Vietnam Free Expression Newsletter No. 39/2024 – Oct. 25 — Nov. 4
Greetings from Project88. We bring you news, analysis, and actions regarding human rights and civil society in Vietnam from Oct. 25- November 4.
Since 2021, the Vietnamese authorities have imprisoned six leaders of the country’s climate change movement on false charges. These cases have been covered extensively by the international media, and international organizations have campaigned to free the activists. Such campaigns, however, largely ignore those who participated in earlier environmental movements, even though they continue to be persecuted for their work. Vietnam’s forgotten environmental activists are equally deserving of support and advocacy as are the recent climate activists.
Project88’s new advocacy brief provides an overview of different environmental movements in Vietnam over the past decade, of the people involved in these movements, and of the government repression meted out against them. Interspersed throughout the report are personal narratives in which activists themselves outline their motivations, their advocacy work, and what they endured at the hands of the Vietnamese authorities.
Read our new advocacy brief here: Fighting for a greener future: Environmental activists and movements in Vietnam.
In other news this week, blogger Duong Van Thai was sentenced to 12 years in prison. A group of political prisoners has ended its hunger strike. Nguyen Thi Tam alleges that prison authorities are harassing her by housing her with a threatening cellmate. A group of UN experts calls for the release of journalist Pham Chi Dung. Dung’s colleague, Le Huu Minh Tuan, is reportedly in ill health behind bars. And as COP29 kicks off next week, Vietnam– who is still struggling to fulfill its JETP green energy transition promises— is reportedly in talks with Saudi Arabia about increasing investment in Vietnam’s fossil fuel sector.
HUMAN RIGHTS & CIVIL SOCIETY
Duong Van Thai
Blogger Duong Van Thai was tried on Oct. 30 and given a 12-year sentence plus three years of probation for engaging in “anti-state propaganda” based on Section 2 of Article 117 of the Criminal Code. Section 2 applies to activities deemed “especially dangerous” and may carry a prison sentence between 10 to 20 years. A former blogger for RFA, Thai was a UN refugee in Thailand awaiting relocation to a third country when he mysteriously disappeared in April 2023. A few weeks later, he was shown by state media to be in police custody in Vietnam. The government claimed that Thai was trying to enter Vietnam illegally but did not provide any proof. A spokesperson for the Department of State said the U.S. is deeply concerned about Thai’s “harsh sentence” and troubled by allegations that he was abducted. See also:
Vietnam: RSF appalled by 12-year prison sentence handed on journalist kidnapped in Thailand. Reporters Without Borders; 2024-10-30.
Vietnam: Quash Verdict Against Democracy Campaigner. Human Rights Watch; 2024-10-30.
Bui Thanh Hieu, a well-known political blogger living in Germany who goes by the moniker “Wind Salesman,” disappeared after he returned to Vietnam last week to visit family. No one seemed to know where Hieu was, but it’s alleged that he was being held by Vietnamese police, according to the Facebook account Hoang Dung. After several days, Hieu finally was seen at his home with his mother and walking around his neighborhood greeting people. This is a developing story.
Nguyen Thi Tam
The daughter of land rights activist Nguyen Thi Tam reported that a hardened criminal named Nguyen Hong Hanh about to finish her 20-year prison sentence was put into Tam’s cell in April and has been harassing and abusing her verbally, trying to get her to react. Tam said the cell was already at maximum capacity when Hong Hanh was moved in, in violation of prison rules. Tam filed multiple complaints to prison authorities, and things seemed quiet down for a while. But since September, the situation has gotten so tense that Tam says she can not sleep at night out of fear for her own safety. She has had to drink a lot of coffee to stay awake because prisoner Hong Hanh lays next to her and often acts erratically or talks loudly, disrupting her rest. Tam’s daughter said her mother is experiencing a lot of stress on top of the physical pain she’s having due to uterine fibroids. She asks that the international community help put an end to what appears to be a deliberate tactic aimed at causing psychological damage to her mother. Project88 is working to further investigate this allegation of mistreatment.
Trinh Ba Tu
The weeks-long group hunger strike at Prison No. 6 in Nghe An by Trinh Ba Tu, Bui Van Thuan and Dang Dinh Bach has ended after 21 days and appears to have had some success. Tu’s sister, Trinh Thi Thao, spoke with her brother over the phone on Oct. 30. and was told that conditions have partially improved. The tiger cage door had been left open for a week, he said. On Friday morning and Sunday morning and evening, all four cells were opened so everyone could go out to the courtyard to play chess, play sports, sing, and talk to each other for about two hours. Tu and everyone in Group A of section K1 of the prison wished to thank “all the foreign diplomats, democratic governments, independent media and concerned friends” who provided moral support and helped protect them as they continued their difficult journey.
Tran Long Phi, who received an eight-year sentence for participating in protests against the Cybersecurity Bill in 2018, was released 21 months early from prison on Oct. 23. Phi said it was a total surprise, and he was not notified ahead of time. Phi was arrested in June 2017 along with several other individuals, including Huynh Duc Thanh Binh, who remains in prison serving a 10-year sentence for violating Article 109 — “activities to overthrow the government.”
On Oct. 22, Binh’s mother visited him at Xuan Loc Prison after hearing rumors that her son would be released early. She told Project88 that Binh looked healthy, albeit a little thin, and was in good spirits. She said Binh laughed heartily upon hearing the rumor of his release.
Nguyen Thuy Hanh, who completed her sentence and was released last month, reported to Project88 that she was given the Human Rights Award by the Human Rights Network of Vietnam. However, Hanh said that even though she was very honored and proud for having been recognized, she declined to accept the award because “I feel I do not deserve it as much as some other individuals who have contributed much more than I.”
INTERNATIONAL ADVOCACY
Report: ‘Censorship in Vietnam – State Media Under Unprecedented Attack’. Legal Initiatives for Vietnam; 2024-11-1. Legal Initiatives for Vietnam (LIV) is pleased to release a new report that offers fresh insights into the nuances and recent developments surrounding press freedom in Vietnam. Titled “Censorship in Vietnam – State Media Under Unprecedented Attack,” the report explores how state media has come under increasing pressure and control by the market-Leninist regime following what was considered a heyday for Vietnamese journalism, spanning from the early 2000s to the mid-2010s. This report, authored by our partner Vietnam Media Project and reviewed by Project88, represents LIV’s inaugural effort to document and analyze the state of press freedom in Vietnam.
To Hoang Chuong and Thach Cuong
HRF submits the case of two Khmer Krom detainees in Vietnam to the UNWGAD. Human Rights Foundation; 2024-10-22. The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) submitted a joint petition to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) on behalf of indigenous activists To Hoang Chuong and Thach Cuong. To Hoang Chuong and Thach Cuong are members of the Khmer Krom indigenous group in the Mekong Delta region of southwestern Vietnam.
Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam colleagues Le Huu Minh Tuan and Pham Chi Dung
Immediate Release and Urgent Medical Attention Needed for Vietnamese Journalist Le Huu Minh Tuan. PEN America; 2024-10-31. PEN America is deeply concerned about the health and welfare of Le Huu Minh Tuan, an editor and member of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam (IJAVN). Tuan’s health has deteriorated significantly since his arrest and detention in January 2021. PEN America urgently calls on the Vietnamese government to release him immediately, drop all charges, and provide the essential medical care he desperately needs. Hear about Tuan’s activism, in his own words, here.
UN body says Vietnam is unlawfully detaining journalist. VOA; 2024-10-28. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has found that Pham Chi Dung was arbitrarily detained prior to sentencing and incarceration. Dung was arrested in November 2019 and is serving a 15-year prison term for sharing what Vietnam calls “anti-state propaganda.” The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention earlier in October adopted an opinion that Pham’s “deprivation of liberty lacks a legal basis” and his “detention resulted from his exercise of his right to freedom of opinion and expression.” Read the full UN opinion here.
VIETNAM IN THE WORLD
PM Chinh says Vietnam to work with BRICS as he meets with China, Russia leaders. Reuters; 2024-10-25. Vietnam is ready to work with BRICS, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said as he attended the group’s summit for the first time this week and held meetings with Chinese and Russian leaders. Chinh fell short of stating Vietnam’s explicit interest in joining the club, a move that could bring the Communist-run southeast Asian nation closer to China and Russia but might impact relations with the United States.
Vietnam, UAE sign comprehensive economic partnership agreement. Reuters; 2024-10-29. The United Arab Emirates and Vietnam have signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA), the first free-trade agreement Vietnam has established with a Middle East country, the Vietnamese trade ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The agreement followed a year of negotiations and was signed by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Dubai on Monday, the ministry said in a statement.
Top Chinese military commander visits Vietnam for talks on closer cooperation. South China Morning Post; 2024-10-26. China’s most senior general Zhang Youxia met Vietnamese leader To Lam and other senior figures during a two-day visit to the country as part of an effort to foster closer defence ties between the two countries. The visit by Zhang, the vice-chairman of China’s top command body the Central Military Commission, follows a series of changes in Vietnam’s leadership and a recent flare-up of tensions in the two countries’ ongoing South China Sea dispute.
ADDITIONAL NEWS AND ANALYSIS
US Tech Firms Warn Vietnam’s Planned Law to Hamper Data Centres, Social Media. Reuters; 2024-11-3. U.S. tech companies have warned Vietnam’s government that a draft law to tighten rules on data protection and limit data transfers abroad would hamper social media platforms and data centre operators from growing their businesses in the country. The draft law “will make it challenging for tech companies, social media platforms and data centre operators to reach the customers that rely on them daily,” said Jason Oxman, who chairs the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), a trade association representing big tech companies including Meta, Google and data centres operator Equinix.
Vietnam’s new president confronts turmoil. DW; 2024-11-4. Vietnam’s National Assembly recently elected Luong Cuong as the country’s new president, making the military general the fourth official to fill the largely ceremonial role in 18 months. Cuong, 67, was elected by the National Assembly to replace To Lam, who remained president even after he was formally appointed as the general secretary of the ruling Communist Party in August. As president, however, he will hold little direct power in a role considered largely ceremonial. The general secretary of the ruling Communist Party is generally considered the most powerful figure in the country. Cuong’s appointment took place after months of political turmoil and the death of former party general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, who had dominated the country’s leadership from 2011 until he died in July.
Vietnam says Saudi Aramco wants to invest in oil refining, petrol distribution. Reuters; 2024-10-30. Oil giant Saudi Aramco wants to invest in the oil refinery sector and petroleum distribution in Vietnam, the Southeast Asian country’s government said in a statement issued late on Tuesday. The announcement came after a meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Saudi Aramco’s chief executive officer Amin Al-Nasser in Riyadh during Chinh’s visit to the Middle East.
Why Vietnam Doesn’t Have to Worry About the Outcome of the US Election. The Diplomat; 2024-10-28. The U.S. presidential election is now just days away. So far, the two major candidates, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, have not elaborated in detail their visions for the Indo-Pacific. Still, different from other U.S. allies and partners, Vietnam doesn’t have to worry about the outcome of the election. This is because Vietnam enjoys a strong U.S. bipartisan support thanks to its geopolitical position as China’s neighbor.
Does China seek to ‘divide and conquer’ as it boosts Vietnam defence ties? South China Morning Post; 2024-10-30. A rare trip to Hanoi by China’s most senior military official points to improved ties between the two neighbours, with one analyst suggesting a “Vietnam model” for tackling disputes over the South China Sea. General Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of China’s powerful Central Military Commission, travelled to Vietnam last week for a two-day visit. He met Vietnam’s new Communist Party leader To Lam and Luong Cuong, the new president, along with other senior figures. Zhang expressed Beijing’s willingness to deepen relations with Hanoi, including political, economic and cultural ties, and to “promote the healthy and stable development of military relations”, according to a readout from China’s defence ministry released on Saturday.
Scarce room at the top of Vietnamese politics for women. Radio Free Asia; 2024-10-27. Communist systems are purported to be egalitarian and gender neutral. But in Vietnam, as with China, despite the lofty rhetoric, the country falls short in terms of its own stated goals and ideals. Vietnam, which celebrates women’s day on Oct. 20, is often touted for having some of the highest rates of female political participation in Southeast Asia. Based only on the metric of parliamentarians, with just under 30%, Vietnam does stand above its ASEAN peers, with the exception of the Philippines. But in other aspects of politics, Vietnam is falling far short of its stated goals.
Smuggler selling ‘fast track’ Channel crossing speaks to BBC undercover reporter. BBC; 2024-10-26. Earlier this year, Vietnam emerged – abruptly – as the biggest single source of new migrants seeking to cross the Channel to the UK illegally in small boats. Arrivals surged from 1,306 in the whole of 2023, to 2,248 in the first half of 2024.
© 2024 The 88 Project
