Ngo Xuan Thanh

During the crackdown on the occasion of Vietnam’s Reunification Day on April 30, four individuals were arrested, detained, and ultimately sentenced to prison. 

According to Facebooker Pham Ngoc, who first shared their news on Facebook, the four Facebookers-- Vo Thuong Trung, Doan Viet Hoan, Ngo Xuan Thanh, and Nguyen Dinh Khue-- often post and share articles on the current national issues and criticize the government on Facebook. They were accused of calling for a demonstration for civil rights and were all arrested on April 25, 2019.

On May 6, 2019, the Investigation Security Agency of Dong Nai Province released an announcement on Khue’s temporary detention. Khue was accused of “contacting, debating with Doan Viet Hoan and others on carrying out a demonstration, planning explosion against the people’s administration under the command of 'Lisa Nguyen' from overseas” and contemporarily detained under Article 118 of the 2015 Penal Code.  Thanh was then reportedly contacted to support on “explosive devices and provoking protesters.” 

On November 26, 2019, the People’s Court of Dong Nai Province sentenced Vo Thuong Trung and Doan Viet Hoan to three years in prison, while Ngo Xuan Thanh and Nguyen Dinh Khue each received a 28-month conviction. All were charged under Article 118 of the 2015 Criminal Code for “disturbing security.” According to the indictment, they were accused of reading articles with anti-regime content on the Internet and planning demonstrations with various methods, including preparing explosions to go off on April 28, 2019. In the plan, Hoan was said to be a leader for a peaceful demonstration, with the duty of creating a “demonstration plan” and uploading 12 videos, with instructions on causing explosions, to social media. Trung was allegedly responsible for buying explosive chemicals, and along with Khue, finding a location for explosions. Thanh, with his knowledge of causing explosions, was allegedly in charge of gathering people for their so-called disruption plan. 

However, according to Khue’s defense counsel, lawyer Nguyen Van Mieng, the court could not provide evidence to prove that they were planning to use explosive materials since police failed to find any material to make explosive devices and confiscated their phones instead. Mieng also claimed that four defendants only wanted to protest against a price hike in electricity and gas, as well as against the bill on Special Economic Zones, with the fear that Vietnam would be dependent on Chinese investment. Lawyer Mieng asserts that beside messages and their online communication concerning the demonstration, no evidence about the alleged bombing could be found. He notes that the men were arrested on April 25, only three days before the scheduled crime. If they had intended to do anything with bombing and destroying properties, the public security force would have at least found some evidence such as wire, explosive materials, and related devices. The fact that they could find nothing means that the accusation is very weak, if not unfounded.

All six bloggers and activists were merely exercising their human rights, which are protected by both domestic law and international treaties.

Thêm 3 facebooker bị bắt vì kêu gọi biểu tình, giam giữ ở Đồng Nai, Saigon Broadcasting Televison Network, May 3, 2019

Công dân Nguyễn Đình Khuê bị bắt trái pháp luật, bị cáo buộc với tội danh nghiêm trọng, Vietnam Human Rights Defenders, May 15, 2019

Bị bắt vì ‘chuẩn bị tham gia biểu tình’, Radio Free Asia, May 15, 2019

Six Activists Sentenced to a Combined 25 Years in Prison in One Day Ahead of Vietnam Communist Party’s National Congress, The 88 Project, November 28, 2019

Vietnam Jails Six Bloggers, Activists in One-day Sweep Across the Country, Radio Free Asia, November 26, 2019

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