ベトナムの政治囚の釈放を！

チャン・アン・キム (Tran Anh Kim)
刑期：13年

1949年生まれのチャン・アン・キムは、元中佐であり、タイビン町軍事委員会の元副政治委員だった。彼は民主化活動のために13年の刑に服している。

2006年、チャン・アン・キムは反体制派の作家として知られるようになり、2006年4月8日に結成された民主化運動「ブロック8406」のメンバーとして活動を始めた。ブロック8406は、その日に「2006年ベトナムの自由と民主主義のための宣言（Tuyên Ngôn Tự Do Dân Chủ Cho Việt Nam 2006）」を発表し、ベトナムの民主改革を求めたことで知られている。この宣言には当初118人の反体制派が署名し、その後数千人が加わった。彼はまた、国内外の活動家が設立し運営する民主化推進誌『To Quoc』の編集委員も務めた。2009年、彼は表現の自由を擁護する作家として、ヒューマン・ライツ・ウォッチの「ヘルマン・ハメット賞」を受賞した。

2009年7月、チャン・アン・キムは、禁止されている「ベトナム民主党(Democratic Party of Vietnam)」と関係があるとしてタイビン省警察に逮捕された。警察は彼に対し、刑法第79条の「人民政権の転覆を目的とした活動を行った」として起訴した。2009年12月、彼は有罪判決を受け、5年6か月の刑を言い渡された。

チャン・アン・キムは2015年1月、刑期を終えて釈放された。釈放後、彼はBBCのベトナム語放送に対し、引き続き民主主義と自由のために戦うと語った。警察は彼に対し、執拗な監視を行った。釈放直後、仲間の活動家グループがタイビン省の彼の自宅を訪れたが、帰宅途中に私服の男たちに襲撃された。

2015年9月、チャン・アン・キムは「国民民主旗揚げ部隊（Luc luong Quoc dan Dung co Dan chu、National Forces Raise the Flag of Democracy）」という団体を設立したとして再び逮捕された。（レー・タイン・トゥンの事例を参照）警察は、刑法第79条の「人民政権の転覆を目的とした活動を行った」として再び起訴した。国営メディアによると、彼の目的は「ベトナム共産党およびベトナム社会主義共和国国家の廃止と複数政党制の確立を求めること」だったとされている。2016年12月、タイビン省人民裁判所は彼に有罪判決を下し、13年の刑を言い渡した。この長期の刑は、彼が最初の刑期を終えた後も民主化運動を続けたことが理由とみられる。

2017年8月、チャン・アン・キムはハナム省のバサオ刑務所からタインホア省の第5刑務所に移送された。

チャン・バン・バン (Tran Van Bang)
刑期：8年

1961年生まれのチャン・バン・バン（Tran Van Bang）は、政府を批判したとして8年の刑に服している。

チャン・バン・バン（チャン・バンとも呼ばれる）は、1980年代初頭に軍に所属し、1980年代半ばに軍を退役した後、灌漑技師になった。過去10年間、彼は反中国デモに参加してきた。2015年11月、中国の習近平国家主席のベトナム訪問に反対するデモの最中、治安当局はチャン・バン・バンに暴行を加え、負傷させた。彼は環境保護や人権擁護のデモにも参加し、ベトナムの抑圧的な2018年サイバーセキュリティ法に公然と反対した。

チャン・バン・バンは、公然と次の政治犯や被拘束者への支持を表明してきた。グエン・トゥイ・ハイン、ファム・ドアン・チャン、カン・ティ・テウ、チン・バ・トゥ、チン・バ・フオン、レー・ディン・ルオン、グエン・トゥオン・トゥイ、ファム・チ・ズン、レー・フー・ミン・トゥアン、グエン・バン・ホア、ファム・チ・タイン、グエン・ナン・ティンらがその対象だ。

2020年12月、彼は民主主義を求めて声をあげたために16年の刑に服している著名なブロガー、チャン・フイン・ユイ・トゥックを支援するため、1日のハンガーストライキを行った。2018年6月、治安当局がラムドン省で元政治犯のド・ティ・ミン・ハインを訪問したディン・バン・ハイとヴ・ティエン・チに暴行を加えた際、チャン・バン・バンは、彼らの支援のために資金集めを行った。

近年、治安当局はチャン・バン・バンをしばしば自宅軟禁下に置き、彼が人権関連や政治的に敏感な行事に参加できないようにした。

チャン・バン・バンが逮捕される数か月前から、彼の健康状態が悪化しており、彼はすべての活動を中止して健康回復に専念していた。しかし、警察は彼を引き続き定期的に召喚し、取り調べを行っていた。逮捕が迫っていると感じたチャン・バン・バンは、2022年2月中旬にラジオ・フリー・アジアのインタビューを受け、警察が「ベトナム社会主義共和国国家に反対する宣伝活動に関する問題」について取り調べを行ったと述べた。しかし彼は、「ベトナム政府は成果を挙げるために、誰でも者を好きなように逮捕している。容疑は単なる口実だ」と述べた。

2022年3月1日、ホーチミン市警察はチャン・バン・バンを逮捕し、刑法第117条「国家に反対する宣伝活動を行った」として起訴した。2023年5月12日、ホーチミン市の裁判所はチャン・バン・バンに対し、8年の刑と釈放後3年間の保護観察を言い渡した。

Nguyen Lan Thang
Sentenced: 6 years

Nguyen Lan Thang (born 1975) is serving a six-year prison sentence for criticizing the government.

Nguyen Lan Thang, a graduate of the University of Architecture in Hanoi, began his activism in the early 2000s by participating in anti-China protests. He was a founding member of the now-dormant No-U FC (No U-line Football Club), a soccer team whose members made it their cause to speak out against China’s territorial claims on maritime areas claimed by Vietnam. He also participated in a No-U humanitarian group to provide assistance to impoverished people in remote areas and victims of natural disasters.

Nguyen Lan Thang responded to severe crackdowns on anti-China protests in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City by expanding what he called his “scope of activism to other fields, such as supporting land rights petitioners, fighting against forced land confiscation, defending freedom of religion, defending human rights, and promoting [people’s understanding of] law.”

He traveled to sites of forced land confiscation to film the authorities’ use of excessive force. He also participated in many pro-environment protests. He went to trials of fellow activists and visited their families to show solidarity. He voiced support for other political prisoners including Tran Duc Thach, Pham Doan Trang, Can Thi Theu, Le Van Dung, and many others.

Nguyen Lan Thang is also a blogger for the Radio Free Asia Vietnamese Service. Between April 2013 and July 2022, a day before his arrest, he wrote more than 130 blog entries reflecting on various socio-political issues in Vietnam. He publicly advocated peaceful activism, noting that he hoped to fight for “the young generations of tomorrow’s Vietnam” who are “knowledgeable, considerate, unfanatic, and nonviolent.”

He once wrote that he “genuinely cares about actions that help expose and demythologize things for common people, so they dare to stand up and demand their rights and demand the state to carry out its obligations. If we can get that done, the path to freedom and democracy will not be far away.”

For years, the authorities harassed, intimidated, and persecuted Nguyen Lan Thang on numerous occasions. They arbitrarily detained him, interrogated him, placed him under house arrest, and banned him from travelling. In several instances, plainclothes police agents assaulted him. In April 2014, police at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi prohibited him from leaving Vietnam to travel to the United States to attend an international media freedom event. He published an open letter expressing his regret about not being able to attend the event, and lamented the lack of respect for basic human rights in Vietnam.

Police arrested Nguyen Lan Thang, 48, in Hanoi on July 5, 2022, and charged him with “making, storing, distributing or propagandizing information, materials, documents to oppose the state of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under article 117 (1) of the penal code. On April 12, 2023, a court in Hanoi convicted and sentenced him to six years in prison and two years of probation after his release.

Dang Dang Phuoc
Sentenced: 8 years

Dang Dang Phuoc (born 1963) was convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison for criticizing the government.

Dang Dang Phuoc served in the Vietnamese army and was stationed in Laos for over four years. After leaving the armed forces, he became a music teacher at the Dak Lak College of Pedagogy. Dang Dang Phuoc has often commented on social, political, and environmental issues, and supported the cause of the poor and powerless, including land rights petitioners and Montagnard minority groups. He wrote: “I defend righteousness and the powerless. I do not care about fame and wealth.” For this reason, he stated that he “raises his voice to help reduce social injustice.”

During the past decade, Dang Dang Phuoc has campaigned against corruption and the abuse of power at the grassroots level. He has advocated for better protection for civil and political rights, including freedom of speech, expression, association, assembly, and religion. He openly opposed Vietnam’s repressive 2018 cybersecurity law.

Dang Dang Phuoc signed several pro-democracy petitions, including Petition 72, issued in January 2013, calling for constitutional changes to allow multiparty elections. He also signed the Declaration of Free Citizens, issued in February 2013, seeking to abolish article 4 in Vietnam’s 1992 Constitution, which grants the Communist Party of Vietnam a monopoly on power. The declaration called for creating a multiparty political system, separation of powers, and the depoliticization of the armed forces.

He also spoke out to raise awareness about exploitative economic projects that have a negative impact on the environment. In May 2016, he signed a declaration against Formosa, a Taiwanese steel company that dumped toxic waste and caused a massive marine pollution disaster along the central coast of Vietnam. The declaration’s signatories called for a thorough and transparent investigation of the incident, compensation for people who lost their livelihoods due to the disaster, and accountability. In July 2022, shortly before his arrest, he voiced his concerns about what he termed “reckless” titanium mining in Thua Thien Hue province.

Dang Dang Phuoc showed solidarity with other dissidents by publicly voicing support for rights activists imprisoned by the Vietnamese authorities, including Nguyen Thuy Hanh, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Pham Doan Trang, Trinh Ba Phuong, Trinh Ba Tu, Can Thi Theu, Nguyen Lan Thang, Dinh Van Hai, Y Wo Nie, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, Pham Chi Dung, Le Huu Minh Tuan, Pham Chi Thanh, Dinh Thi Thu Thuy, and Bui Van Thuan.

On September 8, 2022, he wrote a Facebook post in support of the rights activist Bui Tuan Lam (known as “Green Onion Bae”) who was arrested on September 7 by the Da Nang police. Less than two hours later, Dak Lak police moved to arrest Dang Dang Phuoc, and charged him with conducting propaganda against the state under article 117 of the penal code.

On September 8, 2022, he wrote a Facebook post in support of the rights activist Bui Tuan Lam (known as “Green Onion Bae”) who was arrested on September 7 by the Da Nang police. Less than two hours later, Dak Lak police moved to arrest Dang Dang Phuoc, and charged him with conducting propaganda against the state under article 117 of the penal code.

On June 6, 2023, a court in Dak Lak province sentenced Dang Dang Phuoc to eight years in prison and four years of probation after his release.

Bui Tuan Lam
Sentenced: 5.5 years

Bui Tuan Lam (born 1984) is serving five years and six months in prison for criticizing the government.

Bui Tuan Lam (also known as Peter Lam Bui or Green Onion Bae), has publicly advocated democracy for Vietnam over the past decade. He has said that his “ideology and passion” is “to advocate for freedom, democracy and human rights,” and he expressed longing for “human rights to become universal in his homeland.”

Bui Tuan Lam has participated in many anti-China and pro-environment protests over the years. He once joined the now-dormant No-U FC (No U-line Football Club), a soccer team whose members made it their cause to speak out against China’s territorial claims on maritime areas claimed by Vietnam.

He participated in a No-U humanitarian group to provide assistance to impoverished people in remote areas and victims of natural disasters in Vietnam. In April 2020, the Da Nang police harassed and threatened him for providing food relief to local people during the Covid-19 pandemic. Bui Tuan Lam frequently voiced support for fellow activists, political prisoners, and their families.

In February 2014, Bui Tuan Lam travelled to Geneva to participate in a civil society campaign for human rights during Vietnam’s Universal Periodic Review session at the United Nations Human Rights Council. Facing the risk of retaliation from Vietnamese government officials, he prepared a video before he returned to Vietnam, asking supporters to release it if he was detained and calling on them to continue campaigning for freedom and democracy. When he returned to Vietnam, police detained him at the airport, interrogated him for hours and confiscated his passport. He has not been allowed to leave Vietnam since then.

In April 2014, when Bui Tuan Lam was returning from visiting the house of the former political prisoner Huynh Ngoc Tuan, men in civilian clothes assaulted and beat him brutally.

The police have frequently harassed and threatened him for his activism. When he lived in Ho Chi Minh City working as an advertising designer, the police pressured his landlord to evict him and compelled his employer to fire him. Bui Tuan Lam was forced to move back to his hometown, Da Nang, where he opened a sidewalk food stand to earn a living.

Bui Tuan Lam became famous in November 2021 for making a parody video of himself spreading green onion on noodle soup, imitating the celebrity chef Salt Bae, who was seen spreading salt over a US$2,000 gold-encrusted steak and spoon-feeding it to Vietnam’s public security minister, To Lam. Police summoned and interrogated Bui Tuan Lam several times, and pressured him to close his noodle soup shop which he did for a few days.

Police arrested Bui Tuan Lam in September 2022 and charged him for conducting propaganda against the state under article 117 of the penal code. Police kept him incommunicado for more than seven months, with the prosecutors claiming that he didn’t want legal counsel. When Bui Tuan Lam’s wife, Le Thanh Lam, successfully challenged this, the authorities retaliated by refusing to let her attend her husband’s May 25 trial in Da Nang. She still showed up outside the court, where police apprehended, manhandled, and dragged her in the street, injuring her legs. She said that police detained her for several hours, “searched every inch on my body” and “treated me as if I were no longer human.” They released her that evening, long after the trial had finished. The debacle continued inside the court. The judge ordered a defense lawyer, Ngo Anh Tuan, removed from the courtroom before he could even finish his argument.

The court in Da Nang convicted and sentenced Bui Tuan Lam to five years and six months in prison, and four years of probation after his release.

Truong Van Dung
Sentenced: 6 years

Truong Van Dung (born 1954) is currently serving a six-year prison sentence for criticizing the government.

Truong Van Dung first became active in land rights advocacy in the 2000s, campaigning against forced confiscation of his own house. In the early 2010s, he joined other activists and began to advocate for basic rights, including freedom of expression, association, and assembly. Between 2011 and 2018, he also participated in numerous anti-China and pro-environment protests. He joined a protest opposing Vietnam’s problematic 2018 law on cybersecurity and publicly boycotted Vietnam’s national “elections,” a process controlled by the Vietnam Communist Party which is neither free nor fair.

He also publicly voiced support for numerous political prisoners and detainees, including Nguyen Thuy Hanh, Pham Doan Trang, Can Thi Theu, Nguyen Thi Tam, Trinh Ba Tu, Trinh Ba Phuong, Le Dinh Luong, Hoang Duc Binh, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, Pham Chi Dung, Le Huu Minh Tuan, Do Nam Trung, and members of Hoi Anh em Dan chu (Brotherhood for Democracy).

In December 2013, Truong Van Dung and other activists founded a humanitarian group, Hoi Bau bi Tuong Than (Association of Gourd and Squash Mutual Assistance), to provide financial and spiritual support for political prisoners, land rights petitioners, and their families.

Truong Van Dung has experienced years of government harassment and intimidation, including police interrogations, house arrest, a travel ban, and physical assaults by plain-clothes agents. In March 2014, after being attacked and injured by men in civilian clothes, he told a reporter at Radio Free Asia: “I will not budge. The more they act [attack] this way, the more inspired I will be on my path, no less … I am very proud of myself. I did nothing to be ashamed of.”

After his arrest in May 2022, Truong Van Dung was held incommunicado for more than nine months. He was allowed to meet with his lawyer for the first time in March. His family has not been allowed to see him. Vietnam’s courts, controlled by the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam, are not independent and hearings and trials do not meet international standards.

Police in Hanoi arrested Truong Van Dung in May 2022 on charges of “conducting propaganda against the state.” On March 28, 2023, a court convicted and sentenced him to six years in prison.

Le Manh Ha
Sentenced: 8 years

Le Manh Ha (born 1970) is a citizen journalist who is serving an eight-year prison sentence for criticizing the Communist Party and the Vietnam government.

Le Manh Ha has been active as a land rights petitioner since the early 2000s. He campaigned against the relocation of farmers who were displaced by a major hydroelectric project in the Tuyen Quang province. In May 2018, he founded an YouTube Channel called Tieng Dan TV Le Ha (Voice of the People – Le Ha Television) to give the opportunity to land petitioners and farmers to record videos in which they speak out against the injustices they face. His motto is “to promote the Constitution in order to guarantee the rights for citizens.”

Le Manh Ha interviewed many land rights petitioners across Tuyen Quang province. He publicly announced that his objective is to promote the upholding of the Vietnam Constitution and protecting basic citizens’ rights, including the rights to petition and to denounce. He also stated that he wants to enhance people’s knowledge and build a genuine democratic society.

The week before the authorities arrested him, Le Manh Ha posted on his Facebook: “In Vietnam, corruption defeated the people because corruption has been equipped with modern weapons. The people have no weapon except for their cell phones to fight against corruption.”

Le Manh Ha also frequently voiced support and solidarity for fellow citizen journalists including Le Trong Hung, Le Van Dung, and Pham Doan Trang.

Tuyen Quang provincial police arrested Le Manh Ha in January 2022 and charged him with “making, storing, disseminating or propagandizing information, materials and products that aim to oppose the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under article 117 of the penal code.

The Tuyen Quang provincial newspaper claimed that “Le Manh Ha had prepared, posted and shared on social media, including YouTube and Facebook, many articles and video clips with content that propagandize, distort and defame the people’s administration, insult great leader Ho Chi Minh and leaders of the Party and the State; and spread fabricated information to sow confusion among the people.”

In October 2022, a Tuyen Quang provincial court put Le Manh Ha on trial. According to Tuyen Quang newspaper, during the trial, Le Manh Ha said that “his writing are results of what he read on Facebook or watched on social media, and found that such content exposed the current state of Vietnam including corruption, power and status buying, territorial sovereignty issues, inadequacies in management and exploitation of the country’s natural resources and minerals, inadequate compensation for resettlers after land confiscation, the lack of confidence in elected members of the National Assembly, problems in education and health care system, current youth’s perception of freedom and democracy. He found that such contents are consistent with his thoughts and views, and thus he copied and posted them on Facebook, or shared them.”

The court found Le Manh Ha’s actions to copy, post and share such information “very dangerous for society, violating national security, and contravening the policies of the Party.” It convicted and sentenced him to eight years in prison, to be followed by five years on probation.

ディン・バン・ハイ
刑期：5年

ディン・バン・ハイ（1974年生まれ）は、民主主義推進の活動家であり、環境保護活動家でもある。彼は、ベトナム共産党とベトナム国家を公然と批判したとして、5年の刑に服している。

ディン・バン・ハイは、ラムドン省出身の活動家だ。彼は5歳のときに病気を患い、障害を負った。2010年代初頭、彼はFacebookを利用して社会の不正を批判し、政治犯や土地収奪の被害者への支持を表明し始めた。

2016年、彼はフォルモサ・ハティン・スチール社がベトナム中部沿岸の海に有害廃棄物を投棄し、環境災害を引き起こしたことに抗議するデモ行進に参加した。2018年には、特別経済区に関する法案および人権を侵害するサイバーセキュリティ法に反対するデモに数千人の人々とともに参加した。

彼は次のように書いた。「この国、この母国、54の民族、そして9千万人以上のベトナム国民は、ベトナム共産党の所有物ではない。したがって、ベトナム共産党には権利がなく、ベトナム国民や国家を代表して、国全体の利益や国民の生活に関する交渉を個人、団体、貿易、または政治的パートナーと行うことはできない。」

彼は、地元当局から度重なる嫌がらせ、脅迫、さらには暴行まで受けた。警察によると、「地元政府と関連機関は彼の家族と何度も面会し、彼の過ちを指摘し、悪の道を捨てて正しい道に戻るよう警告した」とのことだ。

2018年6月、ディン・バン・ハイと仲間の活動家で、現在国家批判により10年の禁錮刑に服しているヴ・ティエン・チは、ラムドン省で地元の暴漢による脅迫などの攻撃を受けていた元政治犯のド・ティ・ミン・ハインを訪ねた。ド・ティ・ミン・ハインに別れを告げた直後、私服姿の2人の男が訪問中の2人を木棒で襲った。ディン・バン・ハイは、肋骨2本を骨折し、右手と左肩に怪我を負い、入院した。

2021年5月、彼は国政選挙をボイコットした。警察によると、「地元政府が投票箱を彼の家に持ち込んで市民権の行使を促したが、彼は公然と反対し、投票を拒否し、さらに写真を撮ってSNSに投稿し、事実を歪曲した」とされている。

2021年10月、警察は彼を逮捕し、刑法第117条「ベトナム社会主義共和国国家に対する宣伝活動を目的とした情報、資料、製品の作成、保管、流布」に違反したとして起訴した。

2022年4月、ラムドン省の裁判所は彼に5年の刑と、その後3年間の保護観察を言い渡した。

Tran Quoc Khanh
Sentenced: 6 years

Tran Quoc Khanh (born 1960) is serving a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence for criticizing the government.

Tran Quoc Khanh began to use Facebook to discuss social and political issues in the mid-2000s. He shared news considered sensitive in Vietnam such as the trial of farmers in the violent land dispute at Dong Tam commune. In 2021, he visited the family of political prisoner Vu Quang Thuan to show support.

In September 2019, Tran Quoc Khanh submitted an application to the Ministry of Home Affairs to establish an organization called the Vietnam Democracy Association with the goal “to unite all Vietnamese individuals and organizations who can enthusiastically and voluntarily campaign for Vietnamese citizens to enjoy human rights and the rights and responsibilities to decide the fate of the country and the nation.” The ministry dismissed his application. In October 2019, he wrote on Facebook, “Let’s have a democratic and free election for 94 million Vietnamese people. To plant the insiders from a single party only is to go against the principle of freedom and democracy, and robs the rights of the remaining majority. Can we see the robber of power as a talented entity?”

Tran Quoc Khanh gained public attention when he announced that he would run as an independent candidate for the national election in May 2021. He conducted several open public debates via livestream on Facebook in February and March 2021 with Le Trong Hung, another self-nominated independent candidate. The two also exchanged their views on a number of politically sensitive topics, including the Vietnam Constitution and the need for a political plural system.

In February 2021, Ninh Binh provincial police summoned Tran Quoc Khanh to its headquarters and questioned him about his livestream sessions on Facebook. They also questioned him about his application to form the Vietnam Democracy Association, and his self-nomination to contest for a seat in the National Assembly.

On March 1, 2021, he filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Interior Affairs for arbitrarily rejecting his request to form a democracy group. Police arrested him nine days later and charged him with “making, storing, disseminating or propagandizing information, materials and products that aim to oppose the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under article 117 of the penal code.

According to state media, between September 2019 and January 2021, “Tran Quoc Khanh had used his Facebook account and the fan page ‘Voice of Citizen [Tieng noi Cong dan]’ to livestream 22 videos with content that distort and vilify the people’s administration, sowing doubt among the people. He misled, distorted, fabricated the policies and guidelines of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the policies and law of the state; he fabricated, belittled and vilified leaders of the Party and the State; he mispresented our history and rejected the revolution’s achievement; he rejected and rebuffed the leading role of the Communist Party of Vietnam; he urged for plurality, a multi-party system, and separation of power, against the State.”

In October 2021, a Ninh Binh provincial court convicted and sentenced Tran Quoc Khanh to six years and six months in prison, to be followed by two years’ probation.

According to a court document, during the trial, Tran Quoc Khanh denied that “his actions were meant to oppose the State of Socialist Republic of Vietnam” and insisted that his actions “were transparent and democratic with aims to build and develop the country.”

Le Chi Thanh
Sentenced: 5 years

Le Chi Thanh (born 1983) is serving two consecutive prison terms, one for two years on resisting persons on public duty and another for three years for exposing government corruption through livestreams on Facebook and posting videos on YouTube.

Le Chi Thanh was a police captain at the notorious Z30D prison in Binh Thuan province. In the early 2020s, he began to livestream on Facebook and posted videos on YouTube to denounce his supervisor, Col. Le Ba Thuy, for mismanagement of money and other forms of corruption. He called for a thorough, impartial and transparent investigation into his allegations. Le Ba Thuy is the chief of Z30D prison, and also serves as general secretary of the communist party cell there.

In July 2020, the Ministry of Public Security disciplined Le Chi Thanh and kicked him out of the police force. Le Chi Thanh filed appeals against the decision to no avail. He also began to embark on an effort to expose corruption among the traffic police.

In November 2020, Le Chi Thanh said during a livestream on his Facebook:

"I am prepared to embark on a very difficult road. Anything can happen to me, but I have no fear. Each person is only born once and die once. Whether I die sooner or later, I am still in a good spirit. I know I must move forward even when I do not know what awaits me. I decide to take this road, a road that can be full of obstacles and may cause very serious consequence. What I worry most is not for myself personally. I worry for my family and my loved ones. My mother and other members [in my family] previously did not agree with me, but now they begin to, and let me do what I care [about the] most. If I want the bad things cease to exist, I must fight against them. My mother cried a lot, but I cannot abandon my thoughts and the path I chose."

In March 2021, traffic police in Ho Chi Minh City fined Le Chi Thanh and towed his car for an alleged traffic violation. He challenged them by livestreaming the encounter, and demanded they provide information on the legal basis for their action. During a meeting three days later to reclaim his car, Le Chi Thanh again livestreamed the encounter between him and the police. In April 2021, police arrested Le Chi Thanh and charged him for resisting persons on public duty under article 300 of the penal code.

In October 2021, during a meeting between Le Chi Thanh and defense lawyer Dang Dinh Manh, and in front of two government officials, including police officer Le Duc Nghia and People’s Procuracy member Le Thi Hanh, Le Chi Thanh told the lawyer that police tortured him during detention. He reported that “his hands and legs were hung for seven days. All activities including eating, drinking, and going to the toilet was done on [that] spot with him being hung.” He further stated that "he can only use three fingers on each hand, and lost all feeling on the other four fingers. He also feels numb on his leg. Both his hands and feet have pus.”

In January 2022, a Thu Duc city court convicted and sentenced him to two years in prison. His mother told a Voice of America reporter that during the trial, Le Chi Thanh stated that he was tortured, but the court ignored it. A photo circulated that showed Le Chi Thanh was so weak that two police officers had to help him walk into the court room.

In February 2022, Le Chi Thanh was slapped with an additional charge of “abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to infringe upon the interests of the state, the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals” under article 331 of the penal code.

In June 2022, a Binh Thuan provincial court convicted and sentenced him to an additional three years in prison under article 331.

Dang Dinh Bach
Sentenced: 5 years

Dang Dinh Bach (born 1978) is an environmental activist who is serving a five-year prison sentence on a politically motivated tax evasion charge.

Dang Dinh Bach was the director of Law & Policy of Sustainable Development (LPSD), an independent and non-profit center working to promote sustainable development in Vietnam. The center has participated in many environmental coalitions including Mekong Legal Network, Save the Mekong Coalition, Vietnam Environmental Network, and Vietnam Sustainable Energy Alliance. It spearheaded grassroots programs such as Green Sunday, educating people to reduce the use of plastics and increase planting trees.

In November 2020, Dang Dinh Bach joined 29 other civil society activists to establish the Vietnam Non-Government Organizations and European Union - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (VNGO-EVFTA) network to promote the participation of independent civil society groups in the Domestic Advisory Group, a body the EU and Vietnam agreed to set up to allow independent civil society to monitor the implementation of EVFTA. Dang Dinh Bach was elected to the network executive board.

In addition to his advocacy for the environment, Dang Dinh Bach also voiced his opinions on issues deemed politically sensitive in Vietnam, including expressing sympathy for victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre in China in 1989, supporting protesters in Hong Kong in 2019, and raising concerns about the problematic case of death-row prisoner Ho Duy Hai.

In January 2022, the authorities put Dang Dinh Bach on trial, and the court convicted and sentenced him to five years in prison. Dang Dinh Bach appealed the verdict in August, but his appeal was rejected. During the appeal trial, the authorities claimed that Dang Dinh Bach did not "repent".

The European Union protested the imprisonment of Dang Dinh Bach in August 2022.

According to Dang Dinh Bach's wife, he went on at least three hunger strikes (in January, July and November 2022) to protest against his arbitrary arrest and detention.

Le Thanh Tung
Sentenced: 12 years

Le Thanh Tung, also known as Le Ai Quoc, born 1968, is serving a 12-year sentence for calling for democracy in Vietnam.

Le Thanh Tung joined the Vietnam People’s Army in 1986 and was stationed in Vietnam’s Central Highlands and Cambodia. In 1991, he left the army and worked as a freelance laborer. In 2006, Le Thanh Tung began to advocate for freedom and democracy in Vietnam and a year later joined Bloc 8406. Le Thanh Tung blogged and reported as a citizen journalist about land disputes and workers’ strikes. He helped people whose land had been expropriated prepare petitions with supporting documents to hand over to the government. He also penned a number of articles urging the government of Vietnam to adopt a democratic and multi-party political system.

Because of his activism, Le Thanh Tung faced a campaign of official harassment, including being subject to public criticism and forced to make a public self-denunciation. In December 2011, the police arrested and charged him under article 88 of the Vietnam Penal Code for “conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.” In August 2012, the People’s Court of Hanoi sentenced him to five years in prison. In November 2012, the People’s Supreme Court reduced his sentence to four years in prison.

Le Thanh Tung was released in June 2015, a few months before the end of his sentence. But he was not free for long. Police arrested him again in December 2015 for allegedly co-founding a group called “National Forces Raise the Flag of Democracy” (Luc luong Quoc dan Dung co Dan chu; see also the case of Tran Anh Kim). The charges this time focused on “activities that aim to overthrow the people’s administration” under article 79. In December 2016, the People’s Court of Thai Binh sentenced him to 12 years in prison.

In August 2017, Le Thanh Tung was transferred from Ba Sao prison in Ha Nam province to prison No. 5 in Thanh Hoa province.

ホアン・ドゥック・ビン (Hoang Duc Binh)
刑期：14年

1983年生まれのホアン・ドゥック・ビンは、労働者と漁民の権利を推進する活動を行ったとして14年の刑に服している。

ホアン・ドゥック・ビンは、労働者の権利を促進するために2008年に設立された独立系組織「ベトナム労働運動（Phong trao Lao dong Viet）」の副会長だ。2015年12月、警察は彼を一時拘束した。彼が、独立労働組合の結成を認めることを訴えるビラを配布していたためだ。そのビラには、当時のグエン・タン・ズン首相が、環太平洋経済連携協定（TPP）に基づき、ベトナムの労働者が独立した労働組合を結成し、参加できるようになると約束したことが引用されていた。ホアン・ドゥック・ビンは、『Nguoi Viet』紙に対し、拘束中に暴行を受けたと語った。彼の釈放を求めて警察署を訪れた仲間の活動家たちも暴行を受けた。

ホアン・ドゥック・ビンは、政治犯や被拘束者への支持を繰り返し公に表明してきた。彼はまた、複数のフォルモサ抗議活動に参加し、2016年の有毒物質流出事故で生計を失った漁民への補償を求める団体を組織することに協力した。

ゲアン省共産党支部の機関紙『バオ・ゲアン(Bao Nghe An)』は、ホアン・ドゥック・ビンについて「個人のFacebookアカウントで、体制に反対し、多元主義や複数政党制を擁護する情報や資料を頻繁に投稿・共有している」と非難した。「中部沿岸での環境問題を利用し、ベトナム労働運動の副会長として、ホアン・ドゥック・ビンは『中部漁民組合（Hiep hoi ngu dan mien Trung）』を推進し結成した。その目的は、周辺組織を立ち上げ、勢力を集め、中央地域のカトリック教徒や漁民を組織に引き込むことであり、抗議活動を扇動し、治安と秩序を乱すための『核となる要素』を探すことにあった」と非難した。

2017年5月15日、ホアン・ドゥック・ビンは人権擁護者の一人であるグエン・ディン・トゥック神父の車に同乗していたところ、交通警察に停止を命じられた。グエン・ディン・トゥック神父は、サイゴン放送テレビネットワークのウェブサイトで発表した声明の中で、「私服の男たちと制服を着た警察官の一団が突然現れ、車のドアをこじ開け、ホアン・ドゥック・ビンを力ずくで車から引きずり出して連行した」と述べ、逮捕状は提示されなかったと説明した。その夜、ゲアン省のテレビネットワークはホアン・ドゥック・ビンの逮捕を報じた。テレビに映し出された逮捕状には、「私はこの容疑に同意しない。なぜならゲアン警察は私に暴行を加え、違法に逮捕したからだ」と彼の手書きの文字が記されていた。

ゲアン省警察は、刑法第258条の「自由と民主主義を悪用し、国家の利益、団体および市民の正当な利益と権利を侵害した」および第257条の「公務執行妨害」の容疑でホアン・ドゥック・ビンを起訴した。2018年2月、ゲアン省ディエンチャウ地区人民裁判所はホアン・ドゥック・ビンの裁判を行い、14年の刑を言い渡した。

Truong Minh Duc
Sentenced: 12 years

Truong Minh Duc, born 1960, was convicted to 12 years in prison for being affiliated with a pro-democracy group.

Truong Minh Duc is a journalist who wrote and published in various mainstream newspapers in Vietnam, including Vanguard (Tien phong), Youth (Thanh nien), Law (Phap luat), and Kien Giang (the newspaper of his hometown). His writing exposed corruption and wrongdoing committed by local authorities involved in land ownership. He called people to help those in difficult situations. In 2006, he joined the pro-democracy Bloc 8406 and the Populist Party, which “aims to participate in the struggle to advance social democratic process and to build a new Vietnam with peace, freedom, prosperity and progress.”

Truong Minh Duc was arrested in May 2007 and charged with “abusing rights to democracy and freedom to infringe upon the interest of the state” under article 258 of the penal code. He was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison. Since completing his prison term in May 2012, Truong Minh Duc resumed writing about rights issues. He advocates for fellow prisoners of conscience who continue to face harassment in prison simply because they refuse to repent. He joined the Free Viet Labor Federation (Lao dong Viet) from 2014-2016 and the Viet Labor Movement (Phong trao Lao dong Viet) in 2016 to campaign for workers’ rights. He is also a member of the Former Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience (Hoi Cuu Tu nhan Luong tam Viet Nam), and the Brotherhood for Democracy, founded in 2013 “to defend human rights recognized by the Vietnam Constitution and international conventions” and “to promote the building of a democratic, progressive, civilized and just society for Vietnam.” He campaigned against Formosa, a Taiwanese steel company that dumped toxic waste into the sea and caused a massive marine disaster along the central coast of Vietnam.

Due to his human rights activities, Truong Minh Duc encountered harassment, intimidation, house arrest, interrogation, and physical assault. In September 2014, when Truong Minh Duc went with three other activists to the Ministry of Public Security in Hanoi to inquire about the prohibition of labor rights campaigner Do Thi Minh Hanh’s trip abroad, a group of men in civilian clothes attacked and beat him until he lost consciousness. In November 2014, he was severely beaten by a group of eight men, one of whom he identified as a police officer named Hoa, who interrogated and beat him two months earlier at the police station of My Phuoc ward, Ben Cat district (Binh Duong province). In November 2015, the police of Dong Nai province detained and assaulted Truong Minh Duc and labor activist Do Thi Minh Hanh for helping workers at Yupoong Company exercise their rights.

In July 2017, the police arrested Truong Minh Duc and charged him with carrying out activities that aimed to overthrow the people’s administration under to article 79 of the penal code.

Truong Minh Duc was awarded a Hellman/Hammett free expression grant in 2013 and the Vietnam Human Rights award by the Vietnam Human Rights Network in 2010.

Nguyen Trung Ton
Sentenced: 12 years

Nguyen Trung Ton, born 1972, was convicted to 12 years in prison for being affiliated with a pro-democracy group.

Nguyen Trung Ton is an independent Protestant pastor and a blogger whose writings focus on the lack of religious freedom and other rights issues in Vietnam. He has written about local land confiscation and corruption that has driven many peasants into landless situations. He criticized the government’s spending of tax money on festivals instead of building infrastructure, schools, or helping the poor. He supported fellow religious activists including independent Hoa Hao Buddhist leader Le Quang Liem and Mennonite pastor Duong Kim Khai. Nguyen Trung Ton has written about police harassment and assaults against him and his family.

Nguyen Trung Ton has encountered harassment, intimidation, house arrest, interrogation, and physical assault on numerous occasions. In May 2003, men in civilian clothes attacked his home, which he had turned into a house church. In June 2006, he was summoned by the police after attending a church worship service and was assaulted during interrogation. In August 2009, during an independent praying session at a private house, men in civilian clothes accompanied by local officials attacked and beat Nguyen Trung Ton’s family and fellow religious activists. In June 2010, his teenage son Nguyen Trung Trong Nghia was beaten on his way to school by five anonymous men after his father exposed police abuses.

Nguyen Trung Ton was arrested in January 2011 for conducting propaganda against the state and was sentenced to two years in prison. After completing his prison term in January 2013, Nguyen Trung Ton immediately resumed his campaign for human rights and democracy. He wrote a prison memoir that was published in Dan Lam Bao (Citizen Journalism). He advocated for political prisoners to be released. He joined the Former Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience (Hoi Cuu Tu nhan Luong tam Viet Nam) and the Brotherhood for Democracy, founded in 2013 “to defend human rights recognized by the Vietnam Constitution and international conventions” and “to promote the building of a democratic, progressive, civilized and just society for Vietnam.” He campaigned against Formosa, a Taiwanese steel company that dumped toxic waste into the sea and caused a massive marine disaster along the central coast of Vietnam.

In February 2017, Nguyen Trung Ton and a friend took a bus from Quang Thing commune, Thanh Hoa province to Ba Don town, Quang Binh province. Upon arrival, a group of seven or eight young men in civilian clothing dragged them into a van, took their belongings, stripped their clothes off, covered their heads with their jackets, and beat them repeatedly with iron tubes. The perpetrators later abandoned Nguyen Trung Ton and his friend in a deserted forest in Ha Tinh province. Nguyen Trung Ton was seriously injured and had to undergo an operation at a local hospital.

In July 2017, the police arrested Nguyen Trung Ton and charged him for carrying out activities that aimed to overthrow the people’s administration under article 79 of the penal code.

Nguyen Trung Ton was awarded a Hellman/Hammett free expression grant in 2013.

レー・ディン・ルオン (Le Dinh Luong)
刑期：20年

レー・ディン・ルオン（Le Dinh Luong、1965年生まれ）は、人権と民主主義を求める活動を行ったとして、20年の拘禁刑を言い渡されている。

レー・ディン・ルオンはカトリックの活動家で、ベトナム政府当局から政治的に容認できないと見なされる多くの活動に参加してきた。彼は中央高原でのボーキサイト採掘に反対する請願書に署名し、2016年4月にベトナム中部沿岸で台湾企業の「フォルモサ・ハ・ティン・スチール社（Formosa Ha Tinh Steel）」が有害廃棄物を海に投棄し、大量の魚の死と環境災害を引き起こした件について抗議活動に参加した。

彼は2016年5月の国政選挙のボイコットを公に表明した。また、グエン・バン・ダイ（Nguyen Van Dai）、グエン・ヴィエト・ズン（Nguyen Viet Dung）、ホー・ドゥク・ホア（Ho Duc Hoa）などの政治囚への支持を表明した。さらに、レー・ディン・ルオンは、釈放された元政治囚や民主主義や人権を求める活動で投獄された人々の家族を頻繁に訪れ、連帯を示した。

レー・ディン・ルオンは、反体制派の声を封じ込めるために利用される法律の撤廃を求める運動を行った。特に、1999年刑法第258条（「自由と民主主義の権利を乱用し、国家の利益を侵害する」行為に対して最長7年の刑を科す条文）の廃止を求めた。彼の甥で著名な人権活動家であるレー・クオック・クアン（Le Quoc Quan）によると、レー・ディン・ルオンは、地元当局による過剰な教育費や農業生産に関する負担金の支払いを農民が拒否する権利を求める活動も行っていた。

2015年8月、レー・ディン・ルオンは他の活動家数名と共に、政治活動家のチャン・ミン・ニャット（Tran Minh Nhat）を訪ねた。チャン・ミン・ニャットは、海外拠点の政治団体「ベトタン（Viet Tan）」に関与した容疑で4年の刑を終えた後に釈放された人物である。訪問を終え、帰路についた際、私服の男たちがレー・ディン・ルオンらを激しく襲撃した。

2017年7月24日、レー・ディン・ルオンは仲間の活動家であるタイ・ヴァン・ホア（Thai Van Hoa）と共に、2017年1月に再び逮捕された元政治犯のグエン・バン・オアイ（Nguyen Van Oai）の家族を訪ねた。タイ・ヴァン・ホアによると、帰路の途中、私服の男たちが彼らを襲撃し、別々の車に押し込んだという。その後、同日中に警察はレー・ディン・ルオンの逮捕を発表し、刑法第79条「人民政府の転覆を目的とする活動の遂行」の罪で起訴した。警察および軍の新聞は、レー・ディン・ルオンを「危険な反動分子」であり、非合法組織「ベトタン」のメンバーだと非難した。

2018年8月、ゲアン省人民裁判所は、公判を行い、レー・ディン・ルオンに20年の拘禁刑を言い渡した。

グエン・バン・トゥック (Nguyen Van Tuc)
刑期：13年

1964年生まれのグエン・バン・トゥックは、民主主義と人権を訴える活動を行ったとして13年の刑に服している。

グエン・バン・トゥックは2000年代初頭から、故郷であるタイビン省ドンフン地区ドンラ村で、汚職と土地収奪に反対する運動を開始した。その後、彼は2006年4月8日に結成された「ブロック8406」に参加した。この団体は、ベトナムにおける複数政党制の民主的政治体制と人権を求める団体だ。彼は、当局の汚職と人権侵害を非難する記事を複数発表した。

彼は次のように記している。「私は学歴のない土地権利請願者です。しかし、同胞への愛と祖国の痛みを感じるがゆえに、私は勇気を持って社会的不正に立ち向かいます。人々が幸福を手に入れ、国が自由と民主主義を達成し、社会がより良くなるために、たとえ命を犠牲にしても、私は後悔することなくその道を歩みます。」

2008年9月、警察はグエン・バン・トゥックを逮捕した。彼は他の活動家たちとともにハイフォン市の陸橋に横断幕を掲げた。その横断幕には「ティエンフォン区は汚職撲滅に断固として戦う。我々は政府に祖国の防衛を強く求める。我々はベトナム共産党に多元主義と複数政党制の受け入れを要求する」と書かれていた。当局は彼を、1999年刑法第88条「国家に反対する宣伝活動を行った」として起訴した。2009年10月、ハイフォン市人民裁判所はグエン・バン・トゥックと他の活動家5人の裁判を行った。彼は有罪判決を受け、4年の刑を言い渡された。

2012年9月、刑期を終えて釈放されると、彼は直ちに人権と民主主義を訴える活動を再開した。彼は2013年4月にグエン・バン・ダイらが設立した「民主主義のための同盟(Brotherhood for Democracy)」に参加した。この団体は「ベトナム憲法および国際条約で認められた人権の擁護」と「ベトナムにおける民主的、進歩的、文明的かつ公正な社会の構築の推進」を目的としている。「民主主義のための同盟」は、ベトナム国内外の活動家たちのネットワークとして活動している。

2017年9月、グエン・バン・トゥックは再び逮捕され、1999年刑法第79条「人民政権の転覆を目的とした活動を行った」として起訴された。『人民日報』は、彼が「違法に活動する反動組織に参加し、ベトナム共産党の指導的役割を排除し、人民政権を転覆させ、政治体制を変更する計画を立てていた」と非難した。

2018年4月、わずか数時間の裁判で、タイビン省人民裁判所は彼に有罪判決を下し、13年の刑を言い渡した。

グエン・バン・トゥックの妻、ブイ・ティ・レは、夫の健康状態が悪化しており、心臓病や角膜炎（目の炎症）などの病気を抱えていると公に述べている。

Nguyen Trung Truc
Sentenced: 12 years

Nguyen Trung Truc, born 1974, is convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison for campaigning for democracy and human rights.

Nguyen Trung Truc has a long history of involvement in pro-democracy activities. He was a boat person who spent more than seven years in a refugee camp in Hong Kong in 1990s, then was deported back to Vietnam in 1997. In 2003, he went to work in Malaysia, where he joined the Vietnam Restoration Movement (Phong trao Chan hung nuoc Viet), founded by the rights activists Vu Quang Thuan and Le Thang Long. The organization advocated for Vietnam to adopt a multi-party, democratic political system. Le Thang Long says that the movement’s goal is to advance “corporate reform, non-violence, dialogue, and listening for the mutual and long-term interest of the country.”

The police newspaper said in September 2017 that Nguyen Trung Truc “actively wrote many reactionary documents with content that propagandized a distorted image of Vietnam; answered interviews and participated in illegal protests in Malaysia.” Malaysia deported him back to Vietnam in September 2012.

In August 2015, Nguyen Trung Truc joined the Brotherhood for Democracy, which was founded in April 2013 by rights campaigner Nguyen Van Dai and fellow activists. With the stated goal “to defend human rights recognized by the Vietnam Constitution and international conventions” and “to promote the building of a democratic, progressive, civilized, and just society for Vietnam,” the Brotherhood for Democracy is a network of activists both in and outside Vietnam who campaign for human rights and democracy in Vietnam.

Nguyen Trung Truc acted as the group’s representative in Vietnam’s central region. He participated in protests against Formosa, a Taiwanese steel company that dumped toxic waste into the sea and caused a massive marine disaster along the central coast of Vietnam in April 2016.

In July 2016, Nguyen Trung Truc and seven other people went to Cua Lo in Nghe An province to attend a wedding of a fellow activist. A group of several dozens of people in civilian clothes attacked and severely beat them, and seized their phones, wallets, and official government identification. The assailants abandoned them in a deserted forest. Nguyen said he suffered a bruised back and bloody mouth, nose, and ears and later required stiches for a cut on his ear.

Nguyen Trung Truc was arrested in August 2017 and charged with “carrying out activities that aim to overthrow the people’s administration” under article 79 of the 1999 penal code. In September 2018, the People’s Court of Quang Binh province sentenced him to 12 years in prison.

Luu Van Vinh
Sentenced: 15 years

Luu Van Vinh, born 1967, was convicted to 15 years in prison sentence for being affiliated with a pro-democracy group.

Luu Van Vinh frequently participated in anti-China protests and pro-environment demonstrations in Ho Chi Minh City. He attended meetings with activists to discuss human rights issues. In April 2015, police detained him for more than 12 hours after he visited the children of land rights petitioners who were serving time in prison for throwing acid at police who evicted them from their home in Long An province.

In July 2016, Luu Van Vinh announced the formation of the Vietnam National Self-Determination Coalition, an independent political group. The announcement asserted that political parties and civil society groups both inside and outside of Vietnam need to join together to provide a counterpoint to the Communist Party’s views.

Police arrested Luu Van Vinh in November 2016 and charged him under article 79 of the 1999 penal code. Doan Minh Tuan, a coalition member who later fled and sought asylum in Thailand, told a reporter at Vietnam Sydney Radio that he was visiting Luu Van Vinh that morning and witnessed the arrest. Security agents in civilian clothes burst into the house and detained them without showing any arrest warrants. During the arrest, police beat them both, and then took them to a police headquarters, which they couldn’t identify, for interrogation.

Security agents took Luu Van Vinh back to his house that afternoon and read him the arrest warrant. Doan Minh Tuan said he was detained for three days, then released and put under intrusive surveillance. During the next four months, police summoned Doan Minh Tuan and interrogated him many times, pressuring him to admit guilt and report on Luu Van Vinh. Doan Minh Tuan fled to Cambodia and then to Thailand in April 2017.

In May 2018, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued an opinion that the arrest of Luu Van Vinh was arbitrary. It “considers that, taking into account all the circumstances of the case, in particular the risk of harm to Mr. Vinh’s health, the appropriate remedy would be to release Mr. Vinh immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.”

In October 2018, the People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh put him on trial and convicted him to 15 years in prison.

Pham Van Diep
Sentenced: 9 years

Pham Van Diep, born 1965, is a human rights and pro-democracy blogger. He was convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison for posting his opinions on Facebook.

Pham Van Diep is a longtime human rights advocate and critic of the Vietnamese government. He has repeatedly used blogs, and later his Facebook account, to address human rights abuses. Originally from Thanh Hoa, he traveled to Russia to study in December 1992 and stayed until June 2016. He began to write and publish online opinion pieces critical of the government in 2002.

In the summer of 2011, during a trip home to Vietnam, Pham Van Diep participated in two anti-China protests in Hanoi. In 2012, he wrote an open letter to the Communist Party of Vietnam, criticizing article 4 of the Vietnam Constitution, which declares that the Communist Party is the leading force of the state and the society. He also urged the Vietnamese government to abolish former article 258 (now article 331) of the penal code and immediately release anyone imprisoned under this article. He has previously faced numerous problems traveling to and from Vietnam and has filed court cases challenging restrictions imposed on his travel – always without success.

Pham Van Diep tried to enter Vietnam twice in June 2016 and was denied entry, then tried again from Laos, where his passport was confiscated. He then staged a protest against Vietnam’s Communist Party at the Victory Monument in Vientiane, was arrested, and charged with “using the territory of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to oppose neighboring countries.” A Laos court put him on trial in February 2018, convicted him, and sentenced him to 21 months in prison.

Pham Van Diep was released in March 2018 and taken by Laos police to the Cau Treo border crossing. Vietnamese authorities, for reasons that are not clear, allowed him to enter the country. In June 2018, he participated in a protest in Hanoi against a draft bill on special economic zones. The police detained him for several hours, during which they struck him three times in the head, he said. He filed a lawsuit against the police citing their excessive force, which a court dismissed, then petitioned the government to protest the decision.

Pham Van Diep opened a Facebook account in October 2018. He posted and shared news on social and political issues such as land confiscation, police brutality, corruption, and the protests in Hong Kong. He criticized the cyber security law and urged the government to abolish the-Party-elects-the-People voting system to move toward a free election.

The police of Thanh Hoa province arrested him in June 2019 and charged him with “making, storing, disseminating or propagandizing information, materials and products that aim to oppose the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” under article 117 of the country’s penal code. In November 2019, the People’s Court of Thanh Hoa province convicted and sentenced Pham Van Diep to 9 years in prison.

Nguyen Nang Tinh
Sentenced: 11 years

Nguyen Nang Tinh, born 1976, is a human rights and pro-democracy activist. He was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison for posting his opinions on Facebook.

Nguyen Nang Tinh was a music lecturer at Nghe An province’s College of Culture and Art. On Facebook, he previously voiced support for political prisoners including Le Dinh Luong, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Nguyen Van Hoa, Ho Duc Hoa, Nguyen Huu Vinh (also known as Anh Ba Sam; who completed his prison term in May 2019), and now-in-exile activists Nguyen Van Dai and Dang Xuan Dieu.

He also posted an image of a protest against a new draft law on a special economic zone, and protests against Formosa Ha Tinh Steel, a Taiwanese company that dumped toxic waste into the ocean, which caused an environmental disaster off Vietnam’s central coast in April 2016. Videos on YouTube show him teaching children a song about human rights written by a former political prisoner, Vo Minh Tri (also known as Viet Khang). He has also supported the Vinh Human Development Fund, a Catholic charity, and raised money to help the poor.

Nguyen Nang Tinh has previously been the victim of violence by thugs – in May 2014 and November 2015 – most likely carried out by police in civilian clothes. At the first beating, uniformed police were present and did nothing to intervene.

Police in Nghe An province arrested Nguyen Nang Tinh in May 2019, and charged him with “making, storing, disseminating or propagandizing information, materials and products that aim to oppose the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” under article 117 of the country’s penal code. State-owned media announced the charges related to Facebook posts, many of which are critical of the government and Communist Party of Vietnam.

In November 2019, the People’s Court of Nghe An province convicted and sentenced Nguyen Nang Tinh to 11 years in prison.

Nguyen Quoc Duc Vuong
Sentenced: 8 years

Nguyen Quoc Duc Vuong, born 1991, is serving an eight-year prison sentence for conducting propaganda against the state.

Nguyen Quoc Duc Vuong used Facebook to express views supporting democracy in Vietnam and criticized the Communist Party of Vietnam for corruption and monopolizing power. In one of his livestreams, he said: “I am not certain that the entire state apparatus is corrupt, but I am 100 percent certain that those who have been involved in corruption are Communist Party members. Vietnam only allows one single party and does not allow any competing opposition.”

In other posts or livestreams, Nguyen Quoc Duc Vuong has shared news about protests in Hong Kong and voiced support for a change of government in Venezuela. He has also shared stories about land confiscation issues in Vietnam and raised cases of various Vietnamese political prisoners including Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Nguyen Viet Dung, and Phan Kim Khanh.

According to an official communist party journal, in June 2018, Nguyen Quoc Duc Vuong participated in a major protest in Ho Chi Minh City against the draft law on special economic zones and the newly passed cybersecurity law. The police reportedly fined him 750,000 VND (approximately US$32).

Police in the southern province of Lam Dong arrested Nguyen Quoc Duc Vuong on September 23, 2019, and charged him with “making, storing, disseminating or propagandizing information, materials and products that aim to oppose the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” under article 117 of the country’s penal code.

After his September arrest, state media quoted police, saying: “[O]ver the last two years, Nguyen Quoc Duc Vuong has used social media to make and distribute materials, propagandize and distort, blacken and slander the regime, offend the memory of President Ho Chi Minh and oppose the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.” Police officials said they had warned him not to post critical material online, but that he did not stop.

In July 2020, a court in Lam Dong province convicted and sentenced him to eight years in prison.

ファム・チ・ズン(Pham Chi Dung)
刑期：15年

ファム・チ・ズン（Pham Chi Dung、1966年生まれ）は、国家に反対する宣伝活動を行ったとして、15年の拘禁刑に服している。

ファム・チ・ズンは独立系ジャーナリストで、長年にわたり様々な社会的・政治的問題について執筆してきた。彼は、民主主義、報道の自由、政治的多元主義、法の支配、市民社会の発展を訴える活動を行ってきた。また、ベトナム独立ジャーナリスト協会（Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam）の創設者であり、同協会の会長を務めている。

彼は反中国デモや環境保護デモに参加し、多くの人権関連の会議にも出席した。また、他の活動家や政治囚の支援にも尽力した。警察は彼に対して頻繁に嫌がらせや脅迫、拘束を行い、自宅軟禁や渡航禁止措置を科してきた。2012年7月、警察は彼を逮捕し、刑法第79条の「反逆罪」と第88条の「国家に反対する宣伝活動」の罪で起訴した。しかし、7か月間拘束した後、警察は起訴を取り下げ、2013年2月に彼を釈放した。

2019年11月、彼は「ボイス・オブ・アメリカ」に論評記事を発表し、EUがベトナムの劣悪な人権状況を改善するまでEU・ベトナム自由貿易協定を承認するのを延期するよう求める非政府組織への共同書簡に署名した。

2021年1月、ホーチミン市の裁判所はファム・チ・ズンに対し、15年の拘禁刑を言い渡した。

グエン・トゥオン・トゥイ (Nguyen Tuong Thuy)
刑期：11年

1952年生まれのグエン・トゥオン・トゥイは、国家に対する宣伝活動を行ったとして11年の刑に服している。

グエン・トゥオン・トゥイは22年間、軍に所属していた。2000年代初頭から反中国デモに参加し、政府を批判して投獄された著名な反体制派のクー・フイ・ハー・ヴーやレー・クオック・クアンらへの支持を公に表明していた。

2013年12月、彼は他の活動家と共に「ホイ・バウ・ビ・トゥオン・タン（ひょうたん・かぼちゃ相互援助協会）」という人道支援団体を設立し、政治犯や土地権利を訴える人々、そしてその家族に対する経済的および精神的支援を行った。2014年4月、彼は米国に渡り、ベトナムにおける報道の自由の欠如について米国議会で証言した。2014年7月には、ベトナム独立ジャーナリスト協会の設立に関わり、5月に逮捕されるまで同協会の副会長を務めていた。警察はこれまでに彼に対し、嫌がらせや脅迫、暴行、拘束を行い、自宅軟禁や渡航禁止措置を課してきた。

2020年5月23日、警察はハノイでグエン・トゥオン・トゥイを逮捕し、ベトナム刑法第117条に基づき「ベトナム社会主義共和国国家に反対する情報、資料、製品の作成、保管、拡散、または宣伝を行った」として起訴した。家族の証言と警察の押収品目記録によると、グエン・トゥオン・トゥイは警察に携帯電話のパスワードを渡さないために、携帯電話を机に叩きつけて破壊した。

2021年1月、ホーチミン市の裁判所は彼に有罪判決を下し、11年の刑を言い渡した。

Le Huu Minh Tuan
Sentenced: 11 years

Le Huu Minh Tuan, born 1989, is serving a 11-year prison sentence for conducting propaganda against the state.

Le Huu Minh Tuan is a graduate of Da Nang University and was a student at Hanoi Law University. He joined the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam in August 2014. Under the pen name Le Tuan, he has written about various topics including a study of the development of civil society in Russia, Joshua Wong and the democracy protests in Hong Kong, and politics in Vietnam. He has stated that he wants “to campaign for a better society by contributing a critical voice on every front of life.”

Police arrested Le Huu Minh Tuan in Quang Nam province on June 12, 2020, and charged him with “making, storing, disseminating, or propagandizing information, materials, and products that aim to oppose the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under article 117 of the penal code.

In January 2021, a court in Ho Chi Minh City convicted and sentenced him to 11 years in prison.

Tran Duc Thach
Sentenced: 12 years

Tran Duc Thach, born 1952, is serving a 12-year prison sentence for being associated with a pro-democracy group.

Tran Duc Thach has written a novel, hundreds of poems, articles, and reports that condemn corruption, injustice, and human rights abuses. A veteran of the People's Liberation Army, he is a member of the Nghe An Writers Club. His 1988 novel, Doi ban tu (Two Companions in Prison) described the arbitrary nature of Vietnam’s legal system and the inhumane conditions in Vietnamese prisons. Poems published under the title Dieu chua thay (Things Still Untold) speak about life without freedom and justice. His short memoir Ho chon nguoi am anh (A Haunting Collective Grave) retells the story of the mass killing of civilians by northern army soldiers at Tan Lap hamlet in Dong Nai province in April 1975, which he witnessed.

The authorities have repeatedly harassed him since 1975. In 1978, to protest his mistreatment, he set himself on fire and was badly burned. In 2008, he participated in anti-China protests and was arrested in September that year. He was accused of writing “many articles that distort the truth, slander, and badmouth the party and the state, and publishing them on To Quoc magazine,” a clandestine dissident bulletin. In October 2009, a court found him guilty of conducting propaganda against the state under article 88 of the penal code. He was sentenced to three years in prison.

After completing his prison term in 2011, Tran Duc Thach resumed his criticism of the Communist Party and the state. He joined the Brotherhood for Democracy in April 2013. On April 23, 2020, police arrested him in Nghe An province and charged him with “carrying out activities that aim to overthrow the people’s government” under article 109 of the penal code. Tran Duc Thach is the 10th member of Brotherhood for Democracy arrested in recent years.

In December 2020, a court in Nghe An province convicted and sentenced him to 12 years in prison.

Dinh Thi Thu Thuy
Sentenced: 7 years

Dinh Thi Thu Thuy, born 1982, is serving a seven-year prison sentence for conducting propaganda against the state.

Dinh Thi Thu Thuy uses Facebook to voice support for political prisoners. In June 2018, she participated in a protest against a draft law on special economic zones and the cybersecurity law. A fellow activist wrote on Facebook that she has often voiced her opinions “on social injustice and the national sovereign violated by communist China.”

Police arrested Dinh Thi Thu Thuy on April 18, 2020, in Hau Giang province and charged her with “making, storing, disseminating, or propagandizing information, materials, and products that aim to oppose the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under article 117 of the country’s penal code.

According to state media, “since 2018, Dinh Thi Thu Thuy opened many Facebook accounts to edit, post, and share hundreds of materials that propagandize, distort, and smear the honor of the leaders of the Party and State; provoking oppositional thoughts; spreading false news that cause confusion for people in order to oppose the Communist Party of Vietnam and the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.”

In January 2021, a court in Hau Giang province convicted and sentenced her to seven years in prison.

Pham Chi Thanh
Sentenced: 5 years and 6 months

Pham Chi Thanh, born 1952, is serving a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence for conducting propaganda against the state.

Pham Chi Thanh is a journalist, writer, and blogger. His first novel, Hau Chi Pheo (About Chi Pheo), published in 1991, condemns the land reform in the north in the 1950s, and portrays local communist leaders as corrupt, immoral, stupid, and cruel. In 2007, he lost his position as the editorial secretary at Voice of Vietnam newspaper for writing anti-China articles.

In 2014, he self-published his second novel, Co Hon Xa Nghia (Scarecrow Socialism), which portrayed socialism and the political regime of Vietnam in a highly negative light. In 2019, under the pen name Pham Thanh - Ba Dam Xoe, he published a collection of writing criticizing the Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong for being close to China.

On May 21, 2020, the Hanoi police searched Pham Chi Thanh’s house for several hours before arresting him. He was charged with “making, storing, disseminating, or propagandizing information, materials, and products that aim to oppose the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under article 117 of the country’s penal code.

In July 2021, a court in Hanoi convicted and sentenced him to five years and six months in prison.

カン・ティ・テウ (Can Thi Theu)
刑期：8年

カン・ティ・テウ（Can Thi Theu、1962年生まれ）は、国家に反対する宣伝活動を行ったとして、8年の拘禁刑に服している。

カン・ティ・テウは2000年代半ばに著名な土地権利活動家として頭角を現し、政府による土地収用に対して闘った。2014年4月、彼女は政府による土地収用を撮影していた際に警察に逮捕され、その後、刑法第257条「公務執行妨害」により15か月の拘禁刑を言い渡された。同じ日に彼女の夫も逮捕され、類似の罪で14か月受刑した。

刑期を終えたカン・ティ・テウは、直ちに人権活動を再開した。彼女は環境抗議活動に参加し、他の人権活動家や政治囚への支持を公に表明した。2016年6月、警察は彼女を土地収用への抗議に参加したとして再び逮捕し、3か月後に20か月の刑が言い渡された。

2018年2月に釈放された後も、カン・ティ・テウは直ちに人権活動を再開した。帰宅後、支援者たちに対して熱のこもった演説を行い、「小さな刑務所を出て、大きな刑務所に戻っただけだ」と語った。彼女は政府の人権侵害を非難し、人権のために闘い続けると誓った。 また、外国政府や国際人権団体に対して、ベトナムの人権活動家を支援するよう呼びかけた。

2020年6月24日、ホアビン省とハノイ市の警察は、カン・ティ・テウとその息子のチン・バ・トゥ（Trinh Ba Tu）、チン・バ・フオン（Trinh Ba Phuong）をそれぞれ逮捕した。3人はベトナム刑法第117条の定める国家に反対する宣伝活動を行ったとして起訴された。

逮捕される前、３人は2020年1月に発生したドン・タム村の事件で、警察の襲撃により84歳の農民レー・ディン・キン（Le Dinh Kinh）と3人の警察官が死亡した件について、地元住民の声を広める上で重要な役割を果たした。カン・ティ・テウとその息子たちは、暴力的な土地衝突の実態を明らかにした「ドン・タム・レポート（Dong Tam Report）」の著者の中に名を連ねていた。

2021年5月、ホアビン省の裁判所は、カン・ティ・テウとその息子チン・バ・トゥにそれぞれ8年の拘禁刑を言い渡した。裁判中に氏名を尋ねられた際、2人はともに「私の名前は共産主義政権の被害者です」と名乗った。

Trinh Ba Tu
Sentenced: 8 years

Trinh Ba Tu, born 1989, is serving an eight-year prison sentence for conducting propaganda against the state.

Trinh Ba Tu became an activist after witnessing retaliation against his parents, land rights activists Can Thi Theu and Trinh Ba Khiem. In June 2015, when he and other activists were welcoming his father Trinh Ba Khiem as he was released from prison in Nghe An province, a group of men – most likely plainclothes police – attacked them, and Trinh Ba Tu suffered serious injuries. He has engaged in numerous protests and campaigns over human rights, land rights, and environmental protection, among other issues.

In separate arrests on June 24, 2020, police in Hoa Binh province and Hanoi detained Trinh Ba Tu, his mother Can Thi Theu, and his brother Trinh Ba Phuong. The three were charged with conducting propaganda against the state under article 117 of Vietnam’s penal code.

Prior to their arrests, the three family members were instrumental in amplifying the voices of the community of Dong Tam commune, where a police raid in January 2020 resulted in the deaths of an 84-year-old farmer, Le Dinh Kinh, and three policemen. Can Thi Theu and her sons were among the authors of the “Dong Tam Report,” which shed light on the violent land clash.

Trinh Ba Tu appears to have anticipated his arrest. On the day he was arrested, a pre-recorded video was posted on Facebook in which he expressed concern of being tortured and killed by police, and asked supporters and family members to publicly display his body if he was killed, to expose the crimes against him.

Trinh Ba Tu reportedly carried out a 20-day hunger strike in August 2020, protesting “mistreatment against him and other prisoners.”

In May 2021, a court in Hoa Binh province convicted and sentenced Trinh Ba Tu and his mother Can Thi Theu each to eight years in prison. Upon being asked their names at the trial, both said “my name is Victim of the Communist [regime].”

Trinh Ba Phuong
Sentenced: 10 years

Trinh Ba Phuong, born 1985, was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for conducting propaganda against the state.

Trinh Ba Phuong comes from a family of land rights activists. Over the past decade, he has joined his mother, Can Thi Theu, his father, Trinh Ba Khiem, and younger brother, Trinh Ba Tu, in numerous protests and campaigns in support of human rights, land rights, and environmental protection. The authorities arrested his father in April 2014 during a government land confiscation in Duong Noi for “resisting against those who are on public duties,” under Article 257 of the Penal Code, and imprisoned him for 14 months. His mother previously served two prison terms – 15 months beginning in 2014 and 20 months in 2016.

Police arrested Trinh Ba Phuong in June 2020 for having “prepared, published and disseminated video clips and writing with distorted contents that sow confusion among the people in order to oppose the State,” in violation of Article 117 of the Penal Code.

On the same day that Trinh Ba Phuong was arrested in Hanoi, the police in Hoa Binh province also arrested his mother and brother on the same charge. Prior to their arrests, the three family members were instrumental in amplifying the voices of farmers at Hanoi’s Dong Tam commune, where a police raid in January 2020 resulted in the deaths of an 84-year-old farmer, Le Dinh Kinh, and three policemen. Trinh Ba Phuong was one of the authors of the “Dong Tam Report,” which shed light on the violent land clash.

Trinh Ba Phuong appears to have anticipated his arrest. On the day he was arrested, a pre-recorded video was posted on Facebook in which he expressed concern of being tortured and killed by police, and asked supporters and family members to publicly display his body if he was killed, to expose the crimes against him.

In December 2021, a court in Hanoi convicted and sentenced Trinh Ba Phuong to 10 years in prison.

Nguyen Thi Tam
Sentenced: 6 years

Nguyen Thi Tam, born 1972, was sentenced to six years in prison for conducting propaganda against the state.

Nguyen Thi Tam has protested against land confiscation in Hanoi’s Duong Noi commune since the mid 2000s. In June 2008 she participated in a public protest outside the People’s Committee of the then-Ha Tay provincial headquarters. In November 2008 a court put Nguyen Thi Tam and other villagers on trial for “resisting people on public duty,” convicted her, and sentenced her to a suspended 12-month prison sentence.

In February 2020, the police newspaper labeled Nguyen Thi Tam “opposing reactionary” person who “collected and disseminated” news about the deadly Dong Tam commune clash.

Police arrested Nguyen Thi Tam in June 2020 for having “prepared, published and disseminated video clips and writing with distorted contents that sow confusion among the people in order to oppose the State,” in violation of Article 117 of the Penal Code.

In December 2021, a court in Hanoi sentenced Nguyen Thi Tam to six years in prison.

ファム・ドアン・チャン (Pham Doan Trang)
刑期：9年

ファム・ドアン・チャン（Pham Doan Trang）は1978年生まれのベトナムの活動家であり、国家に対するプロパガンダを行ったとして9年の禁錮刑を言い渡された。

ファム・ドアン・チャンは、レズビアン、ゲイ、バイセクシュアル、トランスジェンダー（LGBT）に関する権利、女性の権利、環境問題、ベトナムと中国の領土紛争、警察の暴力、活動家の弾圧、法や人権に関する問題など、幅広いテーマについて発信する著名なブロガーだ。彼女は選挙改革や人権教育の推進に尽力しており、記事やブログではメディアの社会的・政治的役割に焦点を当てることが多く、社会をより平和的で活発な市民社会に育てるために、SNSを責任ある形で活用するよう人々に呼びかけている。

ファム・ドアン・チャンは、公正で人権を尊重する司法制度の実現を一貫して訴えてきた。彼女はオンラインの『Law Magazine』の編集者としても活動し、弁護士と人権に関する記事や翻訳を数多く発表している。その内容には、強要された自白への対策、国家による体罰の使用、家庭内暴力、中国の法改正、ベトナムにおける著名な死刑事件、自己負罪拒否権の保護など、多岐にわたるテーマが含まれている。また、ファム・ドアン・チャンは香港の民主化運動について、ベトナム語以外読めない人々のために英語の記事を翻訳し、事件の経緯や重要事項を紹介するタイムラインを作成するなど、国際的な問題についても執筆している。さらに、クリミアの人権危機についても同様の活動を行い、これらの翻訳記事は他の人々によってベトナム国内に広められた。

ファム・ドアン・チャンの活動は、ベトナムの深刻な人権状況に国際的な関心を集めることを目指している。彼女のブログには、彼女のベトナム語の記事の英語翻訳が掲載されており、政治犯の解放を訴える内容が多く見られる。また、彼女は英語のウェブサイト「Vietnam Right Now」の共同編集者でもあり、同サイトはベトナムの社会や政治の現状について「客観的で正確かつ迅速な情報」を発信することを目的としている。

2019年2月、ファム・ドアン・チャンは「自由出版（Liberal Publishing House）」を共同設立した。この出版社は、ベトナム人著者によるノンフィクション書籍を幅広く扱っており、政治学や公共政策、その他の社会問題に関する著作を発表している。代表的な出版物には『警察国家の政治学』『非暴力抵抗』『一般市民のための政治学』『鉄格子の裏側の生活』『囚人家族のためのハンドブック』などがある。これらの本は政府にとって敏感な内容と見なされ、事実上の発禁処分となっている。

ファム・ドアン・チャンは長年にわたり、政府の政策に対する平和的な抗議活動に参加してきた。彼女は、仲間の活動家が拘束された際には警察署や空港の外で抗議活動に加わり、反中国デモや環境保護デモの主導者としても活動した。また、政府のよる見せしめ裁判に出席しようとし、投獄された反体制派の家族を支援するために、身の重大な危険を顧みずにそうした人々のもとを定期的に訪れていた。

政府の治安部隊は、彼女に対してたびたび嫌がらせや暴行を加えた。彼女は、2015年4月にハノイで行われた環境保護デモの際に治安部隊により強制的に解散させられ、負傷したことが原因で、足を引きずって歩くようになった。

2016年5月には、オバマ米国大統領がハノイを訪問した際、彼が招待した活動家の集まりに出席しようとしたところ、警察に拘束され、参加を阻止された。また2017年11月には、欧州連合（EU）代表団との会合後に拘束された。この代表団は、EUとベトナムの年次人権対話の準備を行っていた。

2020年10月6日、ファム・ドアン・チャンはホーチミン市で逮捕され、「ベトナム社会主義共和国国家に対するプロパガンダ活動（conducting propaganda against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam）」を行ったとして、1999年刑法第88条の下で起訴された。

2021年12月、ハノイの裁判所は彼女に9年の刑を言い渡した。

Do Nam Trung
Sentenced: 10 years

Do Nam Trung, born 1981, is serving a 10-year prison sentence for conducting propaganda against the state.

Do Nam Trung previously spent 14 months in prison after he publicly advocated for democracy and human rights in the early 2010s.

In May 2014 police arrested Do Nam Trung and his friends in Dong Nai province as they were taking photos and filming anti-China protests. The authorities charged them under what was then Article 258 of the Penal Code. They specifically were accused of “abusing the rights to freedom and democracy including freedom of speech and assembly … to petition and denounce … to use internet … to collect images and [information about] land petitions and big gatherings, to slander and publish wrong information on their personal Facebook … to harm the reputation and weaken the confidence of the people for the Party and the State of Vietnam.” After completing his 14 month prison sentence, Do Nam Trung told Radio Free Asia that prison only made him stronger and more confident.

Between 2015 and 2021, Do Nam Trung participated in pro-environment protests and anti-China protests, and opposed government corruption. In addition to joining protests critical of the government, Do Nam Trung joined humanitarian groups providing help to victims of natural disasters, and publicly supported other activists including Nguyen Van Dai, Le Thu Ha, Nguyen Huu Vinh, Can Thi Theu, Pham Doan Trang, and Nguyen Thuy Hanh.

In the indictment dated October 26, the police wrote that “Do Nam Trung did not acknowledge that he committed any crime, and did not write nor sign any documents.”

Police arrested Do Nam Trung on July 6, 2021, and charged him with propaganda against the state under Article 117 of the penal code. In December 2021, a court in Nam Dinh sentenced Do Nam Trung to 10 years in prison.

Le Trong Hung
Sentenced: 5 years

Le Trong Hung, born 1979, was sentenced to five years in prison for conducting propaganda against the state.

Le Trong Hung (also known as Hung Gan) is a former government middle school teacher. In 2015, after filing a petition without success demanding reform to benefit students in a school in Hanoi, he quit teaching. In 2017 he began reporting as a citizen journalist on Facebook and YouTube, commenting on social issues and advising people petitioning the government.

He participated in anti-China protests and protests for environmental conservation. He used social media to share news about protests in Myanmar and the struggles of Vietnamese activists such as Trinh Ba Phuong, Trinh Ba Tu, and Pham Doan Trang. He also promoted education and knowledge about Vietnam’s Constitution, and offered people free copies of the constitution.

In February 2021, Le Trong Hung announced his plan to run as an independent candidate for the National Assembly election. He published his proposed policies, promising that, if elected, he would promote education about constitutional rights and campaign for laws to allow peaceful protests, freedom of association, and a citizens’ watchdog role over government. His policy agenda also included a call to amend the constitution and repeal articles granting supremacy to the Communist Party of Vietnam (article 4), allowing only a single trade union (article 10), and confirming state ownership of all land, water, and natural resources (article 53), among others.

On February 23, 2021, Le Trong Hung challenged Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to a debate on television, since Nguyen Phu Trong was running as the parliamentary candidate in the residential area where Le Trong Hung lives. One week later, police began to summon him repeatedly for questioning and placed him under intrusive surveillance.

Police arrested Le Trong Hung on March 27, 2021, and charged him with conducting propaganda against the state in violation of article 117 of the Vietnamese Penal Code. Following his arrest, the Communist Party of Vietnam’s website ran an article accusing Le Trong Hung of “using social media to publish writing or livestream the distortion and disparagement of the government.” It chides him for “commenting in a distorted way the guidelines, paths and policies of the Party and the State.” The party’s post claimed that Le Trong Hung “continuously makes speeches that defame the government, oppose the State and dismiss the leadership role of the Party.” The article dismisses as “reactionary” comments that Le Trong Hung was arrested because he ran as an independent candidate and said that the authorities arrested him because he had been violating the law for a long time.

In December 2021, a court in Hanoi convicted and sentenced Le Trong Hung to five years in prison.

Le Van Dung
Sentenced: 5 years

Le Van Dung, born 1970, was sentenced to five years in prison for conducting propaganda against the state.

Le Van Dung, also known as Le Dung Vova, is a construction engineer who has participated in many protests since 2011, including demanding environmental action and criticizing China. After witnessing government crackdowns against peaceful protesters, he began to take part in pro-democracy activism and human rights advocacy.

He traveled to sites of forced land confiscation to film the local authorities’ violence against farmers, such as at Vu Ban district, Nam Dinh province in May 2012. He joined other activists to independently investigate the massive die-off of marine creatures along the central coast of Vietnam in April 2016 caused by Formosa Ha Tinh Steel, a company owned by Taiwan’s Formosa Plastics Group, which dumped toxic waste into the sea. Le Van Dung has also participated in campaigns to provide assistance to victims of natural disasters in Vietnam.

In 2017, Le Van Dung and his fellow activists created a YouTube channel called Chan Hung TV (To reinvigorate [the country]). They used this channel, as well as the livestream function on Facebook, to comment on various social and political issues. They also interviewed and provided advice to farmers facing land confiscation and people who suffered government persecution or injustice, such as the mother of a death-row inmate, Ho Duy Hai. Members of Chan Hung TV also provided information about basic rights and law to their viewers, and distributed free copies of Vietnam’s Constitution.

In February 2021, Le Van Dung attempted to run as an independent candidate for the national assembly in the May 2021 elections, but local authorities arranged to have him disqualified. On May 25, two days after the elections, police went to Le Van Dung’s house in Hanoi to arrest him, but he had gone into hiding. On May 28, police issued an arrest warrant for him. In response, he wrote on his Facebook page: “If I am imprisoned for speaking my conscience, I would still speak up. Even when I know that speaking the truth would bring loss to myself and my family, including my wife and my children. We will face discrimination resulting from our differences in awareness.”

Police arrested him on June 30, 2021, at a relative’s house in Hanoi and charged him with propaganda against the state. In March 2022, a court in Hanoi convicted and sentenced him to five years in prison.

Nguyen Van Duc Do
Sentenced: 11 years

Nguyen Van Duc Do, born 1975, is serving an 11-year prison sentence for being associated with a pro-democracy group.

Nguyen Van Duc Do is a mechanic who participated in human rights-related events and pro-environment protests. He also joined labor rights activists to campaign for workers’ interests.

Police arrested Nguyen Van Duc Do in November 2016 for his alleged affiliation with the Vietnam National Coalition, an independent political group. Police charged him under article 79 of the 1999 penal code with “carrying out activities that aim to overthrow the people’s administration.”

An anonymous family member told a reporter at Cali Today News that upon arrest, Nguyen Van Duc Do “demanded to know the reason for his arrest and to allow the people to witness the arrest warrant being read, but the police did not accept his request. They restrained Do and beat him. They beat Do so much that blood spilled out from his eyes, nose, and ears.”

In October 2018, a court in Ho Chi Minh City sentenced Nguyen Van Duc Do to 11 years in prison.

Bui Van Thuan
Sentenced: 8 years

Bui Van Thuan, born 1981, is serving an eight-year prison sentence for criticizing the Communist Party and State of Vietnam.

Bui Van Thuan is a member of the Muong ethnic group in Hoa Binh province. His political interest began when he was a student at the Hanoi National University of Education in the late 2000s. After graduating, he taught at private schools in Hanoi.

While working as a teacher, Bui Van Thuan participated in protests, including those against China as well as the environmental disaster caused by the Formosa Ha Tinh Steel dumping of toxic waste at sea in 2016. Bui Van Thuan voiced support for fellow activists and political prisoners, including Nguyen Trung Ton, Trinh Ba Tu, and Can Thi Theu. He publicly boycotted the national elections in 2016 and 2021.

On his Facebook page, Bui Van Thuan regularly criticized the government about various political issues, including official pressure by authorities to compel people to vote in national elections. He also frequently criticized the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

On August 16, 2021, Bui Van Thuan criticized the government’s call for financial donations from people to help it fight the pandemic. He wrote, “The Communist Party of Vietnam and its tentacle associations and organizations is a giant nest of parasites. They live parasitically from the sweat and work of the people, and they have absolutely no effect except for pulling the country back away from development and civilization.”

In the indictment, the authorities alleged that this post was criminal because it makes a “baseless argument that insults the reputation and leading role of the Communist Party of Vietnam and organizations, sowing doubts among the people.”

Police arrested him on August 31, 2021, and charged him under penal code article 117(1) with “making, storing, disseminating or propagandizing information, materials and products that aim to oppose the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.”

In November 2022, a court in Thanh Hoa province convicted Bui Van Thuan and sentenced him to eight years in prison.