Pham Minh Vu
Current Status: Released - at risk
Other Names: Phạm Minh Vũ, Sep Pham
Date of Birth: April 30, 1992
Gender: M
Ethnicity: Kinh
Occupation: Blogger
Areas of Activism:
- Anti-corruption
- Democracy
- Freedom of expression
- Sovereignty
- Police Brutality
- Press
Known Affiliations:
Details
Background
Pham Minh Vu was born and raised in Quang Tri province. He is a former political prisoner and a well-known blogger with more than 89,000 Facebook followers.
Profile photo: Pham Minh Vu was at the Security Investigation Agency of Dong Nai province in November 2014, six months after his arrest. Source: Pham Minh Vu Facebook (Sep Pham) page
History of ActivismLike Do Nam Trung, Pham Minh Vu has a long history of activism. He was arrested and jailed in the same trial with Do Nam Trung in 2014 at the height of protests opposing China's actions in the South China Sea. After his release in 2015, Pham Minh Vu continued his work as a blogger, focusing on topics of sovereignty, freedom of expression, democracy, police brutality, and anti-corruption. Vu is one of the active authors who published on the page Quyền Được Biết (The Right to Know), a daily news site fighting for a non-communist Vietnam.
Because of his straight-forward articles criticizing public officials , especially Nguyen Phu Trong, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Pham Minh Vu has received dozens of death threats. As a result, Vu has had no choice but to move around various provinces in Vietnam since 2016. As Vu wrote “I’m in exile in my own country," playing hide and seek with the local authorities and Vietnamese police.
Sentenced to 1 year 6 months in prison under Art. 258 (1999 Code). Released November 15, 2015.
May 5, 2014
- Art. 258 (1999 Code)
Dong Nai province public security, Dong Nai province
Bien Hoa city (map)
February 12, 2015 - Date of trial
The People’s Court of Dong Nai Province
1 year 6 months in prison
November 15, 2015
Details of Imprisonment
On May 15, 2014, Pham Minh Vu was arrested while videotaping a demonstration against China in Dong Nai province. Two other activists (Do Nam Trung and Le Thi Phuong Anh) were also arrested on this occasion.
On February 12, 2015, Vu was convicted of “abusing democratic freedoms” and sentenced to 18 months in jail. The other two defendants, Do Nam Trung and Le Thi Phuong Anh, got 14 months and one year of prison, respectively.
In an interview with RFA Vietnamese upon his release, Vu described his time in prison as "extremely hard," and said "I will not give up my activism until Vietnam becomes a multiparty nation."
ResourcesPhạm Minh Vũ (Sep Pham) Facebook's account
Pham Minh Vu Facebook's fanpage
Phiên tòa xét xử những người yêu nước: Lê Thị Phương Anh, Đỗ Nam Trung và Phạm Minh Vũ, Dan Lam Bao, February 12, 2015
Anh Phạm Minh Vũ mãn án tù, RFA Vietnamese, November 15, 2015
Phạm Minh Vũ: “Tôi sẽ không từ bỏ con đường tranh đấu cho đến khi VN đa đảng”, RFA Vietnamese, November 24, 2015
Khi lãnh đạo tháo chạy (Phạm Minh Vũ), Thong Luan, August 08, 2020
Nhận diện những “con rối” lưu vong chống phá đất nước, Báo Công an Nhân dân điện tử, October 25, 2021
From Wrongful Conviction to Political Activism: The Background Story of Do Nam Trung, The 88 Project, December 20, 2021
Phạm Minh Vũ (Sep Pham) Facebook post, March 28, 2022
Profile last updated: 2024-06-13 20:34:07