Profile

Huynh Minh Tam

Current Status: Sentenced to prison

Photo of Huynh Minh Tam

Other Names: Huỳnh Minh Tâm, Huỳnh Trí Tâm

Date of Birth:

Gender: M

Ethnicity: Kinh

Last Known Prison: Gia Trung prison, Gia Lai province

Areas of Activism:

  • Anti-corruption
  • Democracy
  • Freedom of expression
  • Sovereignty

Highlighted Human Rights Concerns:

  • Solitary Confinement
  • Prolonged Incommunicado Detention
  • Online commentator

January 2024:

Recently released political prisoner Huynh Thi To Nga visited her brother Huynh Minh Tam at Gia Trung Prison and reported on Jan. 22 that Tam’s health was stable even though he looked very gaunt and skinny. He still was kept in a cell by himself, with a security camera. Tam said he covered up the camera with tape but was not reprimanded by the warden. The visit lasted only one hour, but the roundtrip journey took Nga 30 hours. However, Nga said Gia Trung actually allows prisoners to receive more monthly supplies than the 7 kg she was allowed to receive at An Diem Prison. Tam told Nga that political prisoner Truong Van Dung had just been transferred to Gia Trung and put in a cell next to his, alone.

Details - Background, History of Activism, Family Situation, Contact Information.

Profile photo source: Facebook Selena Zen

Huynh Minh Tam often posts many articles on national issues, especially national sovereignty, corruption, and economic mismanagement, on his Facebook account named Huỳnh Trí Tâm. There are more than 1,000 people following him on Facebook.

Tam is married and has two young children.

His sister is Huynh Thi To Nga, whose Facebook nicknames are Selena Zen and Dieu Hang. To Nga has been missing since January 28, 2019, only two days after Huynh Minh Tam’s arrest.

Arrested January 26, 2019. Sentenced to 9 years in prison under Art. 117 (2015 Code). Expected Release is January 26, 2028.

January 26, 2019
  • Art. 117 (2015 Code)
Dong Nai province public security, Dong Nai province
Private house, Dong Nai province (map)
November 28, 2019
The People’s Court of Dong Nai Province
9 years in prison
January 26, 2028
  • freedom from arbitrary arrest or detention
  • liberty and security of the person
  • freedom of expression
  • fair trial
  • respect of privacy, family, home, and correspondence

At around 8:00 am on January 26, 2019, public security of Dong Nai province stormed into his private house, believed to be in Dong Nai province, and took Huynh Minh Tam to the province police station. They then searched his house but did not release any official arrest warrant. His arrest was believed to be derived from his articles on Facebook, which sometimes criticize the government. The charges against Tam are currently unknown.

November 2019:

Huynh Minh Tam was sentenced to nine years in prison, and his sister 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. In particular, Tam allegedly used two Facebook accounts, “Huỳnh Trí Tâm” and “Huỳnh Tâm,” to post and call people to join a closed group, Republic Party (Dang Cong Hoa), which aims to encourage others to protest against the state. 

 

Việt Nam bắt giữ facebooker Huỳnh Trí Tâm nhưng chưa công bố cáo buộc, Saigon Broadcasting Television Network, January 28, 2019

Two Siblings in Dong Nai Sentenced to Fourteen Years in Jail, The 88 Project, December 1, 2019

Facebook Selena Zen

Facebook Huỳnh Trí Tâm

Intervirews with the family

Profile last updated: 2024-01-27 22:24:22

Subscribe to our Weekly Newsletter