Vietnamese authorities reportedly subjected 119 Christians in Gia Lai province to “enforcement action” during the first half of 2026 over accusations that they were connected to organizations advocating self-determination for ethnic and religious minorities.
Police identified, investigated and “handled” the Christians and initiated two criminal cases involving four defendants, according to the United Kingdom-based religious freedom watchdog Christian Solidarity Worldwide, citing the Vietnamese newspaper Tuổi Trẻ.
Officials linked the alleged activities to two movements: the United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races, commonly known as FULRO, and a movement the government labels “De Ga Protestantism.”
Established in the 1960s, FULRO launched an armed campaign seeking greater autonomy for ethnic minority groups, particularly the Montagnard people of Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Although its military operations ended decades ago, authorities continue to invoke FULRO and alleged successor organizations when raising concerns about separatism and national security.
The term De Ga Protestantism, also known as Tin Lanh De Ga, is used by the government to describe a movement it accuses of combining Protestant worship with political objectives associated with FULRO and demands for minority self-determination. Vietnamese authorities do not recognize the movement as a lawful religious organization and portray it as a threat to national unity.
CSW said many human rights advocates regard the label as a derogatory term designed to undermine the legitimacy of ethnic and religious minority worship.
The announcement was made during an official visit to Gia Lai by Vietnam’s minister of public security. Provincial authorities reportedly said a resolution aimed at managing and re-educating people accused of ties to FULRO had entered into force.
The action followed another case publicized by state media in April, when provincial police claimed they had dismantled a FULRO-linked network within the Ba Na ethnic minority community.
Authorities alleged that the network had established six cells with more than 200 participants and recommended that prosecutors charge four individuals. Police accused the group of attempting to revive FULRO and promote De Ga Protestantism.
CSW President Mervyn Thomas warned that Vietnam was adopting increasingly severe measures against religious communities. He said labeling Christian groups as De Ga or FULRO was an effort to politicize and vilify legitimate religious practice, adding, “we are not fooled.”
“The Vietnamese government must be held to account for its ongoing assault on the right to freedom of religion or belief and other fundamental freedoms,” Thomas stressed.
Most members of Vietnam’s Montagnard population are Protestant Christians. The community has long experienced strained relations with the government and has faced heightened harassment and intimidation since a June 2023 attack on Communist Party offices in Dak Lak province that killed nine people, including police officers and local party officials.
