On November 19, 2019, young activist Phan Cong Hai was arrested in Ha Tinh province, after being wanted for six months by Nghe An provincial authorities for “producing, storing and disseminating information to oppose the people’s regime” (Article 117, 2015 Criminal Code). The official “criminal conduct” for which he was wanted, according to the state’s […]
Mr. Pham Chi Dung, a prominent dissident journalist and writer, was arrested on November 21, 2019 by the public security forces of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). He is charged under Article 117 of Vietnam 2015 Criminal Code for “producing, storing, and disseminating” documents opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. While state media asserts that […]
Vietnamese authorities continue and widen their crackdown on freedom of expression against ordinary citizens even though they do not engage in any grassroots activism or political movements. On October 31, 2019, the People’s Court of Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City, sentenced Mr. Pham Xuan Hao (54 years old) to 12 months in prison for […]
Thinh Nguyen, a prominent independent artist and film-maker, was detained without a warrant by Hanoi public security forces at 12:00 pm local time on Friday, October 25, 2019, after a search at his home. He was released later in the evening of the same day, but is still facing a high risk of re-arrest. Security […]
On May 27, 2019, The Security Investigation Agency of Nghe An Province arrested Nguyen Nang Tinh, a former lecturer of Nghe An College of Art and Culture, on the accusation of “propaganda against the socialist state.” He is known nationwide for teaching college students and pupils the song “Give back to the people” (Trả lại […]
How Vietnamese Law Restricts Freedom of Publication Article 25 of Vietnam’s 2013 Constitution asserts that citizens have the right to speak freely, to have a free press and to access information. Regardless, a thicket of laws and regulations tightly circumscribes freedom of publication in Vietnam. These restrictions derive in particular from the Law on Publication […]
The Supreme People’s Procuracy of Vietnam has finalized the indictment against prominent blogger Truong Duy Nhat, not for any of his journalistic activities but for alleged “abuse of position and power when carrying out public duty” under Article 356.2 of the 2015 Criminal Code. It should be noted that Nhat was already imprisoned from 2013-2015 […]
It has been a year since Ms. Doan Thi Hong was arrested and detained by the public security forces of Ho Chi Minh City. The “criminal activities” of which she was accused? Participating in the national demonstrations against the bills on Special Economic Zones and Cybersecurity in June 2018, being a member of a human […]
Nguyen Quoc Duc Vuong, or Facebooker Vuong Nguyen, was suddenly arrested on September 23, 2019. At 11:00 AM, hundreds of public security officers raided Vuong’s house at Hai Duong Hamlet, Lac Lam Commune, Don Duong District, Lam Dong Province and took him away in handcuffs in front of his father and siblings. Facebooker Vo Hong […]
On September 17, the People’s Court of Ben Tre Province sentenced activist Nguyen Van Cong Em, a 48-year-old resident of My Thanh Commune, Giong Tom District, to five years in jail and five years of probation. He was charged with “making, storing, spreading, or propagating information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the State […]