Updates on Le Trong Hung

Do Le Na, the wife of political prisoner Le Trong Hung, has shared the latest updates on her husband’s condition. Hung tried to run as an independent for a seat in the National Assembly but was arrested in March 2021, before the election took place.

An independent journalist for CHTV for four years, Hung was known as an advocate for land rights victims and a provider of information to help them seek justice. Le Trong Hung will be put on trial for conducting “anti-State propaganda” on New Year’s Eve, 2021. According to Do Le Na:

1. The charges against Hung, according to Article 117, carry a potential sentence between 5 and 12 years in prison;
2. Hung recently carried out a hunger strike that lasted 24 days;
3. Hung is being held in a cell with non-political prisoners but is not allowed to communicate with any of them; one of his fellow cellmates was disciplined after talking to Hung;
4. Hung has refused to accept supplies from the family, saying he wanted to fully experience how the state feeds its prisoners; he also wanted to save that money for his children;
5. His older child is suffering from a bladder condition, but because his medical records were confiscated when police searched their home, he hasn’t been taken to the doctor for exams; also, the family is struggling (financially);
6. More recently Hung’s eyes have been showing signs of worsening cataracts, but he has not been allowed to have them examined.
7. The latest health issues with Hung seem to be jaundice and eczema, but because he has not been examined by a doctor, it is impossible to know for sure.

Do Le Na has requested twice to be allowed to attend the “open trial” of her husband, but as of December 30, she still has not heard anything from the authorities. She said secret police have been seen loitering around her house, pretending to “fix their bikes or having something to eat.” But so far they have not tried to obstruct her movements.

Hung’s wife has also penned a petition to international human rights organizations, urging them to apply pressure on Hanoi for her husband’s release. The petition can be viewed here.

© 2021 The 88 Project