Le Minh The

On October 10, police of Binh Thuy district, Can Tho city, arrested Le Minh The when he was in his private house, located in No. 367/21 Tran Quang Dieu street, Binh Thuy Ward, Can Tho city. He was prosecuted for “abusing democratic freedom rights to infringe upon the interests of the state and on the legitimate rights and interests or organisations and citizens” under the Article 331 of the 2015 Penal Code.

Thanh Niên Newspaper reported that investigation agency also accused him of creating many Facebook accounts to post, share, and comment on articles, which distorted the guidelines and policies of the party and the state since early 2017 until now. Police reportedly confiscated many documents with those contents after searching his house.

Since June 2018, The was said to often use social media to connect with reactionaries, both inside the country and overseas, as well as livestream to incite people to participate in demonstrations against two bills on Special Economic Zones and cybersecurity.

He will be under pre-trial investigation for 2 months. His sister, Facebooker Mai Bui revealed that on the first day of his arrest, his wife brought the food for him but police refused and said that he would have to eat instant noodle with cold water. After 15 days, he would be able to receive the food but his family would not be allowed to meet him.

January 2019:

Le Minh The had been detained for over three months without being permitted a visit from his family. His family complied with requirements to obtain a letter of verification from commune officials, but they were still barred from meeting with him. 

March 2019:

On March 20, Le Minh The was sentenced to two years in prison under Article 331 of the 2015 Penal Code for “abusing democratic freedoms" by the People’s Court of Binh Thuy Ward, Can Tho Province. The trial lasted only three hours, and all of his family, except for his wife, was barred from entering the courtroom. 

The People’s court of Binh Thuy Ward, Can Tho Province had originally postponed Le Minh The’s first instance trial, which was previously scheduled March 6, 2019. The's lawyer asked for an extension to prepare for the trial.

July 2020:

Le Minh The was released from prison on July 10, 2020. The reason for his early release is unknown. 

March 2019:

Human Rights Watch called for the release of Le Minh The and five political prisoners facing appeal trials the same week as The's first-instance hearing, saying that "[i]nternational donors and trade partners should tell Vietnam that continuing this crackdown will cause problems for the aid and trade deals that Hanoi wants to conclude with North America and the European Union.”

Le Minh The's arrest order. Source: Facebook Võ Hồng Ly

Facebooker Lê Minh Thể bị khởi tố với cáo buộc ‘xuyên tạc Nhà nước’, Radio Free Asia, October 10, 2018

Khởi tố, bắt giam nghi can livestream kích động biểu tình trên Facebook, Thanh Nien Newspaper, October 10, 2018

Vietnam: 6 Activists Headed to Prison, Human Rights Watch, March 14, 2019

Vietnam jails dissident for ‘reactionary’ Facebook posts that criticised state surveillance and long leases for foreign investors, AFP, March 20, 2019

Facebook Le Minh The

Facebook Võ Hồng Ly

Facebook Mai Bui

Facebook activist Le Minh The was re-arrested on February 22, 2023. He was arrested in Can Tho, and his house was searched. The [pronounced tha-y] was first arrested in 2018 for participating in the public protests and was sentenced to two years in prison for “abusing democratic freedoms” under Article 331. He was released early in July 2020 for unknown reasons. The has been charged once again with “abusing democratic freedoms,” although the authorities did not say which of his postings had violated Article 331.

October 2023:

The’s daughter told Project 88 that her father’s pre-trial detention had been extended for an unknown period of time and that his trial might take place in December. He also told his family not to hire a lawyer.