Nguyen Dinh Thanh
Nguyễn Đình Thành
Detainment Type: Released - at risk
Other Names: Nguyễn Đình Thành
Date of Birth: 1991
Gender: M
Ethnicity: Kinh
Occupation: Medical professional
Known Prison(s):
Xuan Loc prison, Dong Nai province (?? - June 8, 2024)
Detention Center, Binh Duong Province (?? - ??)
Activist Focus:
- Freedom of expression
- Sovereignty
Details
Immediate Concerns
Nguyen Dinh Thanh reported to Project88 that he was released on June 8, one year early. Thanh said he was never physically assaulted or abused while in prison.
July 2024:
Nguyen Dinh Thanh described to Project88 the terrible conditions he and other political prisoners had to endure at the detention center in Binh Duong and later at Xuan Loc Prison. Thanh said at Xuan Loc they were not provided with drinking water and had to use what they could catch during the rainy season. During the dry season, they had to buy water from the prison. It wasn’t until 2024 that political prisoners were given fresh drinking water, said Thanh. Thanh was released one year early, in June 2024, and said he was “forced to write a letter of confession.”
Background
Thanh is from Binh Duong Province. He graduated from Hanoi Medical University. He was working at the Medical Center of Thuan An Town, Binh Duong Province, prior to his arrest.
Family Situation
He lives with his mother and older brother. His mother worked as a cook’s assistant until June 8, the day that Thanh was arrested. Now she works at a mechanical store.
Sentenced to 7 years in prison under Art. 117 (2015 Code). Released June 8, 2024.
October 17, 2018 - Date of trial
7 years in prison
June 8, 2025
June 8, 2024
Details of Imprisonment
Thanh was arrested on June 8 by the police of Binh Duong province.
September 2018:
On September 30, Thanh was allowed to meet his mother at the detention center. He told her not to worry and to think he went away to school for a year.
He is currently held at the Detention Center of Binh Duong Province (Province Police).
October 2018:
On October 17, 2018, The People’s Court of Binh Duong Province held the first instance court hearing against Nguyen Dinh Thanh and sentenced him to seven years in prison for “making, storing, spreading information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the State of Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under Article 117 of the 2015 Penal Code. Thanh created and printed more than 3,300 leaflets, containing pictures and articles, for use to protest the draft law on Special Economic Zones. On June 8, he was arrested by the Investigation Agency of Binh Duong province while copying those documents. Authorities alleged he also posted anti-state content on his Facebook account.
At his first instance court hearing, Thanh did not have a chosen defense counsel, only a lawyer appointed by the court. His mother and brother were not allowed to come into the courtroom and could only watch the trial through a screen.
On November 2, the timeframe to appeal his sentence ended. However, according to Facebooker Nguyen Thien Nhan, Thanh had not written an appeal before that. On November 1, his mother came to the detention center to talk to him about appealing but was not allowed to see him. She could only send him items and will later be able to meet him on November 15.
Resources
Vietnamese Medical Doctor Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Printing 3,300 Leaflets, Defend the Defenders, October 17, 2018
Interview June 2024
Profile last updated: 2024-07-30 14:38:23