Huynh Truong Ca
Huỳnh Trương Ca
Detainment Type: Released - at risk
Other Names: Huỳnh Trương Ca, Thằng Nhà Quê
Date of Birth: 1971
Gender: M
Ethnicity: Kinh
Known Prison(s):
Xuan Loc prison, Dong Nai province (December 28, 2018 - March 4, 2024)
Activist Focus:
- Environment
- Freedom of expression
- Human rights
- Sovereignty
- Press
Organizational/Political Party Affiliation:
Details
Immediate Concerns
March 2024:
Huynh Truong Ca finished his prison sentence of five and a half years and was released from Xuan Loc Prison on March 4. A member of the Hien Phap constitutional rights group, Ca was convicted of spreading “anti-state propaganda” in 2018. In an interview with RFA after his release, Ca vowed that he will fight on. We are contacting him for more information.
December 2022:
Huynh Truong Ca’s children were able to visit him at Xuan Loc prison on December 4. They reported that he was still waiting to be scheduled for an unknown surgery. In the meantime, doctors have allowed him to take the medication his family has been sending to ease some of the pain. Ca is reported to have diabetes, high blood pressure, and kidney stones.
BackgroundPrior to arrest, Ca lived in Dong Thap Province.
History of ActivismHuynh Truong Ca is a co-founder of Hien Phap (Constitution) group, established on June 16, 2017 to promote people’s understanding of their human rights in the 2013 Constitution.
Huynh Truong Ca and other members planned to call for a peaceful demonstration on September 4, to raise their voice on social issues, including human rights violations, corruption, territorial disputes, and environmental pollution.
In addition, he and his colleagues in the Hien Phap group were said to play key roles in the demonstrations on June 10, protesting against two bills on Special Economic Zones and Cybersecurity. Therefore, on June 16, he was summoned by police of Hong Ngu District, Dong Thap Province.
On his Facebook account, namely Huỳnh Trương Ca, he usually live-streams about social issues.
Sentenced to 5 years 6 months in prison and 3 years probation under Art. 117 (2015 Code). Released March 4, 2024.
September 4, 2018
- Art 117
Provincial/city
Tan Hiep Town, Chau Thanh District, Tien Giang Province (map)
December 28, 2018 - Date of trial
None -- no legal representation
5 years 6 months in prison and 3 years probation
March 4, 2024
Details of Imprisonment
On September 4, Huynh Truong Ca was arrested on the way from Tien Giang to Ho Chi Minh City, where he and other Hien Phap members had called for a demonstration.
On September 14, the Investigation Agency of Dong Thap Province prosecuted him on the allegation of “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. They accused him of using Facebook to share, post, and live-stream anti-state content.
On November 14, the investigation process was completed. Police of Dong Thap sent this result to the province’s People’s Procuracy, proposing to prosecute him under the charge of Article 117 of the 2015 Penal Code, which carries a sentence of seven to 12 years.
December 2018:
On December 28, 2018, Huynh Truong Ca was tried by the People's Court of Dong Thap Province and sentenced to five years and six months in prison. Ca represented himself at trial and maintained his innocence, saying he acted out of patriotism. Family was permitted at the trial, but their electronics were banned in the courtroom.
February 2019:
Huynh Truong Ca has revealed that police tried to get him to incriminate other activists during questioning in prison. He was pressured to talk about friends in Ho Chi Minh City but refused to do so. Prison authorities have put him in a cell with aggressive prisoners who have reportedly assaulted him. Ca has diabetes, high blood pressure, and kidney stones, which are a concern for his long sentence.
April 2019:
On April 2, 2019, Dong Thap Public Security sent an "invitation" to Pham Thanh Tam, Huynh Truong Ca’s wife, to question her on issues relating to the 50k Fund, which supports families of imprisoned activists.
Physical Health History
Ca has diabetes, high blood pressure, and kidney stones.
October 2019:
Huynh Truong Ca was on hunger strike in Xuan Loc prison camp, which he began on October 4 to protest a lack of medical treatment. Other political prisoners were also striking in solidarity with him. At the most recent family visit, prison officials prohibited Ca from receiving food that the family brought.
Actions TakenMarch:
Please take Amnesty International's Urgent Action for Huynh Truong Ca. He is battling several ailments while in prison, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and lung disease. Earlier in March, he was transferred to a new prison, which is farther away from his family.
ResourcesBắt đối tượng kích động biểu tình, gây rối trật tự, Vietnam.net, September 4, 2018
Khởi tố người đàn ông hoạt động chống phá chính quyền, Zing.vn, September 14, 2018
Police in Dong Thap Propose to Prosecute Activist Huynh Truong Ca on Charge of “Anti-state Propaganda," Defend the Defenders, November 19, 2018
Vietnamese Activist Given Five-Year, Six-Month Prison Term for Defaming Government, Radio Free Asia, December 28, 2018
Jailed Vietnamese Democracy Advocate to Submit Complaint to Court Over Appeal Filing, Radio Free Asia, February 11, 2019
HEALTH CONCERNS FOR PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE, Amnesty International, March 19, 2019
Jailed Vietnamese Democracy Activist, Supporters Go on Hunger Strike, Radio Free Asia, October 14, 2019
Tam Pham Facebook post, December 2022
Profile last updated: 2024-06-13 20:34:04