Key Events
- Vietnam Sentences Blogger Duong Van Thai to 12 Years in Prison Following Abduction from Thailand
- Political Prisoner Nguyen Thi Tam Accuses Prison Guards of Prison Camp No. 5 for Discrimination
- U.S. Embassy Honors Religious Freedom Activists
- UN Working Group Declares Vietnamese Journalist Pham Chi Dung’s Detention Arbitrary, Calls for Immediate Release
Blogger Duong Van Thai Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison Under Section 2, Article 117
Vietnamese activist and blogger Duong Van Thai was tried in a closed trial on Oct. 30, 2024, where he was sentenced to 12 years in prison, followed by three years of probation.
Thai, who fled to Thailand in early 2019 after publishing content critical of the Vietnamese government, was abducted by Vietnamese intelligence agents in Bangkok earlier in April. Despite holding UN-recognized refugee status, he was forcibly returned to Vietnam, sparking international criticism regarding Hanoi’s cross-border targeting of dissidents.
This severe sentence reflects Vietnam’s stance on political dissent, a pattern also seen in other high-profile cases in which Vietnamese activists have been detained or tried following similar forced repatriations.
Human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have condemned the trial, noting that the closed nature of the proceedings contradicted international standards for transparency and due process. Concerns remain high about Vietnam’s treatment of political prisoners, as Thai joins a growing list of activists facing lengthy sentences for peacefully expressing dissent.
Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates (AHRLA), said this about Thai’s trial: “Duong Van Thai is a victim of Hanoi’s policy mindset that ‘might makes right’ and they can do whatever they want to Vietnamese people, wherever they are in the world and no matter what their status or citizenship… There are no words to adequately describe the Vietnamese government’s despicable and illegal act to abduct Duong Van Thai, and now Hanoi is further compounding that violation by sentencing him to a long prison sentence.”
Political Prisoner Nguyen Thi Tam Alleges Discrimination by Prison Guards in Prison Center No. 5
Political Prisoner Nguyen Thi Tam informed her family that another inmate had made death threats against her and that after she reported this to the prison guards, they ignored her. Tam believes the prison guards are discriminating against her because she is a political prisoner.
Nguyen Thi Tam is serving a six-year prison sentence for allegedly “propagandizing against the State.” She is being held in Prison Center No. 5 in Yen Dinh District, Thanh Hoa Province.
RFA-Vietnamese reported that in April, prison guards placed a convicted female drug user into joint custody with Tam, after which the abusive incident happened.
Tam told her family that this woman regularly cursed and threatened to “beat her to death” at night.
Tam’s daughter, Nguyen Thanh Mai, told RFA – Vietnamese on Oct. 28:
“My mother only sleeps a lot during the day and does not dare to sleep at night because she fears that when everyone sleeps, she could be in danger.
She has already filed a complaint about this abusive incident, but it seems that the prison has not done anything. The prison has no intention to change the situation for my mother.”
This situation has affected the mental and physical health of Tam, who is suffering from uterine fibroids and osteoarthritis.
Tam suspects these actions were the result of her speaking out about the misconduct of prison officers, such as unreasonably seizing the personal belongings of inmates and holding many prisoners in a room that did not meet the minimum area stipulated in the Criminal Sentencing Enforcement Act.
U.S. Embassy in Vietnam Honors Religious Freedom Advocates Amidst Concerns Over Rights Violations
On the 26th anniversary of the U.S. International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam recognized advocates fighting for religious freedom in a statement shared on Facebook on Oct. 28.
In a statement written in both Vietnamese and English, the embassy expressed solidarity with those championing religious rights, noting that many still face persecution based on their beliefs: “On this anniversary of the U.S. International Religious Freedom Act, we honor those who protect the freedom of religion or belief for everyone and recognize that many still face persecution for their religion or belief.”
In Vietnam, several independent religious groups—including the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, the Pure Hoa Hao Buddhist Church, and unregistered Protestant communities in the Central Highlands—frequently experience government suppression.
Evangelical Pastor Nguyen Manh Hung stated that the U.S. has been actively encouraging Vietnam to improve religious rights, noting the embassy’s stance aligns with the broader diplomatic push to promote human rights under the newly established Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. “The United States Government has undertaken numerous diplomatic activities to enhance its partnership with Vietnam… to promote Vietnam’s human rights, including the right to freedom of religion,” he told RFA on Oct. 29.
However, Most Venerable Thich Khong Tanh, vice chairman of the Unified Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha Executive Council and co-chair of the Vietnam Interfaith Council, expressed that the U.S. has yet to bring about a positive change in Vietnam’s treatment of religious groups.
The IRFA, signed into law on Oct. 27, 1998, mandates U.S. policy to denounce violations of religious freedom globally and provide assistance to governments in fostering religious liberty.
Vietnam was placed on the U.S. “Special Watch List” for serious religious freedom violations in late 2022, with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom urging America to consider adding Vietnam to the “Countries of Particular Concern” list due to ongoing rights abuses.
United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Says Vietnam Is Unlawfully Detaining Journalist Pham Chi Dung
From VOA, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has ruled that Vietnamese journalist Pham Chi Dung was arbitrarily detained, stating that his imprisonment is based solely on his exercise of free speech. Pham, a contributor to VOA Vietnamese and head of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam (IJAVN), was arrested in November 2019 and is currently serving a 15-year sentence on the charge of spreading “anti-state propaganda.”
The working group’s opinion, adopted earlier this month, asserts that Pham’s detention “lacks a legal basis” resulting from exercising his rights to freedom of opinion and expression. Pham, 58, is being held in a prison in Dong Nai Province. As the founder of the IJAVN, he has advocated for democracy, press freedom, and anti-corruption measures, activities deemed illegal by Vietnamese authorities.
One of Pham’s lawyers, Kurtulus Bastimar, an international human rights attorney based in Turkey, welcomed the U.N.’s decision. Bastimar highlighted that Pham’s detention violates multiple rights, including his ability to communicate with his family and legal representatives. “The arrest and the detention were since he was exercising his right to freedom of expression,” Bastimar told VOA, explaining that Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protect these rights.
In a statement, Voice of America’s director, Mike Abramowitz, voiced support for Pham, emphasizing VOA’s mission to provide fact-based information to those in restricted societies and denouncing Pham’s imprisonment. Abramowitz stated, “VOA stands with Vietnamese journalist and VOA contributor Pham Chi Dung and denounces his unjust imprisonment after exercising his right to free speech.”
The U.N. working group has called for Pham’s immediate release and an independent investigation into his detention. The group requested the Vietnamese government’s reply in March 2024, but there has been no reply to date.
In 2021, however, the Vietnamese government stated that Pham’s prosecution resulted from violations of Vietnamese law rather than any infringement on his fundamental freedoms. Neither the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor its embassy in Washington has responded to VOA’s requests for comment on the recent U.N. ruling.
The United Nations recently highlighted cases of retaliation against human rights defenders, including activists Pham Doan Trang and Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, who are currently detained after their advocacy for human rights and environmental activism.
These two activists and others have been recognized for urging the UN to seek accountability and provide essential information on human rights issues. Despite this, their efforts have led to their detention in what experts call retaliatory actions by Vietnamese authorities.
At recent UN sessions in New York and Geneva, the cases of these defenders were raised publicly, and 80 countries and the European Union issued a joint statement condemning these reprisals.
While these actions mark progress, advocates say significant work remains at the UN to ensure safe and open access for human rights defenders and civil society.
The UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights and international organizations like the International Service for Human Rights continue to urge member states to hold accountable those perpetrating reprisals, highlighting the crucial role of grassroots advocates like Trang and Abdulhadi in shaping global human rights practices.
Quick Takes
The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights (RWCHR) Calls on the Canadian Government to Impose Sanctions on Vietnamese Human Rights Violators
As Co-Chair of the Global Magnitsky Sanctions Coalition, in collaboration with the U.S.-based human rights organization BPSOS, the RWCHR has submitted a comprehensive sanctions recommendation to Global Affairs Canada, calling on the Canadian government to take action against 16 Vietnamese individuals involved in egregious human rights violations.
RWCHR states that the Vietnamese Communist Party has been responsible for severe human rights abuses, including arbitrary deaths such as Le Dinh Kinh in the Dong Tam incident, detentions, and the repression of journalists, activists, and ethnic minorities. RWCHR urges the Canadian government to impose sanctions on these perpetrators to uphold international human rights standards, protect those persecuted in Vietnam, and demonstrate solidarity with individuals defending their rights against authoritarian oppression.
Bullied by China at Sea, With the Broken Bones to Prove It
New York Times/Damien Cave/Oct.28
“A violent attack on a Vietnamese fishing boat tests Hanoi’s muted but resolute approach to China’s aggression in the South China Sea.
…
China’s aggressive policing of disputed territory has produced the latest clash in a long, complex relationship. China ruled Vietnam for a millennium, leaving an indelible cultural mark, but Vietnam’s national identity and fierce independence spring from its resistance to Chinese empire-building, as its school students learn from a young age.
And the South China Sea is where Vietnam’s defiance is being tested — on its own and alongside other countries, including the Philippines and Indonesia, which are also struggling to hold on to parts of the sea that China seeks to control.
…
The people of Vietnam have been drawing sustenance and wealth from what they call the East Sea for centuries. For a fishing crew, one good month there can yield a profit of $12,000, more than three times what the average worker makes in a year. And with Beijing also claiming an ancient right to the area, fishing has taken on near-military significance.”
Can Vietnam’s New President Check the Power of its Party Chief?
South China Morning Post/David Hutt/Oct. 29
“One might rue too much stability for another reason, as well. For decades, the party has been driven by internal disputes over one central question: embrace reforms that bolster the economy but weaken the party’s control or resist change and increase its authority? In the past, disparate voices from different branches of the party had space to offer opposing opinions, comforted by the knowledge that decisions would be taken by consensus.
Although the security hawks are now embroiled in their own power struggle, they are united in their conviction that the party’s supremacy must not budge an inch. This is at a time when dissenting voices are being shut out of the corridors of power.
Foreign investors and diplomats might soon find themselves looking back with nostalgia on the days of dispute and instability within the Communist Party. At least back then, not everything was dictated by the watchful eye of the security apparatus.”