Imprisoned blogger and former police officer, Ta Phong Tan, who is serving ten years for her peaceful activism, began a hunger strike on May 13th. We’ve recently learned that Tan ended the strike on June 4th and is reportedly no longer in a critical health condition. However, Tan remains in solitary confinement and continues to […]
This past month, we celebrated World Press Freedom Day, as well as Vietnam Human Rights Day. Additionally, the US held a dialogue with Vietnam about human rights, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited Vietnam. Yet, despite all of this international attention on Vietnam, attacks on activists persisted, demonstrating that the US should not send […]
The 88 Project recently learned that Ta Phong Tan, blogger and former police officer currently serving 10 years in prison under Article 88, has been on hunger strike since May 13th, 2015. Tan is protesting the cruel treatment of prisoners. Her sister visited her in prison on June 3, 2015 and reported that Tan is […]
As April gives way to May, we celebrated World Press Freedom Day (May 3rd) and prepare to celebrate Vietnam Human Rights Day (May 11th). We also remember the one-year anniversary of the death of Dinh Dang Dinh, an environmental activist and blogger who died of stomach cancer on April 3, 2014, only a month after […]
Article 19– International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in […]
Birthdate: 1968 Occupation: Former police officer, blogger Arrest Date: September 5, 2011 Trial Date: September 24, 2012 Sentence: Ten years in prison and five years of probationary detention Ta Phong Tan is a former policewoman, a well-known blogger, and co-founder of the Free Journalist Club. She often blogged about corruption within the one party state. […]
Vietnam has received a lot of media attention this month, especially in regards to the South China Sea, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and its increasing relations with major world powers. Reports about the state of rights in Vietnam have also made the news. For example, in Freedom House’s 2015 Freedom Report, Vietnam has been rated as […]
January ended on a low note for freedom of expression and the state of human rights in Vietnam. On January 30, two anonymous men broke into the home of human rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai and threatened him. This news comes after several dissidents were assaulted after visiting ex-political prisoner Tran Anh Kim earlier in […]
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has been a hot topic in recent months. As Vietnam finishes up TPP negotiations this year, the human rights implications of the TPP have become even more important to discuss. This month, US Representative Loretta Sanchez of California, the co-chair of the Congressional caucus on Vietnam, spoke with Ted Osius, new […]
This year has been one of growth for us here at The 88 Project, and we couldn’t have done our work without you. Thank you for supporting us. This year has brought news of arrests, beatings, and harassment, as well as a few spots of progress in the struggle for freedom of expression in Vietnam. […]