The legal proceedings against Pastor A Ga continue to be shrouded in mystery.
The Latest: After canceling a July 31 hearing, the Gia Lai Provincial People’s Court scheduled another trial on Sept. 22 for Pastor A Ga, a member of the Đấng Christ Tây Nguyên Evangelical Church.
- However, A Ga informed a Luật Khoa reporter that the hearing likely did not take place.
- On the evening of Sept. 22, he confirmed that neither his family nor other invited individuals attended the scheduled proceedings, leaving it entirely unclear whether the trial actually convened.
The Details: On Sept. 8, the Gia Lai Provincial People’s Court scheduled Pastor A Ga’s trial on charges of “organizing for others to flee abroad” under Article 349 of the Criminal Code.
- However, his family did not receive the court’s “Notice of Trial” until Sept. 18—four days before the hearing—when police from Rờ Kơi commune delivered it to their home.
If held, the trial would take place nearly 250 kilometers away from A Ga’s home in Rờ Kơi commune.
- The court notice also invited A Đảo, another member of the Đấng Christ Tây Nguyên Evangelical Church, and a woman named Rơ Mah MLúi.
- Pastor A Ga stated that he did not know who Rơ Mah MLúi was.
Luật Khoa repeatedly attempted to contact A Đảo and Rơ Mah MLúi on Sept. 22 and 23 for more information, but the calls either went unanswered or were picked up without a response.
- Furthermore, Luật Khoa called the Gia Lai Provincial People’s Court several times on the morning of Sept. 23, but no one answered.
- The court has not updated the trial schedule on its website since April 29, 2024.
Complicating matters further, both trial notices issued by the court identify A Ga as “A Ganh.”
- A Ga stressed to Luật Khoa that he had never used that name, and it remains unclear why the court used it in official documents.
Pastor A Ga: Born in 1977, A Ga belongs to the Hà Lăng ethnic minority in Tây Nguyên and co-founded the Đấng Christ Tây Nguyên Evangelical Church.
- He is one of the most prominent advocates for religious freedom for the Montagnards, the Indigenous peoples of Tây Nguyên.
- A Ga is among four members of the Đấng Christ Evangelical Church who have faced prosecution.
- The other three—Y Nuen Ayun, Y Krễc Byă, and A Đảo—previously received prison sentences.
Why It Matters: Tây Nguyên has long been a flashpoint for religious freedom. Since protests began in 2001 demanding respect for religious freedom and land rights, Montagnards in the region have faced severe government repression.
- Thousands have been forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in other countries.
Hoàng Nam wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on September 23, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
