Vietnam

A court in Hanoi sentenced journalist Le Trong Hung to five years in prison and five years of probation. Hung is a reporter for independent online news outlet “Chen Hung Nuoc Viet” and a former National Assembly candidate.

ARTICLE 19 said Vietnamese authorities regularly use the Penal Code to punish human rights defenders, independent journalists and writers, and others exercising their right to freedom of expression.

Court convicts “Bao Sach” journalists who published online reports on corruption in Vietnam.

Journalist Tran Thi Tuyet Dieu previously worked with a state-run newspaper before managing her own Facebook and YouTube accounts. Authorities accused her of posting “anti-state” content on social media.

Le Van Dung, the owner of CHTV, a digital news channel in Vietnam, was arrested after posting social media reports relating to ongoing land disputes and corruption.

Vietnam authorities have harassed and detained several independent candidates ahead of the National Assembly election. These candidates have used social media to announce their candidacy and share their thoughts on the country’s political situation.

Since the start of 2021, at least seven people have been tried and sentenced under Article 117, which criminalises ‘making, storing, distributing or disseminating information, documents and items against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam’.

Journalist and blogger Tran Thi Tuyet Dieu once worked for the state media before providing the public with information about corruption, environment pollution, and human rights abuses. She was convicted of posting anti-state propaganda for her reports published on Facebook and YouTube

Independent journalists Nguyen Thanh Nha, Doan Kien Giang, and Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao were arrested after denouncing abuses by two recently promoted senior officials in Vietnam.

With the conclusion of the 13th Party Congress, watchdog groups foresee continued or worsened suppression of press freedom in Vietnam.

Phan Bui Bao Thy, a state-owned magazine bureau chief in Vietnam’s central province of Quang Tri, was arrested on a charge of “abusing democratic freedoms” for accusing local leaders of corruption in Facebook posts.

In the weeks leading up to the Congress, courts handed down several lengthy sentences to individuals based on their online activities.

Vietnamese journalists Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, and Le Huu Minh Tuan were convicted and received long prison sentences for the charge of publishing “distorted information about the people’s government.” The three are members of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam, which advocates for press freedom.

Vietnamese writer Tran Duc Thach was convicted on charges of subversion under Article 109 of the country’s criminal code. He was arrested in April for Facebook posts criticizing corruption in government and human rights abuses in the country.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) launched the #FreePhamDoanTrang campaign for the release of Vietnamese journalist Pham Doan Trang with a petition and a video featuring the voices of Vietnamese diaspora writers and activists.

Journalist Pham Doan Trang was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City just hours after an annual U.S.-Vietnam human rights dialogue meeting was concluded.