.
It is a disgrace that the Vietnamese Government has unjustly labeled this group as a terrorist organization, solely due to their reports of human rights violations to esteemed organizations like Human Rights Watch (HRW). This labeling stems from the government's discomfort with international scrutiny. We must continue to shed light on these critical issues and stand unwaveringly for the truth. Failure to do so will result in the continued suffering, imprisonment, and even death of many Montagnard Christians and persecuted church leaders.
Hundreds of reports documenting human rights violations have been submitted to the United Nations. The MSFJ's work is paramount in advocating for the rights of the voiceless in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
Our Story
The Story of Montagnards Stand for Justice
One million Montagnards living in the Central Highlands of Vietnam are one of the most at-risk and forgotten indigenous peoples of Vietnam. Pushed to the margins by the government, they are not cared for by the public, not even by the people in their own country.
"Montagnards," a French term meaning "mountain people," refers to the ethnic groups living in the mountainous regions, a term broadly used for the indigenous ethnic groups living in the Central Highlands of Vietnam and some areas of Cambodia and Laos. The majority of Montagnards converted to Christianity by Western missionaries in the early 20th century.
Many Montagnards fought alongside the US Special Forces during the Vietnam War. After the Vietnam War ended in April 1975, Catholic and Protestant churches in the Central Highlands were closed by the Vietnamese Communist government, and many Montagnards, including pastors and priests, were imprisoned, even killed, or forced to leave their homeland. With the gradual loss of their farmland to the Kinh people and the government's ban on home churches, Montagnards joined protests to reclaim their confiscated land and demand Religious Freedom.
Protests by Montagnards in 2001, 2004, and 2008 were brutally suppressed by the police and military. Many Montagnards were prosecuted and imprisoned for charges of endangering national security.
To this day, some Montagnards of the Christian faith remain in prison, not to mention those who died in prison because they couldn't bear it. Hundreds of Montagnards of the Christian faith have fled abroad, most of them to Thailand and Cambodia, seeking the protection of the international community.
In recent years, unable to completely suppress Christianity, the government has launched many propaganda campaigns to eliminate home-based Protestant groups and coerce Montagnard believers to join sects established and controlled by the government. The number of Montagnards living in the Central Highlands who practice Christianity seeking refuge and asylum in Thailand is increasing.
Currently, the community of Montagnards practicing Christianity at home faces four main issues:
- •They are discriminated against;
- •They are oppressed by the government regarding religion;
- •The land of the majority of Montagnards, left by their ancestors, is either confiscated or occupied by the Kinh people.
- •Their language and culture are being lost.
To address these issues, in July 2019, the Montagnards Stand for Justice (MSFJ) organization was established by three Montagnards seeking asylum in Bangkok. Since then, the organization has expanded with the participation of 15 members operating in Thailand, Vietnam, and the United States.
Montagnards Stand for Justice (MSFJ) is a non-violent organization advocating for the rights and freedoms of the Montagnard people in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Founded in 2019, MSFJ seeks to empower Montagnards to assert their cultural identity, religious freedom, and human rights through peaceful means. The organization provides legal support, training, and representation for Montagnard communities, aiming to address discrimination, religious oppression, land rights issues, and cultural preservation challenges faced by the Montagnard people.
The mission of MSFJ is as follows:
Empower Montagnards to confidently assert and fight for their religious freedom or beliefs.
Preserve and uphold human rights for the people of the Central Highlands.
The goal of MSFJ is to build capacity for Montagnard communities in the Central Highlands.
Training knowledge and skills for core group members.
Legal support for communities wanting to establish the right to practice their faith.
Representing Montagnards in international forums.
MSFJ has implemented the following activities:
From 2019 to now, the organization has drafted more than 60 reports on human rights violations and religious freedom, which were then translated into English and sent to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights/Religious Freedom.
Thanks to legal guidance, about 60 Home Churches have peacefully organized Christmas celebrations without government interference.
Participation in the 5th Southeast Asia Freedom of Religion or Belief (SEAFORB) Conference in 2019, held in Thailand.
The Montagnard community commemorated the United Nations International Day Commemorating Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief on August 22, 2019, and 2020, with some incidents of harassment.
25 Montagnard communities commemorated International Human Rights Day on December 10, 2019, and 2020, with a few incidents of harassment.
80 Montagnard communities celebrated Christmas in December 2020.
Arranged meetings between former Montagnard political prisoners and US and UK diplomats.
Some Montagnards advocating for Religious Freedom or Belief have met with US diplomats, experts, and UN officials, EU diplomatic envoys, ASEAN and EU parliamentarians, and representatives of international human rights organizations at the SEAFORB Conference held in Bangkok in 2019 and 2020.
We also rescue human trafficking victims from scamming centers in Cambodia back to Vietnam. Our team has successfully rescued 30+ individual cases, providing critical support and safe return for victims of human trafficking.
Our Team
Montagnards Stand for Justice
Y Phic Hdok (Jack)✓
Co-Founder/Coordinator
He is from the Ede indigenous ethnic population in Vietnam's Central Highland. A survivor of religious persecution from Vietnam, he has been advocating for Vietnamese stateless children in Cambodia since 2016. He co-founded Montagnards Stand for Justice (MSFJ) in 2019 with Y Quynh Bdap (Mathew), who is currently detained in Vietnam. Jack is currently a resident of Orange County, California.
Y Quynh Bdap (Mathew)✓
Co-Founder / Former Coordinator
Upon returning to Vietnam from human rights training co-organized by BPSOS and Amnesty International in Bangkok in 2016, Y Quynh Bdap (Mathew) was detained, interrogated, and tortured multiple times by Vietnamese police. In 2018, he fled to Thailand, where he co-founded Montagnards Stand for Justice (MSFJ) with the coaching and support of BPSOS. Since its founding, MSFJ has produced nearly 200 reports on human rights violations against Montagnard Christians in Vietnam's Central Highlands for submission to various UN Special Procedures. In January of last year, Mathew was sentenced in absentia to ten years in prison on fabricated terrorism charges. Shortly after, Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) designated MSFJ a terrorist organization. BPSOS sponsored legal team has been resisting Vietnam's extradition request, but the Thai Criminal Court has ruled that his extradition complies with Thai law. We are currently appealing this decision. He co-founded MSFJ alongside Y Phic Hdok (Jack), who is currently a resident of Orange County, California.
Y Pher Hdrue (Liza)✓
Co-Founder
Y Pher Hdrue is one of the co-founders of Montagnards Stand for Justice, contributing to the organization's mission of advocating for human rights and religious freedom for Montagnard communities in Vietnam's Central Highlands.
Y Aron Eban (Aron)✓
Co-Founder
Y Aron Eban is one of the co-founders of Montagnards Stand for Justice, working alongside other members to advocate for the rights and freedoms of Montagnard people through peaceful means.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
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