Truong Chau Huu Danh
Trương Châu Hữu Danh
Detainment Type: Sentenced to prison
Other Names: Trương Châu Hữu Danh
Date of Birth:
Gender: M
Ethnicity: Kinh
Occupation: Journalist
Activist Focus:
- Anti-corruption
- Freedom of expression
- Press
Organizational/Political Party Affiliation:
Details
Immediate Concerns
January 2022:
An appellate court in Can Tho Province upheld the sentences against members of the Bao Sach (Clean News) group for violating Article 331—”abusing democratic freedoms.”
October 2021:
Five journalists from the Facebook group Bao Sach (Clean Newspaper) were sentenced to years in prison after a short two-day trial. They were accused of “abusing democratic freedoms” according to Article 331; their most controversial topic centered on the highly suspect death sentence of accused murderer Ho Duy Hai, who has always maintained his innocence. The defendants and their sentences are: Truong Chau Huu Danh (39), 4.5 years; Le The Thang (39), 3 years; Doan Kien Giang (36), 3 years; Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao (39), 2 years; Nguyen Thanh Nha (41), 2 years.
BackgroundTruong Chau Huu Danh is a journalist at Nong Thon Ngay Nay Newspaper.
Profile photo source: Facebook Trương Châu Hữu Danh
History of ActivismDanh and other drivers in Ban Huu Duong Xa Group (Friends on Long Road) have protested against corrupted “BOTs” (Build-Operate-Transfers), which effectively charge drivers a toll for a private development project authorized by the state. On his Facebook Trương Châu Hữu Danh, followed by thousands of Facebookers, Danh often exposes many alleged corruption cases, with which many governmental officers and enterprises have involved. Therefore, Danh and his family have being harassed by individuals and the authorities.
January 14, 2019: detained illegally in an alley because of his protest against An Suong-An Lac BOT
- Administrative
- Property destruction
- Detention
January 14-15, 2019
An Suong - An Lac Toll Plaza, High Way 1A, Binh Hung Hoa District, Binh Tan Ward, Ho Chi Minh City (map)
At 2:00 pm on January 14, Truong Chau Huu Danh, Phuong Ngo, Huynh Long, and a woman went to An Suong - An Lac Toll Plaza to question authorities on the purpose of the toll station and what type of fees they have charged. An Suong - An Lac Toll Plaza is one of the BOTs being protested since 2018 because they collected fees beyond the contract duration, which ended in January 2017.
Right after that, hundreds of people, including public security officers, police in uniform, and individuals wearing masks, raided their three cars and towed them into a dead-end alley, which was 50 meters away from the BOT. All of them were isolated in cars by barriers, cars, and a powerful security force without receiving food from the outside during their detention.
When leaving the car to find a restroom at around 9:00 pm, Huynh Long was suddenly arrested by unidentified individuals, who threatened him to stop his activism against BOT An Suong - An Lac. The aggressors drove him on their motorcycles around the town before taking his belongings and leaving him in District 12 the next morning. Scared from his disappearance, Truong Chau Huu Danh, Phuong Ngo, and the others stayed inside the car until the next day and kept live-streaming their incident on Facebook page of Trương Châu Hữu Danh.
On January 15, the security force of Binh Tan District came in the morning and worked with them until the afternoon. On that morning, Huynh Buu Long managed to return to the scene. Finally, authorities imposed administrative fines on the drivers for “stopping the cars illegally, causing traffic jam”. Meanwhile, security forces ignored the drivers’ report on their incident and their demand to investigate their arbitrary detention as well as the damage to the cars from the towing process. After more than 24 hours, they were finally able to leave the alley in the late afternoon.
Sentenced to 4 years 6 months in prison under Art. 331 (2015 Code). Expected Release is June 17, 2025.
October 28, 2021 - Date of trial
4 years 6 months in prison
June 17, 2025
Details of Imprisonment
December 2020:
Journalist Truong Chau Huu Danh was arrested in Can Tho Province on December 16 and charged with “abusing democratic freedoms” under Article 331 of the 2015 Criminal Code. The 38-year-old has worked for several state-run newspapers. In recent years, he became better known for supporting the BOT tollbooth anti-corruption protests and for Facebook posts about the violent police raid in Dong Tam Commune and other social unrest. Colleagues describe him as an even-keeled, objective reporter and expressed surprise at his arrest.
Danh is involved with Bao Sach (Clean Newspaper), a Facebook news account, which often post on anti-corruption issues.
The Can Tho Police Investigation Agency searched his home prior to arrest. Though he was arrested by Can Tho public security, he was transfered after arrest to his home province of Long An.
May 2021:
Four members of Clean News have been charged with “abusing democratic freedoms” under Article 331 of the Criminal Code. The four men are: Truong Chau Huu Danh (pictured above), Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao, Doan Kien Giang, and Nguyen Thanh Nha. Investigators allege that dozens of their Facebook postings and Youtube videos about official corruption and land rights victims violated the new Cybersecurity Law. If convicted, each man could face from two to seven years in prison.
August 2021:
Can Tho provincial police finished their investigation of four members of the group Clean News and charged them with “abusing democratic freedoms which violate the interests of the state.” The men are: Truong Chau Huu Danh, 39, Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao, 39, Doan Kien Giang, 36, and Nguyen Thanh Nha, 41. Additionally, before the investigation was completed a fifth man from Hanoi also was similarly charged, but was only placed under house arrest: Le The Thang,39. A trial date has not been set.
Actions TakenThe Committee to Protect Journalists released a statement shortly after his arrest calling for his immediate release.
October 2021:
The US State Department released a statement raising concern about the conviction of the five members of the Clean News group. “We understand this group of journalists focused on investigative reporting on corruption, which, of course, is not a crime. … Press freedom is fundamental to transparency and accountable governance. Authors, bloggers, and journalists often do their work at great risk, and we urge the Vietnamese government and other governments and citizens worldwide to ensure their protection.”
ResourcesVietnam arrests popular Facebook user for "anti-state" posts, Reuters, December 17, 2020
Vietnam Arrests Journalists for Tollbooth Scheme Criticism, Radio Free Asia, December 17, 2020
Trương Châu Hữu Danh bị bắt: Một luật sư nói Điều 331 'mơ hồ', BBC Vietnamese, December 18, 2020
Journalist Truong Chau Huu Danh arrested in Vietnam, The Committee to Protect Journalists, December 21, 2020
Vietnam court sentences ‘Clean Newspaper’ journalists to long prison terms, Radio Free Asia, October 28, 2021
US State Department Press Release, October 29, 2021
Vietnam: Appellate Court Upholds Convictions of Bao Sach’s Journalists, The Vietnamese, January 26, 2022
Profile last updated: 2024-06-13 20:34:05