Phan Van Bach

Immediate Concerns

Sept 2024:

On September 16, former Chấn Hưng Việt Nam TV (CHTV) journalist Phan Van Bach was sentenced to five years in prison under Article 117 in a trial lasting only one hour. He reportedly will not appeal the sentence. Human Rights Watch and Freedom House called for his release.

August 2024:

Phan Van Bach‘s health is in imminent danger and requires immediate attention. On August 12, Bach’s lawyer, Le Van Luan, was finally able to see him at Detention Center No.1 in Hanoi. Luan reported that Bach’s health has “seriously deteriorated” while he has been in detention. After Bach’s meeting with the Luan, Bach’s wife, Nguyen Thi Yeu (also known as Nguyen Thi Lieu), also revealed that she was secretly allowed to see Bach recently, and she could hardly recognize her husband because he had lost so much weight. Bach told her he started suffering from alternating diarrhea and constipation just a few days after he was detained, and the condition persisted for months. Since he was detained in late December 2023, Bach’s weight has dropped from 65 kg (143 lbs) to 40 kg (88 lbs). Bach said he had bowel movements on average 30-40 times a day; Bach also believes he has some kind of skin disease. His lawyer has asked prison officials to let him be examined by a doctor but has not received any response.

Bach told his wife that he can’t take it anymore and has asked Lieu to notify the international community to firstly help him secure hospital treatment and also campaign for his release ahead of his impending trial on September 16.  Authorities completed their investigation of Bach on July 2, 2024; however, the family and lawyer were not notified until early August.

July 2024:

Still awaiting trial is former Chấn hưng Việt Nam TV (CHTV) journalist Phan Van Bach. July 29 marked the seventh month since his arrest. His wife, Nguyen Thi Yeu, told Project88 that the family still has not heard anything from the government regarding Bach other than that he has been charged with engaging in “anti-state propaganda” under Article 117.

June 2024:

Phan Van Bach’s wife, Nguyen Thi Yeu (also known as Nguyen Thi Lieu), told Project88 that there is still no news of when Bach’s trial will take place. Bach was arrested in December 2023 and is being held incommunicado in pre-trial detention. The family has not been allowed to contact him. Yeu can only send her husband money each month but not anything, else such as food, medicine, or clothing

Background

Bach was involved in the CHTV channel from 2017 to 2019, but quit and was not affiliated at the time of his arrest. 

Profile photo source

History of Activism

According to Vu Manh Tuan, another CHTV member who now lives in Nha Trang city, “Bach did not focus on any particular subjects. He used to conduct talks in an improvisational way. He used to talk about the bad things of the regime and society. Then, Bach announced he was quitting CHTV.” 

Founded by prisoner of conscience Vu Quang Thuan, CHTV covered hot-button socio-economic issues in Vietnam. Thuan, along with members Le Van Dung and Le Trong Hung, are in prison on charges of disseminating anti-state propaganda because of their involvement in CHTV.

Bach has also participated in several peaceful demonstrations in Hanoi, including protests against China’s maritime activities in the South China Sea since 2011, tree cutting in 2015, and the Formosa environmental disaster caused by a toxic waste spill that affected Vietnam’s central coastal area in 2016. 

He also spoke up against government crackdowns on political dissidents, supported people facing injustice via Facebook, and took part in campaigns demanding the release of detained activists. During this period, he reported he was constantly harassed by unknown actors and his home received strange packages containing things like shrimp paste and a yellow flag.

Family Situation

He is married and has four children.