Entries by Huong Nguyen

Pham Chi Dung, Former Party Security Officer, Chairman of the Independent Journalist Association, Arrested Under Article 117

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 […]

Can Tho: Former University Lecturer Jailed for Online Posting

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 […]

Incidents Against Freedom of Publication in 2018-2019: How Vietnam Continues to Violate Its Constitutional and International Obligations

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 […]

Update on Truong Duy Nhat Case: Indictment Issued, Raising Questions Regarding Vietnamese Land Law

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 […]

Second Activist Convicted in September for Facebook Postings: Nguyen Van Cong Em Sentenced to Five Years in Prison under Article 117

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 […]