Nguyen Thien Nghia
Current Status: Pre-trial detention
Other Names: Nguyễn Thiên Nghĩa
Date of Birth: October 4, 1971
Gender: M
Ethnicity: Kinh
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Details
Background
Nghia has his registered household certificate in Ho Chi Minh City, but he currently lives and works in Vung Tau City.
Profile photo: Nghia Thien Nghia and his daughter, Source: his Facebook page
History of Activism
Nghia is a businessperson and rarely talks about political issues, either online or in real life. However, after major failures of the Vietnamese government in containing COVID and in addressing the livelihoods of millions of people, Nghia started to criticize and express his dissatisfaction with the regime.
Family Situation
Nghia is married and has one child.
October 21, 2021: arrest
The People’s Court of Vung Tau City
Dang Dinh Manh
Details of Imprisonment
On October 21 2021, the Public Security of Vung Tau City indicted and arrested Nguyen Thien Nghia for “unlawfully uploading and using internet information and communication information,” in accordance with Article 288 of the 2015 Criminal Code. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison, as well as administrative fines.
The utilization of this article is random and unprecedented, as it is specifically designed to deal with internet providers and similar individuals who possess and use the information of internet users without authorization.
As many State sources describe, Nghia was accused of slandering the Party’s leadership and distorting COVID-19 policies, both of which are usually considered a charge under Article 117.
Our investigation shows that Nghia’s Facebook has nothing to do with the accusations of the authorities. Many of his friends insist that he is a pacifist, moderate in tone, and that he only criticised the government’s policy concerning COVID without using any indecent language.
The utilization of a random criminal article such as Article 288 again proves the arbitrariness of the Vietnamese judicial system.
Resources
Xuyên tạc công tác phòng chống dịch COVID-19, một 'Facebooker' bị bắt giam, Công an Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, October 21, 2021
Bắt đối tượng đăng thông tin xuyên tạc, chống phá chính quyền, Công an Nhân dân, October 21, 2021
“Facebooker” Nguyễn Thiên Nghĩa bị bắt vì đưa thông tin xuyên tạc, Quân đội Nhân dân, October 22, 2021
'Nghia Nguyen Thien' xuyên tạc sự thật vừa bị bắt ở Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu, Người Lao động, October 22, 2021
Man held for spreading distorted COVID-19 news in Vietnam, Tuoi Tre, October 22, 2021
Profile last updated: 2024-07-15 22:12:44