Nguyen Thanh Phuong

On March 7, 2019, The People’s Court of Tuy Phong District, Binh Thuan Province held the first instance trial against Nguyen Thanh Phuong.

According to the indictment, from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm on June 10, 2018, Phuong and others gathered at National Highway 1A, which crosses the area of Cau Nam, Lam Loc 1 Hamlet, Hoa Minh Commune and Song Luy bridge, Thanh Giang 1 Quarter, Phan Ri Cua Town, Tuy Phong District. Phuong and others allegedly attacked security forces with sticks, bricks, stones, and handmade petrol bombs, as well as damaged property.

Nguyen Thanh Phuong was sentenced to three years for “disturbing the public order” under Article 318 of the 2015 Penal Code.

Note:

While the authorities accused some of the protesters involved in the June 2018 protests of using violence, Vietnamese activists themselves claim that the violence was actually started by the authorities, who sent their own people to mingle with the protesters to start or incite violent scenes, which would justify the use of harsher means to disperse the crowd, such as tear gas, water cannons, physical assaults, and arrests. This method, the activists said, would be part of what the Public Security calls Project A2 – Disperse protests and Repress riots. While this claim from the activists remains to be verified, it is true that the police have used brutal violence towards protesters and activists. This has been well documented in the “Black Sundays” report, which details the detentions of unarmed protesters and the physical assault that amounts to torture against them, and calls for accountability from the Vietnamese government in line with international human rights obligations.

The 88 Project is investigating the known arrests and the allegations of the crimes committed by protesters. In the absence of a free press environment, the protesters should be given the benefit of the doubt, and any accusation by the authorities against them should not be taken for granted.

Ngày 7-3 xét xử thêm 15 người gây rối tại Bình Thuận, Phap Luat Newspaper, March 5, 2019

Xét xử 15 đối tượng gây rối trật tự công cộng tại Bình Thuận, Nhan Dan Newspaper, March 7, 2019

Thêm 15 người tội gây rối trật tự công cộng ở Phan Rí Cửa bị phạt tù, Thanh Nien Newspaper, March 7, 2019