Tran Huynh Duy Thuc

May 2018:

Thuc annnounced he was appealing his sentence in light of changes to Vietnam's Criminal Code. Under his current sentence, he is due for release in May of 2025. Read our reflection on his case and his contributions to Vietnamese civil society, here. 

June 2018:

In a phone call to his family on June 30, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc told his wife that on June 25, a delegation of the European Union and German Embassy in Vietnam had visited him for an hour in Prison No. 6, Nghe An province. The delegation asked about Thuc's wishes, and he reiterated that he would not want to live abroad, and that he wanted to stay in Vietnam to serve his country. Thus, Thuc again ruled out the possibility of him accepting to be exiled in exchange for an early release. Thuc also said he wanted his case to be resolved according to the law and has continued to press for an appeal of his conviction. His health has been more stable recently.

Thuc wrote a series of letters home to his family about prison life and his thoughts on the activist movement today in Vietnam. In the first of a series of translations, this letter details his visit from foreign officials on June 25. 

In the second letter, Thuc wrote about the need for open and innovative global economic systems, saying: "...in order to possess superior technologies, the nation must be a society in which ideas and activities flow freely to create a free competitive environment." 

In the third and last letter, also from June 2018, Thuc wrote: "Whether as a civilian or a prisoner, I always try my best to do everything I can to help the nation fulfills its historical mission. This has been my ultimate goal for many years." 

September 2018:

Tran Huynh Duy Thuc ended his hunger strike after 34 days. His family was allowed a brief visit with him on September 15, but was prohibited from "discussing outside news" with him. Thuc objected to this arbitrary prohibition and was taken away shortly after the visit started, and his family was also forced outside of the prison. They were allowed another brief visit with him on September 16, during which Thuc agreed with his family to end the hunger strike to maintain his health, but emphasized that he would continue to petition the authorities to respect the rule of law, not only in his own case, but also in other cases.  On September 8, Thuc's family had issued this letter requesting that the prison authorities inform the family about Thuc's current condition, as well as allow Thuc to make a phone call home. He had been protesting increased restrictions in prison, as well as his opposition to authorities’ attempts to get him to accept exile in exchange for early release.

October 2018:

Tran Huynh Duy Thuc's family met with him on October 12. He said that he had gained weight and his health was good. This meeting was more comfortable because police did not interrupt them when they talked about outside information, especially on EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement hearing that Dr. Nguyen Quang A had just attended in Belgium. One day after this meeting, Thuc made a 5-minute phone call to his family. This was abnormal because he was normally only allowed to call during the end of the month. He still wanted Vietnam to sign the trade agreement with the EU to prove that respecting the law is Vietnam’s trademark. He gave thanks to all who were concerned about him and to all those who have supported him, as well as called on people to continue supporting him and other political prisoners in their fight for freedom.

November 2018:

November 29, 2018 was Tran Huynh Duy Thuc’s 10th birthday in prison. Read about his impact on the Vietnamese democratic movement, the current situation for activists, and Thuc's own fight for freedom using new provisions in the revised Criminal Code. Overall, his situation in prison had greatly worsened. At his most recent family visit, Thuc informed his family that he suffered health issues from a possible poisoning on November 20, and prison authorities were denying him water to boil noodles and the ability to receive letters; they were also considering denying him other items at the time of this writing, like a blood pressure monitor, with no legal basis. He asked the international community to intervene on his behalf. 

December 2018:

Tran Huynh Duy Thuc’s daughter wrote an open letter to the international community in light of a possible attempted poisoning against Thuc in prison on November 20, 2018 and overall worsened prison conditions. In the letter, she wrote: "Our family is extremely worried about his health and safety since we believe these new forms of mistreatment are used to coerce my dad to admit guilty in exchange for an early parole. For the past 9 years, my dad steadfastly believes that fighting for freedom of speech is not a crime. My dad has never inflicted violence or threats against the government.  He has announced for many times that he is innocent and will never admit guilty."

On December 8, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc's family went to visit him in prison. Lawyer Ngo Ngoc Trai also accompanied them to meet with Thuc and demanded that detention center officials investigate the alleged poisoning against Thuc. However, detention officials did not allow him to meet with Thuc; they themselves met with Trai separately. They informed Trai that they received his previous letter concerning the matter and passed it to superior authorities for further consultation. British Member of European Parliament Julie Ward sent a letter to Vietnam's President calling on the country to release Thuc from prison -- and without the condition of exile. Thuc was said to look healthy during the family's visit in spite of only eating instant noodles. Prison authorities had begun to provide him boiled water again, but Thuc still refused to eat food provided by the prison, arguing that there was nothing to ensure his safety. He said to his family that he might be at risk of suffering from "incidents" in prison.

May 2019:

May 24, 2019 marked ten years since Tran Huynh Duy Thuc was arrested. Read our analysis about his attempts to appeal his sentence under new law, and his refusal to accept forced exile in exchange for early release from prison, here. 

July 2019:

Tran Huynh Duy Thuc was released from solitary confinement at Prison No. 6 in Nghe An province. He protested the isolation, which was causing him to experience extreme physical heat in his cell, by staging a three-day hunger strike earlier in the month. Though he may not be continuously confined, Thuc was still only allowed out of his cell for 14 hours per week, seven hours on both Saturday and Sunday. He had also been unable to get letters from his family since the beginning of the year. 

November 2019:

On November 29, 2019, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc spent his 11th birthday in prison – and he still will have to serve five more behind bars until he can celebrate out in the world with his family. We interviewed his daughter to get an update on his current situation. And we would like to share more of Thuc’s writing to continue to remind the world of his commitment to Vietnamese democracy and economic and social improvement. In one of the many letters he sent home, Thuc wrote: “The Path to Justice will not only lead me home, it will also bring a brighter future for everyone. Otherwise, why would I even choose imprisonment? Why would we, out of personal concerns, choose to spend a few years less in jail at the expense of justice? Realizing that point is the key to understanding the importance of creativity. Our greatest strength is our ability to think creatively. If we just blindly and diligently follow the same old paths, we won’t be able to avoid a bleak future. Not even for another thousand years.” Read the full translation of his letter, here.

October 2020:

On October 8, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc told his family that he had begun a hunger strike for the last three days to demand that the High Court review his request to have his sentence reduced based on changes in the Penal Code of 2015. His brother, Tran Huynh Duy Tam, says the issue is that Thuc was charged with “preparing to commit a crime,” which in the new Penal Code only carries a maximum sentence of five years. Instead, his brother was sentenced to 16 years. The family is working to have this sentence repealed so that Thuc can be freed according to the law.

November 2020:

Tran Huynh Duy Thuc started a hunger strike since November 23. His family was able to visit him on November 30 and reported that he was extremely weak. He asked his family to make public this message: “I’m sorry that I could not reach the end successfully with you all, but please keep moving forward on the path of enlightening our compatriots and the world, keep up the battles for Human Rights. Make the most use of my departure by pushing this struggle to its end by this year or the next.” He underwent a strike for the same reasons in October.

January 2021:

On January 11, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc’s family sent a request to Prison Camp No. 6 asking for information about his health condition while continuing his hunger strike. On January 19, the prison responded, saying that Thuc has never been hospitalized and is still healthy enough to serve his sentence. The family received news from another source that Thuc was put on an IV for a few days. On January 21, Thuc called his family. He reported he was still on his hunger strike. He only drinks milk and has lost a lot of weight, now weighing only 56 kg. He said he was never in the hospital. He will continue his hunger strike. The family is still extremely concerned about his health, as it has now been over two months since he started the strike. He started his hunger strike on November 23 to appeal his sentence based on the new penal code, which he argues should reduce his prison term to time already served. 

Read our analysis of his hunger strike, and the case for why international organizations should support him, here.

February 2021:

Tran Huynh Duy Thuc ended his hunger strike after 72 days. In a call to his family on February 3, he said, “The goal to start a revolution of light has been accomplished, therefore I will end my hunger strike. I want to thank all who have supported me through this battle. And please keep up the fight, for only light can drive out darkness, which can befall us anytime like it just did in Myanmar. I hope to see you soon.” His family reported that Thuc is no longer losing weight and that his voice sounded positive.

Before his strike, Thuc wrote some heartfelt letters to his family which we have translated to English, here.

August 2021:

Tran Huynh Duy Thuc was allowed to call home. His daughters reported that their father was very weak from a prolonged hunger strike. Thuc said he barely came back from “the edge of Death.” He reiterated that unless the Supreme Court takes up his appeal that he’d first sent in 2008, he would go into “extreme mode,” ready to sacrifice his life. He even gave the family specific instructions on what to do if he doesn’t survive. We prepared a more detailed article on Thuc’s situation which you can read and share. 

Update: 

In an open letter, The 88 Project and 12 international human rights organizations called for Vice President Kamala Harris to challenge the Vietnamese government over the treatment and continued imprisonment of persecuted democracy activist Tran Huynh Duy Thuc during her upcoming visit to Vietnam. Read the letter here. 

July 2023:

Tran Huynh Duy Thuc’s family told Project 88 that he has been subjected to renewed harassment such as confiscation of his blood pressure monitoring device, his battery-powered fan, and his reading light, which he needs for writing letters. Thuc said he would no longer wear the prison garb and asked the international community to raise the issue of his unlawful imprisonment with the government.

August 2023:

The family of democracy activist Tran Huynh Duy Thuc gave Project88 a detailed account of what happened before he and three other cellmates were allegedly threatened by knife-wielding strangers dressed as prisoners who entered their cells at Prison No.6 in Nghe An Province. The full story in English and Vietnamese can be accessed here.

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Tran Huynh Duy Thuc told his family in a short phone call that men armed with knives entered his cell. Thuc said his belongings and physical health were under threat. He was supposed to be allowed a 10-minute phone call but the line was abruptly cut after only three minutes. However, in that short span, Thuc was able to give his sister the names of two prison officials who presumably are responsible for his well being: Phạm Văn Luyến (#559-846) and Nguyễn Văn Hiệu (#569-921).

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Earlier in August:

Tran Huynh Duy Thuc’s family visited him on August 16 but was told he refused to meet them. They left the food and supplies they brought for him, including medication he had requested, with prison officials. After they had left, they were called to return and take everything back because he refused to accept the items after finding out that necessity items like medicine were crossed off the list by the warden. The family believes this was an act of protest against prison officials and his way of signaling that he’s still being mistreated.

October 2023:

Tran Huynh Duy Thuc’s lawyer was not allowed to see him during his family’s visit to him on Oct. 3. The family said that Thuc’s health has worsened and that he looked gaunt and fatigued. They said further that he reported that he was not allowed to have his monthly call to his family in September because prison officials did not want him to “complain and accuse” them of wrongdoings. Thuc and his fellow inmates had stopped eating prison food to demand fairer food rationing for the entire unit A. Thuc had not been able to buy food at the canteen since Sept. 14, and he had to ask his cellmates to buy food for him. He was no longer given hot water to make ramen, so he was using cold water. Thuc had resorted to picking and eating wild vegetation to supplement his diet. The prison authorities allegedly confiscated Thuc’s razor and nail clipper without any explanation.

After a recent family visit, Thuc's brother reported that Thuc was confident and had a positive attitude; in addition, his treatment in prison had slightly improved, and Thuc was even permitted to hug his family after their most recent visit. He also planned to continue pressing for an appeal of his conviction.

June 2018:

In a letter home, Thuc reported that his eye sight was still not doing well, but it had improved over recent months. 

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See the above section in "Details of Imprisonment" for information about the potential poisoning against Thuc in late 2018.

April 2021:

In late February 2021, Thuc started yet another hunger strike, his third since October 2020. Read more about this in the "Details of Imprisonment" section above. According to Radio Free Asia's report from the family,
"Tran had gained 12 kilograms (26 pounds) during the 16-day interval between his two hunger strikes but had lost 10 kilograms again during the first 43 days of his current strike."

July 2021:

Tran Huynh Duy Thuc was believed to be in ill health due to his prolonged hunger strike. His family was concerned that he missed their scheduled phone call. He began the most recent strike in March.