Nguyen Son Lo

July 2023:

Nguyen Son Lo, 74, former director of SENA (Southeast and North Asia) Institute of Research and Development, has been sentenced to three years in prison for “abusing democratic freedoms” (Article 331) and another two years for “abusing official position while conducting government business” (Article 356). Lo is a decorated veteran with a Ph.D. in physics. He has written a number of books advising the government on how to improve the economy. It appears that Lo’s conviction is an attempt to silence anti-corruption voices. According to RFA: “On July 4 [2022], the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations issued a decision to suspend the operations of the institute and take steps to abolish it, saying its establishment and operations violated regulations.”

February 2023:

Nguyen Son Lo, the 74-year-old former head of the Southeast and North Asia (SENA) Institute for Research and Development, was arrested on February 2 and charged with “abusing democratic freedoms.” Last July, the Procuracy decided to put Son Lo under house arrest and search his home. Hanoi police now say he has violated the terms of his probation but did not provide further details. The 88 Project is investigating the reasons for his arrest

Nguyen Son Lo, from Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi, is the former director of the Institute of Technology Research and Development SENA.

SENA used to take part in petitioning recommendations on amending and improving the ruling Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) and the Constitution.

An open letter signed by Nguyen Son Lo as the director of SENA in 2015 and sent to the Politburo, 12th Party Congress and other members of Vietnamese Communist Party mentioned recommended changes to the Communist Party, the state, and diplomatic policy. Among these were changing the name of Communist Party; changing the name of country (recommending it not be called the Socialist Republic anymore); amending the Constitution; promulgating and completing the legal system; building the government with the independence of three branches of power (legislative, judicial, and executive); changing the National Assembly elections; and gradually distancing Vietnam from China in regards to economics, politics and society, etc.

Nguyen Son Lo also wrote books such as “Vietnam nhat dinh phat trien” (Vietnam definitely develops) in 2002,“Viet Nam – Thay doi và Hanh phuc” (Vietnam - Change and Happiness) in 2009, “Viet Nam the ky 21 – Niem tin, Chinh the, Con nguoi” (Vietnam in 21st Century - Faith, Political Regime, People) in 2018 and 2019, etc. to give policy recommendations in the fields of economics and culture, which were sent to the state leaders.

From 2009 to 2013, Nguyen Son Lo lodged complaints against the decision of Hanoi People’s Committee on reclaiming the headquarters of SENA in order to expand the headquarters for Ba Dinh district’s Public Security office.

On July 16, 2022, a seminar on Ukrainian culture was organized at a meeting room of SENA. Allegedly, the seminar was interrupted by electricity cuts at the meeting venue.