Le Manh Ha

Immediate Concerns

October 2022:

On October 25, a court in Tuyen Quang Province sentenced independent journalist Le Manh Ha to eight years in prison plus five years of probation for “anti-state propaganda.” Ha was accused of producing 21 video clips on his YouTube channel and posting 13 articles on his Facebook page about land grabs and corruption. He was arrested in January 2022. The trial lasted just two days. Unlike many other trials of this type, Ha’s wife was allowed inside the courtroom while others were allowed to watch the proceedings via CCTV in a nearby room. Ha was represented by four lawyers who later told reporters that the prosecution failed to show that Ha had violated Article 117.

Shawn Crispin, senior Southeast Asia representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists, has issued a statement regarding the conviction of Le Manh Ha: “Vietnamese authorities must free journalist Le Manh Ha, who was wrongly convicted and harshly sentenced to eight years in prison for merely doing his job as a journalist. … Vietnam must stop equating independent journalism with criminal behavior and release all the journalists it wrongfully holds behind bars.”

Vu Minh Tri, a former officer of the General Department of Military Intelligence, told RFA: “People like Le Manh Ha, Nguyen Lan Thang…. were the sparks that started the big sparks in the struggle for freedom and human rights that could burn down the totalitarian dictatorship, so it’s not surprising that they were condemned so severely.”

Background

Le Manh Ha lived in Na Hang District, Tuyen Quang Province. After being relocated by the local authorities due to the construction of the Tuyen Quang Hydropower Project (former name: Na Hang Hydropower Project)  in the area, Ha lives and works in Tuyen Quang City.

Profile photo: Ha in one of his videos. Source: Voice of America Vietnamese

History of Activism

According to attorney Le Dinh Viet (who represents Ha before the court), Ha himself is a land petitioner concerning the resettlement plan of the Tuyen Quang authorities. The authorities promised that people who returned land for the construction of the Tuyen Quang Dam would receive a certain amount of land in Tuyen Quang City. However, the government has not fulfilled its promise after 16 years. 

Ha studied law by himself and is currently trying to support land petitioners via his YouTube channel, "Tiếng Dân TV Lê Hà," since May 2018.