Huynh Thi To Nga
Dieu Hang
Current Status: Released - exiled
Other Names: Dieu Hang, Selena Zen (Facebook)
Date of Birth:
Gender: F
Ethnicity: Kinh
Occupation: Medical professional
Activist Focus:
- Freedom of expression
Details
Immediate Concerns
September 2024:
In a surprise announcement on Facebook, former political prisoner Huynh Thi To Nga revealed that she has been living in exile in Thailand for the past six months with her daughter, and that her husband and their son were able to escape Vietnam to join them last week. Nga said that after her release in early 2023, after serving almost five years in prison under Article 117, both she and her husband had been constantly followed and harassed by secret police, and that even her children were subjected to harassment at times. Nga said she had to leave the country in order to continue her work of speaking out against injustices in Vietnam.
September 2023:
Former political prisoner Huynh Thi To Nga told Project 88 that she and her husband have been constantly harassed by police who kept sending her “invitations” to come to the police station without cause. On Sept. 15, they even went to the hospital where her husband works and “invited” him to come in for a talk, which he refused. Nga believes the police want her to stop posting her personal story on social media, which violates no law.
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Huynh Thi To Nga described to Project 88 the horrendous conditions inside An Phuoc prison camp. Nga said she was released 10 months early for good behavior and for doing prison labor without pay making joss sticks. Nga said the prison food was so poor and lacking in nutrition that she had to stage protests to demand better food. Her health also suffered and her eyesight deteriorated due to being kept inside too long.
March 2023: Huynh Thi To Nga was released early from prison, 10 months before her five-year sentence was up. The doctor and single mom was arrested around the same time as her brother, Huynh Minh Tam, in 2019, both convicted of spreading “anti-state propaganda.” Tam remains in prison.
The authorities have not given any official reason for why To Nga was released early. She declined an interview with RFA after her release. We are attempting to contact her for more information.
Background
She’s a doctor and mother of two children.
Profile photo source: Facebook Bao Nhi Le
History of Activism
She owns two Facebook accounts. A sharp commentator on Vietnamese politics, she frequently shares her views online that are critical of the regime.
Family Situation
She is the sister of Facebooker Huynh Minh Tam, pwho was arrested in early 2019 for his Facebook activities and tried in the same trial.
While working as a medical professional, Nga is a single mom of two children. People are worried about her children after the People’s Court of Dong Nai Province sentenced both her and her older brother to such severe prison terms. Nga was arrested when one of her children was under 36 months old.
January 28, 2019: feared abducted by plainclothes agents
Huynh Thi To Nga was missing for several weeks after she was last seen around 3 pm on Monday, January 28, 2019. She was allegedly kidnapped by plainclothes agents from the hospital where she works. She is the owner of two Facebook accounts. The article “The Australian Government officially recognizes the Provisional President Juan Guaido” was the last post she shared before she went missing.
She is now known to be held in Dong Nai province's detention center. Her family told activists in Ho Chi Minh City that they asked the authorities to let them meet with her, but so far, the request has been denied. Authorities told the family that she is under investigation and cannot have visitors. They have not announced charges against her.
Sentenced to 5 years in prison under Art. 117 (2015 Code). Released March 29, 2023.
November 28, 2019 - Date of trial
5 years in prison
January 28, 2024
March 29, 2023
Details of Imprisonment
Huynh Thi To Nga was missing for several weeks after she was last seen around 3 pm on Monday, January 28, 2019. She was allegedly kidnapped by plainclothes agents from the hospital where she works.
July 2019:
Activist Huynh Thi To Nga is now known to be held in Dong Nai province's detention center. Her family told activists in Ho Chi Minh City that they asked the authorities to let them meet with her, but so far, the request has been denied. Authorities told the family that she is under investigation and cannot have visitors. They have not announced charges against her.
November 2019:
October 28, 2019 marked nine months since Facebooker Huynh Thi To Nga was allegedly kidnapped by plainclothes agents from the hospital where she works. She is now known to be held in Dong Nai province‘s detention center. Her family told activists in Ho Chi Minh City that they asked the authorities to let them meet with her, but so far, the request has been denied. Authorities told the family that she is under investigation and cannot have visitors. They have not announced charges against her.
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On November 28, 2019, the People's Court of Dong Nai Province tried siblings Huynh Minh Tam and Huynh Thi To Nga under Article 117 of the 2015 Criminal Code for “making, storing, spreading information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam." Huynh Minh Tam was sentenced to nine years in prison, and Huynh Thi To Nga was sentenced to five. In the indictment, the authorities accused the two activists of using the Internet to read and share articles or websites of “reactionaries,” a term that the government usually uses to name political opponents or critics. Both were said to use Facebook accounts to contact overseas “reactionaries” and post articles with anti-state content. Nga was also said to post many articles with content defaming the regime and distorting national issues and history through two Facebook accounts, “Selena Zen” and “Dieu Hang.” The Court also accused her of participating in “unauthorized” demonstrations and inciting others to join protests for democracy.
Both were active Facebookers and sharp commentators on politics and national issues, including national sovereignty, corruption, and economic mismanagement. Notably, Nga was allegedly kidnapped by plainclothes agents from the hospital where she works. She was missing for several weeks before being found in a detention center in Dong Nai Province. Nga was arrested when one of her children was under 36 months old.
Resources
Medical Worker Huynh Thi To Nga Still Missing After Being Kidnapped in Late January, Defend the Defenders, February 14, 2019
Nhà hoạt động Huỳnh Thị Tố Nga hiện đang bị giam giữ ở Đồng Nai, SBTN, April 30, 2019
Two Siblings in Dong Nai Sentenced to Fourteen Years in Jail, The 88 Project, December 1, 2019
Vietnam releases 2 prisoners of conscience before jail terms end, RFA, March 30, 2023
Her Facebook page
Profile last updated: 2024-10-08 20:37:24