Menschenrechte / Human Rights

Independent TV journalist sentenced to five years in prison in Vietnam

31.12.2021 (Reporters without borders) - Le Trong Hung, a Vietnamese journalist who often covered corruption for the independent social media TV news channel he helped to found, was sentenced today to five years in prison on a charge of “anti-state propaganda.” Reporters Without Borders (RSF) demands his immediate release and insists that his conviction is overturned. [read more]

5-year prison sentence for independent National Assembly candidate Le Trong Hung

31.12.2021 (news.fox-24) - On December 31, the People’s Court of Hanoi opened a first-instance trial of dissident blogger Le Trong Hung, accusing him of “making, storing, distributing or propagating information, documents and items in order to against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”.

The half-day trial ended with a sentence of 5 years in prison and 5 years of probation for Mr. Hung, nicknamed ‘Hung Gan’. [read more]

Vietnam : Lê Trong Hung, fondateur d’une chaîne d’information indépendante en ligne, condamné à cinq ans de prison

31.12.2021 (Reporters sans frontières) - Le journaliste, qui couvrait notamment des affaires de corruption ou d’expropriations illégales, a écopé de cinq ans de prison pour “propagande contre l’État”. Reporters sans frontières (RSF) exige sa libération immédiate et l’abandon des charges qui pèsent sur lui.

Il n’a pas fallu plus de deux heures d’audience pour que son sort soit scellé. Le journaliste Lê Trong Hung a été condamné ce matin, vendredi 31 décembre, à une peine de cinq ans de prison assortie d’une période probatoire de cinq ans supplémentaires. [en savoir plus]

Vietnam journalist who tried to run for parliament jailed for 5 years

31.12.2021 (RFA) - Le Trong Hung, 79, is a former teacher who had livestreamed videos on hot-button social and political issues.

A Vietnamese journalist arrested after nominating himself as an independent candidate in elections to the country’s National Assembly was sentenced to five years in jail Friday by a court in the capital Hanoi, his lawyer and his wife said.

Le Trong Hung was arrested March 27 after declaring his candidacy for election in a challenge to political processes tightly controlled by the ruling Communist Party and charged with “creating, storing, disseminating information, materials, items and publications against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.”

Hung, 79, is a former teacher and founder of CHTV Television, which formerly livestreamed videos on hot-button social and political issues [read more]

Vietnamese police arrest followers of religious group during founder’s funeral

27.12.2021 (RFA) - About 50 people are beaten and detained during the burial ceremony of ethnic Hmong Duong Van Minh.

Hundreds of Vietnamese police and others dressed in medical protective suits raided the funeral of the ethnic Hmong founder of an unofficial religious group, beating and arresting nearly 50 of his followers who attended the ceremony, locals said. [read more]

Vietnam sentences dissidents to prison for spreading anti-state propaganda

24.12.2021 Michael Sullivan (NPR) - Four prominent Vietnamese dissidents have been given harsh prison terms for speaking out against the government. Activists say it's part of an escalating crackdown on dissent.

Vietnam has sentenced four dissidents to lengthy jail terms for what officials are calling spreading anti-state propaganda. Activists say it's part of an escalating crackdown on dissent. This is in a country that the U.S. is keen to keep on its side in a bid to try to contain China, as Michael Sullivan reports. [read more]

Vietnamese land rights activists draw heavy prison terms in Hanoi trial

15.12.2021 (RFA) - A court in Vietnam on Wednesday sentenced two land rights activists to a total of 16 years in prison for speaking out against a deadly police assault last year against villagers living on disputed land outside of Hanoi.

Trinh Ba Phuong and Nguyen Thi Tam were convicted in a four-hour trial Wednesday morning. Phuong received a 10-year prison term with five years’ probation, and Tam was handed a term of six years in prison with three years’ probation. [read more]

Pham Doan Trang in Vietnam zu Haftstrafe verurteilt

15.12.2021 (Börsenblatt) - Die vietnamesische Verlegerin, Autorin und Journalistin Pham Doan Trang, "Prix Voltaire"-Preisträgerin 2020, ist in Hanoi zu neun Jahren Gefängnis verurteilt worden. Die International Publishers Association (IPA) verurteilt dies aufs Schärfste.

José Borghino, IPA-Generalsekretär, sagte dazu: "Alle öffentlich zugänglichen Informationen über diesen Fall, die Anklage und den Prozess machen es unmöglich, dies als etwas anderes als einen Schauprozess zu betrachten. Der Internationale Verlegerverband spricht Pham Doan Trang seine Anerkennung für ihren Mut angesichts dieser Verfolgung aus, die nur dazu dienen kann, andere zum Schweigen zu bringen." [Weiterlesen]

Schikanierte Reporterin, die partout nicht schweigen will

15.12.2021 von David Pfeifer (Süddeutsche Zeitung) - Ein Jahr lang hatte man nichts mehr von Pham Doan Trang, 43, gehört und gelesen. Die vietnamesische Journalistin und Aktivistin war im Oktober 2020 in ihrer Wohnung in Hoh-Chi-Minh-Stadt festgenommen und inhaftiert worden, nur wenige Stunden nachdem der jährliche Menschenrechtsdialog zwischen den USA und Vietnam geendet hatte.

Pham Doan Trang wurde in den vergangenen Jahren mehrfach verprügelt, entführt, verhaftet und unter Hausarrest gestellt. Sie wurde so schwer verletzt, dass sie nach einer Operation humpelt und an Krücken gehen muss. [Weiterlesen]

Lange Haft für Journalistin

14.12.2021 (Süddeutsche Zeitung) - Die prominente Menschenrechtsaktivistin und Journalistin Pham Doan Trang ist von einem Gericht in Vietnam zu neun Jahren Haft verurteilt worden. Die Justiz hatte der mit europäischen Menschenrechtspreisen ausgezeichneten Autorin "Propaganda gegen den Staat" vorgeworfen. Das Urteil wurde am Dienstag bekannt. [Weiterlesen]

Neun Jahre Haft für Journalistin

14.12.2021 (taz) - HANOI/BERLIN - Pham Doan Trang hatte über einen Landkonflikt berichtet, bei dem staatliche Kräfte in einer Nacht- und Nebelaktion ein Dorf angegriffen haben. Nun wurde sie verurteilt.

Die prominente Menschenrechtsaktivistin und Journalistin Pham Doan Trang ist von einem Gericht in Vietnam zu neun Jahren Haft verurteilt worden. Die Justiz hatte der mit europäischen Menschenrechtspreisen ausgezeichneten Autorin „Propaganda gegen den Staat“ vorgeworfen. Das Urteil wurde am Dienstag bekannt. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam jails its ‘most famous activist’ for nine years

14.12.2021 By Chris Humphrey (Washington Post) - HANOI — Pham Doan Trang, a Vietnamese activist known for her writing on women’s empowerment and environmental issues, was sentenced to nine years in prison Tuesday for disseminating anti-state propaganda. It was the latest crackdown on dissent in the Southeast Asian country and drew condemnation from rights groups.

The Hanoi People’s Court gave Trang more time in prison than the seven to eight years prosecutors had requested.

Trang, 43, has written numerous books and co-founded ­independent media outlets. She also founded the environmental group Green Trees. In 2019, Reporters Without Borders awarded her a Press Freedom Prize. [read more]

Menschenrechte und Vietnam: Neun Jahre Gefängnis für Pham Doan Trang

14.12.2021 (Nau.ch) - Hartes Urteil gegen Pham Doan Trang aus Vietnam. Sie muss neun Jahre ins Gefängnis, weil sie sich für Menschenrechte einsetzte.

Die prominente Menschenrechtsaktivistin und Journalistin Pham Doan Trang ist von einem Gericht in Vietnam zu neun Jahren Haft verurteilt worden. Die Justiz hatte der mit europäischen Menschenrechtspreisen ausgezeichneten Autorin «Propaganda gegen den Staat» vorgeworfen.

Das Urteil wurde am Dienstag bekannt. Trotz jahrzehntelanger Öffnung für ausländische Investitionen zensiert das kommunistische Land die heimischen Medien streng und ist intolerant gegenüber Andersdenkenden. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam: Prominente Bloggerin freilassen - Politisch motivierte Anklagen gegen Pham Doan Trang fallen lassen

13.12.2021 (HRW) - Die vietnamesischen Behörden sollten alle strafrechtlichen Anklagen gegen die prominente Menschenrechtsaktivistin und Bloggerin Pham Doan Trang fallen lassen und sie sofort freilassen, so Human Rights Watch heute. 

„Die erfolgreiche Autorin Pham Doan Trang sieht sich aufgrund ihres jahrzehntelangen Einsatzes für die Meinungsfreiheit, die Pressefreiheit und die Menschenrechte harten Repressalien seitens der Regierung ausgesetzt“, sagte Phil Robertson, stellvertretender Asien-Direktor bei Human Rights Watch. „Mit ihrer Verfolgung zeigen die vietnamesischen Behörden, wie sehr sie populäre kritische Stimmen fürchten.“ [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam: Free Prominent Blogger - Drop Politically Motivated Charges Against Pham Doan Trang

13.12.2021 (HRW) - On December 14, 2021, a Hanoi court sentenced Pham Doan Trang to nine years in prison. Before her trial, Pham Doan Trang prepared a statement for publication.

The Vietnamese authorities should drop all criminal charges against the prominent human rights activist and blogger Pham Doan Trang and immediately release her, Human Rights Watch said today. [read more]

Vietnam : Libérer une éminente blogueuse - Les autorités devraient abandonner les poursuites visant Pham Doan Trang et basées sur des motifs politiques

13.12.2021 (HRW) - (New York) – Les autorités vietnamiennes devraient abandonner les poursuites pénales engagées contre l’éminente militante des droits humains et blogueuse Pham Doan Trang et la remettre immédiatement en liberté, a déclaré aujourd’hui Human Rights Watch. [en savoir plus]

Vietnam debe liberar a renombrada bloguera - Los cargos con motivación política contra Pham Doan Trang deben desestimarse

13.12.2021 (HRW) - (Nueva York) – Las autoridades de Vietnam deben liberar de manera inmediata y desestimar todos los cargos penales contra la renombrada activista por los derechos humanos y bloguera Pham Doan Trang, señaló hoy Human Rights Watch. 

“La prolífica escritora Pham Doan Trang enfrenta duras represalias por parte del gobierno debido a su labor, que lleva una década, en defensa de la libre expresión, la libertad de prensa y los derechos humanos”, manifestó Phil Robertson, subdirector para Asia de Human Rights Watch [seguir leyendo].

Vietnam Human Rights Network celebrates the 73rd International Human Rights Day and the 20th Vietnam Human Rights Award Ceremony

12.12.2021 (VNHRN) - Little Saigon – California, USA.  Since 2002, the Vietnam Human Rights Network has continuously presented its Vietnam Human Rights Awards in various locations worldwide concurrently with the commemoration of International Human Rights Day.  This year, the 20th Vietnam Human Rights Award Ceremony was solemnly held at the Community Center of Westminster, California, on the afternoon of December 12, 2021, on the 73rd International Human Rights Day.

Although the Covid-19 epidemic situation still prevented large gatherings, the number of attendees also filled the spacious hall. In addition to the Network members in the region, several religious leaders, Vietnamese-language media agencies, representatives of political and community organizations, and compatriots were also there. [read more]

Australia: Press Vietnam to Respect Rights - Hanoi Detaining at Least 176 Political Prisoners, Detainees

06.12.2021 (HRW) - (Sydney) – The Australian government should call on Vietnam to meet clear human rights benchmarks at the 17th Australia-Vietnam human rights dialogue, Human Rights Watch said today. The dialogue is scheduled to be held virtually on December 8, 2021.

“Australia should use its influence to press Vietnam to take concrete action to reverse its abysmal human rights record,” said Elaine Pearson, Australia director at Human Rights Watch. “Many people in Vietnam have been persecuted simply because they tried to exercise basic civil and political rights that Australians often take for granted.” [read more]

Submission by Human Rights Watch to Australia-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue December 2021

06.12.2021 (HRW) – Human Rights Watch appreciates the opportunity to contribute to the preparations for the 17th Australia-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue, scheduled to be held virtually on December 8, 2021...

... Human Rights Watch strongly recommends that Australia urge Vietnam to quash convictions and release all political prisoners. Australia should also press Vietnam to drop charges and release political detainees held in pre-trial detention. [read more]

12e année de prison du poète Trần Huỳnh Duy Thức dans “le goulag vietnamien”

30.11.2021 (Actualitte) - Le 55e anniversaire du poète vietnamien Trân Huỳnh Duy Thức coïncide avec sa 12ème année en prison. Il lui reste encore 4 ans à vivre douloureusement loin de sa femme, ses enfants, ses parents et ses amis. Pour l'occasion, un texte en hommage est proposé dans nos colonnes.
Trần Huỳnh Duy Thức, poète, écrivain et blogueur. Coauteur de l’ouvrage interdit La Voie du Viêt Nam, il a également publié des poèmes et des articles sur ses divers blogues. Arrêté en mai 2009, il a été condamné en janvier 2010 à 16 ans de prison et à 5 ans de détention probatoire pour « avoir violé les articles 117 et 109 du Code pénal ». En mai 2016, il a été déporté dans un camp situé à 1400 km environ de la ville où vit sa famille. [en savoir plus]

Prozessbeginn: Pham Doan Trang freilassen

03.11.2021 (Reporter ohne Grenzen) - Vor dem Prozessbeginn gegen Pham Doan Trang am Donnerstag (4.11.) fordert Reporter ohne Grenzen (RSF) gemeinsam mit 27 weiteren Menschenrechtsorganisationen ihre sofortige und bedingungslose Freilassung. Die bekannte vietnamesische Journalistin ist seit mehr als einem Jahr willkürlich in Haft. Die Justiz wirft ihr „Propaganda gegen den Staat“ vor, ein häufig genutzter Vorwurf gegen kritische Stimmen im Land [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam : cinq journalistes emprisonnés pour «abus de droits démocratiques»

30.10.2021 (Le Figaro) - Cinq personnes travaillant sur une page d'information en ligne de journalistes citoyens ont été condamnées jeudi par un tribunal de Can Tho, dans la région méridionale du delta du Mékong. Truong Chau Huu Danh, fondateur de la page Facebook Bao Sach («Le journal propre»), qui publie des articles sur des questions sociales brûlantes et sur la corruption, a été condamné à quatre ans et demi de prison. [en savoir plus]

Vietnam jails five journalists for ‘anti-state’ Facebook posts

28.10.2021 (Al Jazeera) - A Vietnamese court sentenced five journalists to prison terms and banned them from working for three years, state media reported, after they were convicted of spreading anti-state content on a Facebook-based news outlet.

They were found guilty of “abusing democratic rights and freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state” at a two-day trial in the southern city of Can Tho, state-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA) said on Thursday. [read more]

Vietnam: Release journalist and human rights defender Pham Doan Trang

26.10.2021 (Article19) - Ahead of her upcoming trial on 4 November, the undersigned 28 human rights and freedom of expression organizations today condemn the ongoing arbitrary detention of independent journalist and woman human rights defender Pham Doan Trang. We call on the Vietnamese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release and drop all charges against her. The persecution of Doan Trang and other human rights defenders, including independent writers and journalists, is part of the worsening assault on the rights to freedom of expression and information in Vietnam.  [read more]

Vietnam: Wir fordern die Freilassung von Pham Doan Trang!

14.10.2021 (PEN Austria) - Der Österreichische PEN schließt sich der Forderung von PEN International nach der sofortigen und bedingungslosen Freilassung der renommierten Autorin, Journalistin und Aktivistin Pham Doan Trang sowie der sofortigen Aufhebung aller gegen sie erhobenen Anklagen an. Pham Doan Trang wurde am 6. Oktober 2020 von der vietnamesischen Polizei in Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt unter dem Vorwand „staatsfeindlicher Aktivitäten“ verhaftet und sieht sich mit einer Höchststrafe von 20 Jahren Gefängnis konfrontiert. [Weiterlesen]

Protest gegen Social-Media-Sperren

21.09.2021 (ROG) - Reporter ohne Grenzen, Exiljournalistinnen aus Vietnam und Unterstützer haben vor der Facebook-Deutschlandzentrale in Berlin gegen das Sperren journalistischer Inhalte in sozialen Netzwerken protestiert. Insbesondere  Bloggerinnen und Journalisten aus Vietnam, die im Exil in Deutschland leben, sind davon betroffen, aber auch aus Ländern wie Russland und der Türkei. Zunehmend beugen sich die Plattformen dem Druck autoritärer Staaten und sperren Inhalte, die die Regime kritisieren. [Weiterlesen]

In Vietnam, Harris talks human rights - After ‘difficult conversations,’ she wraps up weeklong trip to Southeast Asia
27.08.2021 by Alexandra Jaffe (Northwest Arkansas Newspapers) - HANOI, Vietnam -- U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday that she raised issues of human rights abuses and restrictions on political activism in her conversations with Vietnamese leaders this week, but offered no indication that those talks bore fruit.
"We're not going to shy away from difficult conversations. Difficult conversations often must be had with the people that you otherwise may have a partnership with," she said at a news conference in Hanoi. [read more]

Harris stresses human rights in Vietnam as state critic jailed
26.08.2021 Bac Pham and Chris Humphrey (dpa) - Hanoi – US Vice President Kamala Harris stressed human rights concerns during a meeting with Vietnamese civil society leaders and then again in a press conference before departing Hanoi on Thursday – a day after a state critic was jailed on charges of subversion.“We will always be true to our values and we will not shy away from speaking out even when those conversations may be difficult to have and perhaps difficult to hear,” Harris said. [read more]

Vietnamese Facebook Users Draw Long Prison Terms For ‘Anti-State’ Posts

20.07.2021 (RFA) - Courts in Vietnam on Tuesday handed down prison terms to two Facebook users charged with posting articles opposing the country’s one-party communist state and calling for violence against judicial officials and police officers, according to state media reports.
Nguyen Van Lam and Tran Hoang Minh are sentenced to nine years and five years respectively for posting and sharing articles and videos criticizing Vietnam's communist government online. [read more]

What Vietnam Is Doing With Israeli Phone-hacking Tech

20.07.2021 (Haaretz) - A new investigation reveals that Cellebrite sells its digital forensics tools to a Vietnamese ministry known for persecuting bloggers, journalists and religious and ethnic minorities

“Cellebrite’s solutions assist millions of investigations into the most serious crimes around the world every year,” the company’s CEO, Yossi Carmil, said recently in an interview with the business daily Globes.

The customer this time is Vietnam, or more accurately its Public Security Ministry (Bo Cong An), which is responsible for the police and internal security. In light of his discoveries, Mack and dozens of human rights activists have sent letters of protest to Cellebrite and Defense Ministry Director General Amir Eshel, who is directly responsible for monitoring the export of digital forensic technologies like the one being sold by Cellebrite. [read more]

Vietnam buying Israel spyware to repress opposition

16.07.2021 (Middle East Monitor) - Israeli intelligence software Cellebrite is supplying Vietnam digital surveillance tools which it has used to quash opposition, rights groups say.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz said Vietnam's Public Security Ministry, which is responsible for the police and internal security, has purchased the software.

In an open letter published on Tuesday to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and investors, digital rights groups, including Access Now, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Privacy International, urged all "parties to halt this deal until Cellebrite demonstrates that it has taken sufficient measures to comply with human rights". [read more] July arrests mark turn for the worse in Vietnam

16.07.2021 Written by The 88 Project (Global Voices) - A spate of arrests reflects the worsening human rights situation in the country.

Last week, a spate of arrests occurred within days of each other, marking a sharp and sudden increase in the clampdown against political activists in Vietnam. The arrests come as the country struggles through the latest wave of record-breaking COVID-19 infections and deaths. While most of these arrests follow the typical pattern that we have often seen before, two of them are rather extraordinary. [read more] <a name="16.07.2021-July"></a>

Vietnam: EU Domestic Advisory Group (DAG) denounces activists’ arrests

15.07.2021 (fidh) - The EU Domestic Advisory Group (DAG) set up under Chapter 13 of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) received from VCHR and FIDH, a member of the EU DAG, a concerning report of the arrest, announced on 2nd July 2021 by Security Police in Hanoi, of two prominent civil society activists, journalist Mai Phan Lợi, chair of the Scientific Board of the Centre for Media in Educating Community (MEC) and lawyer Đặng Đình Bách, director of the Law and Policy for Sustainable Development (LPSD).

They are both Executive Board members of VNGO-EVFTA Network, a group of seven development and environmental CSOs established last November to raise awareness about EVFTA and its civil society component in Vietnam, the Vietnam Domestic Advisory Group (DAG).  [read more]

Vietnam looks to tighten control over social media livestreams

14.07.2021 (France 24) - Hanoi (AFP) - Vietnam is looking to increase control over livestreaming on popular social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, according to a draft government decree, as the country aims to tighten its grip on cyberspace.

The proposed decree comes two years after the introduction of a cybersecurity law that mandated internet companies remove content the communist authorities regard as "toxic". [read more]

Press Freedom Advocates Urge Vietnam to Release Anti-Graft Journalist

14.07.2021 Written by Isobel van Hagen (OCCRP) - Vietnamese authorities should immediately release journalist Dung Le Van and drop any charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Monday after police arrested the freelance reporter who covers corruption and land confiscations in his country.

The Hanoi Department of Public Security reportedly said that Dung had been arrested for "making, storing, distributing or disseminating information" against Vietnam. He is now facing up to 20 years in prison. The state-run Vietnam News Agency alleged that his videos “distorted and defamed the administrations and leaders of localities.”

“Vietnamese authorities should immediately release journalist Dung Le Van, drop any pending charges against him, and stop using anti-state laws to threaten journalists,” Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative, said in a statement on Monday. [read more]

How Vietnam's 'influencer' army wages information warfare on Facebook

09.07.2021 James Pearson (Reuters) - HANOI - In Vietnam, where the state is fighting a fierce online battle against political dissent, social media "influencers" are more likely to be soldiers than celebrities.

According to a Reuters review of provincial-level state media reports and broadcasts by the army's official television station, Force 47 has since its inception in 2016 set up hundreds of Facebook groups and pages, and published thousands of pro-government articles and posts.

The size of Force 47 is not clear, but in 2017, the general in charge of the unit at the time, Nguyen Trong Nghia, said it had 10,000 "red and competent" members. The true number could be much higher: the Reuters review of known Force 47 Facebook groups showed tens of thousands of users. [read more]

Vietnam jails former radio journalist, arrests freelancers over 'distorted information'

09.07.2021 (The Straits Times) - HANOI (AFP) - Vietnam on Friday (July 9) jailed a former radio journalist on an anti-state charge, state media said, after several other reporters were taken into custody in recent weeks.

The hardline administration moves swiftly to stamp out dissent and arrest critics, especially those who find an audience on social media platforms.

On Friday, Mr Thanh Pham Chi , a 68-year-old pro-democracy activist fiercely critical of the regime on Facebook, was imprisoned for five and a half years on the charge of "making, hoarding, disseminating and spreading information and documents against the socialist republic of Vietnam", according to state-run Vietnam News Agency. [read more]

Independent Vietnamese journalist arrested on trumped-up tax charge

08.07.2021 (RSF) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for the immediate release of Mai Phan Loi, a Vietnamese journalist who once ran an official law magazine but who, for the past five years, has provided his fellow citizens with reliable, independent information about economic, social and environmental issues. All charges against him must be dropped, RSF said.

Hanoi police officially announced the investigation against Mai Phan Loi on 2 July, one week after he was initially arrested on 24 June, on a warrant with the extremely vague charge of “tax evasion,” which carries a possible seven-year prison sentence under article 200 of the penal code. It did not specify the nature of the alleged crimes or the amount supposedly evaded. [read more]

Inmates Riot After COVID-19 Spreads in Vietnamese Prison

07.07.2021 (RFA) - Inmates angered by the spread of COVID-19 at a detention center in Vietnam’s largest city started a disturbance during a medical examination this week, drawing attention to the healthcare situation in the country’s prisons, state media reported.

During the examination at Ho Chi Minh City’s Chi Hoa Detention Center, 81 people tested positive for the coronavirus, including 45 staff members and 36 detainees. [read more]

Vietnamese Rights Activist Arrested in Hanoi, Charged Under Article 117

06.07.2021 (RFA) - Do Nam Trung had taken part in social protest movements and had spoken out against official corruption in his writings on social media.

A Vietnamese rights activist wanted by police for writings opposing the government was arrested by police in Hanoi on Tuesday and quickly transferred to the custody of authorities in his nearby hometown, the activist’s partner said.

Do Nam Trung was arrested in the early morning hours of July 6 by a large group of police officers who broke into the house he shared with his girlfriend Nguyen Thi Anh Tuyet, the young woman told RFA’s Vietnamese Service. [read more]

Independent Vietnamese TV reporter arrested for anti-state propaganda

05.07.2021 (RSF) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for the immediate release of Le Van Dung, an independent Vietnamese TV reporter who was arrested last week after more than a month in hiding. He is facing up to 20 years in connection with his reporting, which often tackled corruption and land confiscation.

Better known by the journalistic pseudonym of Le Dung Vova, Dung is the founder and presenter of Chan Hung Nuoc Viet TV (CHTV), an online TV news channel available on Facebook Live, YouTube and other social media, in which he interviewed members of the public and commented about such matters as corruption and illegal land expropriation – both sensitive issues for the authorities. [read more]

Le journaliste vietnamien Lê Van Dung arrêté pour “propagande contre l’Etat”

05.07.2021 (RSF) - Reporters sans frontières (RSF) exige la libération immédiate de ce journaliste, fondateur d’une chaîne vidéo en ligne sur laquelle il traitait notamment de cas de corruption et d’expropriations illégales. Selon le chef d’accusation qui a mené à son arrestation, il risque jusqu’à vingt ans de prison.

Cela faisait un mois qu’il tentait d’échapper à la police. Le journaliste indépendant Lê Van Dung a été officiellement placé en détention le mercredi 30 juin par les forces de polices de Hanoi, dans le nord du pays. L’information, d’abord révélée par plusieurs médias d’Etat vietnamien, a été confirmée par l’épouse du journaliste le 1er juillet. [en savoir plus]

Vietnam arrests four for anti-state Facebook postsDetained democracy activist says he will continue to speak out even if he is imprisoned

03.07.2021 (UCA News) - Police in Hanoi and a central province have detained four Facebookers for posts allegedly infringing state interests and fighting against the communist government.

State-run Quang Ngai newspaper reported on June 30 that police in Quang Ngai province arrested Bach Van Hien, 34, Phung Thanh Tuyen, 38, and Le Trung Thu, 41, all of Quang Ngai city. Police also conducted exhaustive searches of their houses but did not announce what they collected. [read more]

Amnesty engagiert sich für vietnamesischen Gefangenen

23.06.2021 (RP Digital) - Grevenbroich - Die Neuss-Grevenbroicher Amnesty-Gruppe hat die Betreuung eines neuen politischen Gefangenen in Vietnam übernommen. Die Mitglieder werden sich in Zukunft für den Menschenrechtsaktivisten Tran Huynh Duy Thúc einsetzen.

Grevenbroich Die Neuss-Grevenbroicher Amnesty-Gruppe hat die Betreuung eines neuen politischen Gefangenen in Vietnam übernommen. Die Mitglieder werden sich in Zukunft für den Menschenrechtsaktivisten Tran Huynh Duy Thúc einsetzen.

Der vietnamesische Blogger und zweifacher Familienvater Duy Thúc sitzt seit 2010 in Haft. [Weiterlesen]

Urgent Action für Nguyen Thuy Hanh

18.06.2021 (Amnesty International Deutschland) - Die Menschenrechtsverteidigerin Nguyen Thuy Hanh wurde am 7. April 2021 festgenommen und wegen „Opposition gegen den Staat der Sozialistischen Republik Vietnam“ unter Anklage gestellt. Im Falle einer Verurteilung könnten ihr bis zu 20 Jahre Haft drohen. Nguyen Thuy Hanh leistet seit 2017 wichtige humanitäre Arbeit für zu Unrecht inhaftierte Personen und ihre Familien. Die Festnahme von Nguyen Thuy Hanh könnte negative Auswirkungen auf das Wohlergehen von vielen zu Unrecht inhaftierten Personen in Vietnam haben. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam’s ‘Clean Newspaper’ Writers May Face Additional Charges

16.06.2021 (RFA) - Four independent journalists held in southern Vietnam’s Can Tho province for “slandering” government leaders in their investigative reports may soon face additional and more serious charges of revealing state secrets, state media said on Wednesday.

Police investigators on May 18 recommended that the four writers for the popular Facebook page Clean Newspaper (Bao Sach), which discussed Vietnamese social issues and has now been taken offline, be prosecuted for “abusing democracy and freedom to infringe on State interests” under Article 331 of Vietnam’s 2015 Penal Code.

The reporters—Truong Chau Huu Danh, arrested on Dec. 17 last year, and Nguyen Thanh Nha, Doan Kien Giang, and Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao, arrested on April 20—had posted criticisms online of the Jan. 9, 2020 raid by security forces intervening in a land dispute at Dong Tam commune in which a village elder was shot dead by police. [read more]

Jailed Vietnamese RFA Blogger Suffering From Poor Hygienic Conditions in Prison

15.06.2021 (RFA) - A jailed Vietnamese blogger serving an 11-year prison term for writing articles criticizing Vietnam’s government has contracted scabies because of poor hygiene and a lack of access to clean water in his detention facility, the man’s wife told RFA on Tuesday.

Nguyen Tuong Thuy, an independent journalist and former RFA blogger, and many other inmates confined in the Bo La detention center in Binh Duong province have contracted the contagious skin infestation caused by burrowing mites that produces an itchy red rash, said Thuy’s wife, Nguyen Thi Lan. [read more]

Vietnamese Facebook User Draws Seven-Year Prison Term for ‘Anti-State’ Writings

02.06.2021 (RFA) - Dang Hoang Minh is the latest to be jailed for writings 'opposing the State' under Article 117 of Vietnam's Penal Code

A court in southern Vietnam’s southern Hau Giang province on Wednesday sentenced a Facebook user to seven years in prison for posting writings said by prosecutors to have misrepresented state policies, Vietnamese sources said.

Dang Hoang Minh, 28, had been charged with “creating, storing, and disseminating information, items, and materials opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under Article 117 of Vietnam’s 2015 Criminal Code, state media reports said. [read more]

Vietnamese Police Issue Nationwide ‘Special Warrant’ for Fugitive Journalist

02.06.2021 (RFA) - The special warrant and widespread media coverage are typically used only in the case of dangerous criminals, one source says

Vietnamese authorities have issued a special warrant calling for the arrest of an independent journalist who evaded police following an attempt last week to detain him at his home in Hanoi, placing notices in major media outlets around the country on Tuesday, sources say.

Le Van Dung, also known as Le Dung Vova—owner of the online CHTV news channel—was away from home when police tried on May 25 to place him under arrest on charges under Article 117 of Vietnam’s Penal Code for reporting on corruption and other issues deemed politically sensitive by authorities. [read more]

Vietnamese Police Go to Arrest Journalist, Miss Him at Home

26.05.2021 (RFA) - Police in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi tried on Tuesday to arrest an independent journalist charged with reporting on corruption and other issues deemed politically sensitive by authorities, but missed him at home, taking away a laptop computer and two mobile phones instead.

Le Van Dung, also known as Le Dung Vova—owner of the online CHTV news channel—was not at home when officers from the Hanoi Police Department’s Investigation Agency arrived at around 1:30 p.m., Dung’s wife Bui Thi Hue told RFA on Wednesday.

Vietnam’s already low tolerance of dissent deteriorated sharply last year with a spate of arrests of independent journalists, publishers, and Facebook personalities as authorities continued to stifle critics in the run-up to the ruling Communist Party Congress in January. But arrests continue in 2021. [read more]

Vietnam: Stop silencing independent voices ahead of election

20.05.2021 (Article 19) - The recent arrests of independent candidates running in the upcoming National Assembly election, apparently in reprisal for their social media activity, underscores the intolerance that the Vietnamese government has for critical voices, said ARTICLE 19. Vietnamese authorities should immediately and unconditionally release the detained candidates and take steps to ensure enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression, including online, in all matters related to the National Assembly election.

In the lead up to the National Assembly election to be held on 23 May 2021, authorities in Vietnam have harassed and detained independent candidates, apparently in retaliation for their use of social media to express their opinions about the state of the country and the election. [read more]

Vietnam: Pham Doan Trang wird Ehrenmitglied des deutschen PEN 18.05.2021 (PEN-Zentrum Deutschland) - Das deutsche PEN-Zentrum ernennt die unabhängige Journalistin Pham Doan Trang zum Ehrenmitglied und fordert deren sofortige Freilassung. Sie gilt als eine der bekanntesten Kritikerinnen der vietnamesischen Regierung und wurde am 6. Oktober 2020 in ihrer Wohnung in Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt festgenommen. Wegen angeblicher Propaganda gegen den Staat drohen ihr bis zu 20 Jahre Haft. Wir fordern die sofortige und bedingungslose Freilassung unseres Ehrenmitgliedes Pham Doan Trang und versichern ihr unsere uneingeschränkte Solidarität“, so Ralf Nestmeyer, Vizepräsident und Writers-in-Prison-Beauftragter des deutschen PEN. [Weiterlesen]

Jailed Vietnamese Land Activist Held Under Harsh Conditions: Daughter

17.05.2021 (RFA) - Vietnamese land-rights activist Can Thi Theu is being held under harsh jail conditions following her sentencing to eight years in prison for criticizing the government over its handling of a deadly land-rights clash last year, her daughter said Monday.

Trinh Thi Thao, Theu’s daughter, told RFA’s Vietnamese Service that her mother is currently in a police detention center in the seat of northern Vietnam’s Hoa Binh province, where she has been placed in “small cells” with “HIV-infected prisoners,” despite being jailed for political reasons. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnamesische Landrechtsaktivisten zu acht Jahren Haft verurteilt

07/05/2021 Hong-An Duong (Forum Vietnam 21) - Ein Gericht in der nordvietnamesischen Provinz Hoa Binh hat am 06.05.2021 die Landrechtsaktivistin Can Thi Theu und ihren Sohn Trinh Ba Tu zu jeweils acht Jahren Haft und zu weiteren drei Jahren Hausarrest verurteilt.

Frau Can Thi Theu und ihre Söhne Trinh Ba Tu und Trinh Ba Phuong haben in Online-Artikeln über den Vorfall vom 9. Januar 2020 in der Gemeinde Dong Tam berichtet, bei dem 3.000 Polizisten mitten in der Nacht auf einer Baustelle etwa 40 Kilometer südlich der Hauptstadt Hanoi Häuser von verbarrikadierten Dorfbewohner stürmten und einen Dorfältesten, den 84-jährigen Le Dinh Kinh, einen früheren Funktionär der KP Vietnams, töteten. Frau Can Thi Theu und ihre Söhne haben nicht nur das brutale Vorgehen der Sicherheitskräfte gegen die Bauern scharf verurteilt, sie haben auch ausländischen Botschaften und Nachrichtagenturen auf diesen Vorfall aufmerksam gemacht. Das Hanoier Regime hat reagiert und alle drei Aktivisten am 24.06.2020 verhaftet. Sie wurden gemäß Artikel 117 des vietnamesischen Strafgesetzbuches beschuldigt, „Informationen, Dokumente und Veröffentlichungen gegen die Sozialistische Republik Vietnam erstellt, gespeichert und verbreitet zu haben“.

Am Prozesstag in Hoa Binh am 06/05/2021 durften Frau Can Thi Theus Tochter Trinh Thi Thao sowie ihre Schwiegertochter Do Thi Thu im Gerichtssaal die Verhandlung beobachten, was dem Ehemann von Frau Theu, Trinh Ba Khiem, aber verwehrt wurde. Der Verteidiger, Rechtanwalt Dang Dinh Manh, zeigte großen Respekt gegenüber den zwei Angeklagten. „Sowohl Mutter als auch Sohn waren gut auf den Prozess vorbereitet“, sagte der Anwalt und fügte hinzu: „Sie waren ruhig, stark und standhaft. Ich war in viele politische Fälle verwickelt, aber ich habe noch nie Leute wie diese gesehen." Auf Fragen zu ihrer Veröffentlichung von Livestream-Videos antworteten Mutter und Sohn, sie hätten die Videos veröffentlicht, um die Welt über den Landraub in Vietnam zu informieren und auf das aufmerksam zu machen, was sie als „Fehlverhalten und Verbrechen“ des Regimes in Hanoi bezeichneten.

Frau Trinh Thi Thao und der Anwalt Dang Dinh Manh veröffentlichten nach dem Prozess Berichte über die Aussagen von Frau Theu und ihrem Sohn vor Gericht. Beide erklärten, Opfer von Zwangsräumungen gewesen zu sein, die von vietnamesischen Behörden angeordnet worden waren. Theu sagte auch, sie sei von der Polizei in einer kleinen Zelle mit 10 Frauen festgehalten worden, von denen einige mit HIV / AIDS infiziert waren. Bei einem Streit der Zellengenossinnen versuchte Frau Theu, sie zu trennen, und erlitt dabei blutige Verletzungen. Ihr Antrag, auf eine mögliche Infektion untersucht zu werden, wurde abgelehnt.

Amnesty International hat gegen die Verurteilung der Aktivistin und ihres Sohnes scharf protestiert und diese als ein Hohn auf die Gerechtigkeit bezeichnet. Emmerlynne Gil, Vizeregionaldirektorin für Forschung bei Amnesty International sagte gegenüber der Presse „Die vietnamesischen Behörden in Vietnam sollten diese ungerechte Verurteilung unverzüglich aufheben und Can Thi Theu und Trinh Ba Tu sofort und bedingungslos freilassen. Sie wurden nur wegen friedlicher Ausübung ihrer Menschenrechte verurteilt.“ (Quelle: Amnesty International, RFA)

Independent Journalists Arrested in Vietnam

07.05.2021 (VOA) - The United States is concerned about Nguyen Thanh Nha, Doan Kien Giang, and Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao, three independent journalists who were arrested by Vietnamese authorities on April 20th, as well as their colleague, Truong Chau Huu Danh, who was detained in late December. All four were charged under Article 331 of the Vietnamese Penal Code, which forbids “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State”. A conviction carries a 7-year prison sentence. [read more]

Vietnam arrests banned book publisher's distributor

07.05.2021 (UCAnews) - The Public Security Department in Vietnam’s Phu Yen province arrested Nguyen Bao Tien on May 5 for restoring and spreading anti-state material.

State-run Phap Luat newspaper said Tien, 35, from the province’s capital of Tuy Hoa, had been caught distributing books published by the banned independent Liberal Publishing House. From August to October 2019, Tien received 68 packages of books with content defaming government policies and inciting people to fight against the communist government, the newspaper said. [read more]

Vietnamese Mother, Son Draw Eight-Year Prison Terms for Land-Rights Activism

05.05.2021 (RFA) - A court in northern Vietnam’s Hoa Binh province on Wednesday sentenced land-rights activist Can Thi Theu and her son Trinh Ba Tu to eight years in prison each for posting online articles and livestream videos criticizing the government for its handling of a deadly land-rights clash last year.

A well-known activist in Hanoi, Theu was arrested on June 24, 2020 with her sons Trinh Ba Tu and Trinh Ba Phuong on charges of “creating, storing, and disseminating information, documents, items and publications opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under Article 117 of Vietnam’s Penal Code. [read more]

Vietnam: Free Democracy Activist Mother, Sons

04.05.2021 (Human Rights Watch) - (New York) – Family Members Face Trial for Criticizing Government.

The Vietnamese authorities should immediately release the democracy campaigner Can Thi Theu and her two sons and drop all charges against them, Human Rights Watch said today. Can Thi Theu and her younger son, Trinh Ba Tu, face trial on May 5, 2021. All three have been detained since June 2020. [read more]

Dong Tam Prisoners Sent to New Jails Far From Home

29.04.2021 (RFA) - Twelve villagers serving prison terms for their roles in a violent land-rights clash in Dong Tam outside Hanoi last year have been transferred from their former prison to detention centers far from their homes, placing a new burden on family members hoping to visit, sources say.

Dong Tam village elder Le Dinh Kinh, 84, was shot and killed by police during the Jan. 9, 2020 raid on the village by 3,000 security officers intervening in a long-running dispute over a military airport construction site about 25 miles south of the capital. [read more]

Vietnamese Journalist Gets Eight Years for ‘Anti-State’ Writings

24.04.2021 (RFA) - A court in Vietnam sentenced a journalist to eight years Friday for writing anti-state stories and sharing them on social media, her lawyer told RFA. The People’s Court in the south-central coastal province of Phu Yen convicted Tran Thi Tuyet Dieu of violating article 117 of the Vietnamese penal code for “creating, storing and disseminating information and materials against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.” [read more]

Human Rights Law NGO Hits Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand for Using Coronavirus to Control Media

22.04.2021 Eugene Whong (RFA) - An international human rights law NGO Thursday criticized the governments of Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam for using the COVID-19 pandemic to enact new laws that would allow them to more tightly control the media.

The Switzerland-based International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) submitted a report to The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) saying that the new laws “contain provisions incompatible with human rights law and standards as their vague language makes them prone to abuses.” [read more]

Three more independent reporters arrested in Vietnam

22.04.2021 (Reporters without borders) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for the immediate release of three Vietnamese journalists who were arrested this week after denouncing abuses by two senior officials, and urges the authorities to stop hounding journalists trying to provide their fellow-citizens with independent reporting.

Nguyen Thanh Nha, Doan Kien Giang and Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao are facing possible seven-year prison sentences on charges on “abusing democratic freedoms” following their arrest in the southern city of Can Tho on 20 April. [read more]

Vietnamese Facebook User Jailed for Two Years for ‘Abusing Democratic Rights’

22.04.2021 (RFA) - A court in southern Vietnam’s Can Tho City on Thursday sentenced a Facebook user to two years in prison for posting articles and livestream videos criticizing Vietnam’s communist government online, family members and media sources said.

Le Thi Binh, born in 1976, was arrested in December and charged with “abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to threaten the interests of the state” under Article 331 of Vietnam’s 2015 Penal Code. Her elder brother, Le Minh The, had completed a two-year jail term on the same charge in July. [read more]

Vietnamese land activists to go on trial - Mother and son accused of anti-state campaign declare their innocence from detention in jail

22.04.2021 (UCA News) - A well-known female activist and her son, who both help victims of forcible evictions in northern Vietnam, are set to stand trial for an alleged anti-state campaign as part of the government’s crackdown on dissidents.

Can Thi Theu and her son Trinh Ba Tu will be put on trial on May 5 at the People’s Court in Hoa Binh province for making, storing or spreading information, materials or items for the purpose of opposing the state, Theu’s daughter Trinh Thi Thao said. [read more]

Nouveau coup de filet de la police vietnamienne : trois reporters indépendants arrêtés

22.04.2021 (Reporters sans frontières) - Les trois journalistes avaient récemment dénoncé les malversations de deux cadres du parti au pouvoir. Reporters sans frontières (RSF) exige leur libération immédiate, et appelle les autorités à cesser de harceler systématiquement les reporters qui tentent de fournir une information indépendante à leurs concitoyens.

Ils auraient “abusé de leurs libertés démocratiques”... C’est sur la base de ce chef d’inculpation que les trois journalistes indépendants Nguyen Thanh Nha, Doan Kien Giang et Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao ont été arrêtés par la police de Can Tho, dans le sud du Vietnam, mardi 20 avril. [en savoir plus]

Three Vietnamese Journalists Arrested Over Reporting on ‘Toll Booth’ Schemes

21.04.2021 (RFA) - Police in southern Vietnam’s Can Tho city on Tuesday arrested three independent journalists connected with the publishing of articles online last year criticizing tollbooths set up under a controversial infrastructure funding program, state media sources said. Nguyen Thanh Nha, Doan Kien Giang, and Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao—all writers for the popular Facebook page Clean Newspaper, which discusses Vietnamese social issues—were taken into custody in connection with an investigation into the activities of journalist Truong Chau Huu Danh, who was arrested in December. [read more]

Jailed Vietnamese RFA Blogger ‘Haggard,’ Showing Signs of Mental Decline at An Phuoc

19.04.2021 (RFA) - A jailed Vietnamese blogger serving an 11-year prison term for writing articles criticizing Vietnam’s government is showing signs of poor health and mental decline in the prison to which he was moved last week, his wife said Monday.

Nguyen Tuong Thuy, an independent journalist and former RFA Vietnamese Service blogger, was moved April 15 from the Bo La detention center in Binh Duong province to the An Phuoc detention center in the same province. [read more]

EU-Freihandelsabkommen - Menschenrechte als Vertragsbedingung

16.04.2021 Von Caspar Dohmen (Deutschlandfunk) - Wenn die EU mit anderen Ländern Freihandelsabkommen schließt, dann soll es nicht nur um zollfreien Warenverkehr gehen, sondern auch um soziale und ökologische Standards. Der Handelsvertrag mit Vietnam ist seit letztem Jahr in Kraft, der Handel floriert. Doch profitieren davon auch Mensch und Umwelt?

Vietnam ist auch eines der letzten kommunistischen Länder. Die Einheitspartei beherrscht das politische System. Laut Verfassung genießen Bürger zwar Grundrechte wie Pressefreiheit und Versammlungsfreiheit. Doch in der Realität ist es um die Grundrechte schlecht bestellt [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam: Wieder Verhaftung einer Regimekritikerin

10.04.2021 jobo72 (JoBosBlog) - In Vietnam wurde erneut eine prominente Menschenrechtsaktivistin inhaftiert: Nguyen Thuy Hanh. Sie setzt sich für die Opfer des kommunistischen Regimes in Vietnam ein. 2017 hat sie den 50K-Fonds gegründet, der Familien von Inhaftierten unterstützt.

„Die Festnahme von Nguyen Thuy Hanh ist ein eklatanter und politisch motivierter Versuch, eine der am meisten respektierten Stimmen für Menschenrechte im Land zum Schweigen zu bringen“, erklärte „Amnesty International“ dazu nach Angaben des epd. [Weiterlesen]

Menschenrechtsaktivistin in Vietnam inhaftiert

08.04.2021 (evangelisch.de) - Frankfurt a.M., Hanoi (epd). Amnesty International hat die Inhaftierung einer Aktivistin in Vietnam verurteilt und ihre sofortige Freilassung gefordert. "Die Festnahme von Nguyen Thuy Hanh ist ein eklatanter und politisch motivierter Versuch, eine der am meisten respektierten Stimmen für Menschenrechte im Land zum Schweigen zu bringen", erklärte die Menschenrechtsorganisation am Donnerstag. Trotz Misshandlungen durch die Polizei, mehrere Festnahmen, Kontosperren und jahrelange andere Schikanen habe sie sich unermüdlich und standhaft für Gefangene eingesetzt, die zu Unrecht in völlig überfüllten Anstalten inhaftiert sind. [Weiterlesen]

Libérons Pham Doan Trang !

07.04.2021 RSF en français (RSF Twitter Media Studio) - cela fait six mois que la journaliste Pham Doan Trang, lauréate du prix #RSF en 2019, est maintenue en détention arbitraire. Pour marquer le coup, d'autres prix RSF à travers le monde témoignent de leur soutien et exigent sa libération. [en savoir plus]

Free Pham Doan Trang

07.04.2021 (RSF Twitter Media Studio) - #Vietnam's journalist and #RSF laureate Pham Doan Trang was arrested six months ago. No news of her since then. To help draw attention on her case, other RSF laureates @bainjal, @candundaradasi, @indayevarona and @Tomasz5ek call for her immediate release. [read more]

Vietnam: Journalists and media watchdogs fear increased persecution

03.04.2021 (IFEX) - With the conclusion of the 13th Party Congress, watchdog groups foresee continued or worsened suppression of press freedom in Vietnam.

The re-election of the leaders of Vietnam’s Communist Party during the party’s official congress last month heralds a continuation of oppressive policies toward press freedom, experts say. [read more]

Jailed Vietnamese Democracy Advocate Launches New Hunger Strike

02.04.2021 (RFA) - Jailed Vietnamese democracy activist Tran Huynh Duy Thuc has begun a new hunger strike, his third since October, aimed at reducing his 16-year sentence for subversion to five years in line with revisions to the penal code passed after his 2010 conviction, family members say.

He is now calling for the charges against him to be changed to involvement in “preparation to commit a crime,” an offense calling only for a five-year term of imprisonment under Vietnam’s revised 2015 Penal Code, and Tran’s family and lawyers have tried several times to petition authorities for his sentence to be reduced. [read more]

Vietnamese Activist Sent Back to Detention After Mental Hospital Stay for ‘Evaluation’

01.04.2021 (RFA) - Detained Vietnamese land-rights activist Trinh Ba Phuong was returned this week to his former detention camp from a mental hospital in Hanoi, where he was sent for evaluation after refusing to cooperate with police investigators, according to his wife.

Phuong had previously refused to speak to or look at police officers during questioning, leading to a 30-day assessment of his mental health, and was sent back to detention on Tuesday, his wife Do Thi Thu told RFA on April 1. [read more]

The price of dissent: Women and political activism in Vietnam

31.03.2021 Written by The 88 Project (Global Voices) - ... The lack of female representation at the pinnacle of Vietnamese politics makes the contribution of female activists even more impressive. Of course, the majority of activists in Vietnam are male, but this just further emphasizes the impact that women have made. It is women like Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, Pham Doan Trang, and Mai Khoi who have brought international attention to human rights in Vietnam.

There are 241 Vietnamese activists currently imprisoned, both male and female. The 88 Project estimates that at least another 55 women remain at risk of persecution. [read more]

Vietnam jails four activists up to 10 years for spreading 'anti-state propaganda

31.03.2021 (News24) - The ruling Communist Party of Vietnam has once again cracked down on dissent and criticism.

Activist Vu Tien Chi, 55, was on Tuesday jailed for 10 years for sharing and posting online articles allegedly defaming the Communist Party.

In the coastal province of Khanh Hoa, three others, aged between 25 and 59, were jailed between five and nine years on similar charges. [read more]

Vietnamese Activists Facing Death Refuse to Plead for Amnesty, Asserting Innocence

29.03.2021 (RFA) - Two Vietnamese land-rights activists facing the death penalty after being convicted for their roles in a deadly clash with police last year at the Dong Tam commune outside Hanoi are refusing to ask for amnesty in the case, saying the move would amount to a confession of their guilt.

Le Dinh Chuc and Le Dinh Cong, who were sentenced to death on Sept. 14, 2020, had been urged by prison officials to appeal directly to Vietnam’s president for amnesty, which would have seen their sentences reduced to life terms, Cong’s daughter-in-law Nguyen Thi Duyen told RFA at the weekend. [read more]

Viet Nam: activist tortured, held in solitary confinement for over 300 days

23.03.2021 (Amnesty International) - The Vietnamese authorities must immediately end their torture and other ill-treatment of political activist Nguyễn Văn Đức Độ and release him immediately and unconditionally, Amnesty International said today. He is currently serving an 11-year sentence at Xuân Lộc prison in Đồng Nai province after having been convicted for “carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration” following his politically motivated arrest in 2016. Nguyễn Văn Đức Độ has been kept in solitary confinement since May 2020 – now over 300 days – and has suffered severe mistreatment including conduct amounting to torture under international human rights law during this period. [read more]

Vietnamese Doctor Charged With ‘Harming People’s Trust in the Party’

23.03.2021 (RFA) - Police in north-central Vietnam’s Nghe An province arrested the owner of a private clinic on Monday, accusing the physician of undermining people’s trust in the Communist Party in a series of articles posted on social media, state media sources said.

Nguyen Duy Huong, a 34-year-old medical doctor and owner of the Duy Nhi clinic in the Yen Thanh district’s Vienh Tanh commune, was charged under Article 117 of the Criminal Code with “creating, storing, or disseminating information and documents against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.” [read more]

Vietnamese Land Activist Sent to Mental Hospital for Refusing to Speak to Police

22.03.2021 (RFA) - Vietnamese land-rights activist Trinh Ba Phuong is being held in a state-run mental hospital after being transferred from his former detention center, according to his wife, who was informed of his whereabouts on Monday.

After visiting Hanoi police on March 22 to ask about her husband, Phuong’s wife Do Thi Thu was told he had been sent to the hospital in Hanoi’s Thuong Tin district for “evaluation” after refusing to cooperate with investigators, Thu told RFA on Monday. [read more]

Internet et droits humains : déconnecter, mais à quel prix ?

22.03.2021 Par Clémence Maquet (siecledigital) - 2020 est l’année qui a mis au centre de nos vies la technologie, sous fond de pandémie mondiale. Parmi les conséquences, une augmentation de l’impact que peut avoir l’accès à internet sur les droits humains.

Déjà, en octobre, Freedom House avait mis en lumière les violations des droits humains liées aux mesures sanitaires : entre surveillance abusive, censure et répression des journalistes et blogueurs, coupures d’internet ou campagnes de désinformation, le Covid-19 est l’occasion de nombreuses dérives.

En novembre, le Vietnam a menacé de fermer Facebook dans le pays s’il ne cédait pas aux pressions du gouvernement pour censurer davantage de contenu politique local sur sa plateforme. [en savoir plus]

Vietnam Land Activist Sent to New Prison Without Word to His Family

19.03.2021 (RFA) - Vietnamese land-rights activist Trinh Ba Phuong has been transferred to a new detention center without word given to his family, according to his wife, who attempted to visit him at his former jail this week.

“Today, March 19, I went to the Hanoi Police Detention Center No. 1,” Phuong’s wife Do Thi Thu told RFA’s Vietnamese Service on Thursday. “When I arrived, they told me that my husband had been sent to another facility but would not tell me where it was,” she said. [read more]

Authorities Sic ‘Hunting Dog’ on Vietnamese Political Prisoner in Tiny Cell

18.03.2021 (RFA) - Prison wardens in southern Vietnam unleashed a hunting dog on a political prisoner serving an 11-year sentence for subversion to silence his complaints about solitary confinement in a cramped cell, his family told RFA.

Democracy advocate Nguyen Van Duc Do has been incarcerated since late 2018 at the Z30A detention center in Xuan Loc district of Dong Nai province for “activities aimed at overthrowing the government.” [read more]

Vietnamese Facebook User Arrested for Writings Criticizing the Government

10.03.2021 (RFA) - Police in northern Vietnam’s Ninh Binh province have arrested a Facebook user, charging him with defaming the government and distorting its policies, in the latest of a string of arrests aimed at shutting down criticism online of the country’s one-party communist state, state media said on Monday.

Tran Quoc Khanh, 61, is now being investigated for “making, storing, disseminating information, documents, items and publications against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” according to the state-run  Phap Luat [Law] newspaper. [read more]

The Vietnamese women who refuse to stay silent

07.03.2021 By Grace Bui (Asia Times) - As International Women’s Day nears, female activists in Vietnam are appealing for global attention to the persecution they often face.

Just before midnight on October 6, 2020, police raided the boarding house of Pham Doan Trang, a prominent Vietnamese author, journalist, and human-rights activist. They arrested her under Article 88 of the 1999 Penal Code for “making, storing, disseminating or propagating information, documents, and articles against the State and Socialist Republic of Vietnam.” She faces up to 20 years in prison.

Ironically, Pham Doan Trang was arrested just hours after the United States and Vietnam completed their 24th annual Human Rights Dialogue. Trang has been held incommunicado in pretrial detention since her arrest. No one has seen her or heard from her since that day, not even her lawyer. [read more]

Vietnam Tapping Hackers to Silence Critics, Experts Warn

03.03.2021 By Ralph Jennings (VOA) - TAIPEI - An international advocacy group's claim that the Vietnamese government has tapped hackers to target activists shows that the communist Southeast Asian state is widening the use of technology to quash its biggest opponents, experts believe.

Ocean Lotus, a shadowy group suspected of working with the Vietnamese government, is "behind a sustained campaign of spyware attacks," London-based Amnesty International said in a statement on February 24 following two years of research. It says the attacks surfaced in 2014 and targeted rights activists and the private sector, inside Vietnam as well as abroad. [read more]

Vietnam - Hacker-Angriffe auf Blogger und Menschenrechtsorganisationen

25.02.2021 Markus Reuter, Vincent Först (Netzpolitik) - Amnesty International berichtet von Attacken auf bekannte vietnamesische Blogger und Menschenrechtsorganisationen im Ausland. Nur mit einer unabhängigen Untersuchung könne die Regierung des Landes entkräften, hinter den Angriffen zu stehen.

Vietnamesische Blogger und Menschenrechtler waren zwischen Februar 2018 und November 2020 Opfer von mehreren Attacken mit Spyware, berichtet Amnesty International. Das Security Lab der Menschenrechtsorganisation, das Angriffe untersucht und Menschenrechtlern beim digitalen Schutz zur Seite steht, schreibt die Attacken der Gruppe Ocean Lotus zu. Diese soll Verbindungen zur vietnamesischen Regierung haben und hat schon mehrfach Menschenrechtler und Nichtregierungsorganisationen in aller Welt attackiert. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnamese hackers spent years harassing human rights activists with spyware

25.02.2021 Written by Shannon Vavra (CyberScoop) - For the past several years a Vietnamese hacking group best known for its attacks on the auto sector has been targeting activists and non-governmental organizations with spyware, according to an Amnesty International investigation published Wednesday.

To run their surveillance operation, the hacking group sent emails to activists that appeared to contain important documents, or a link. [read more]

Human rights activists in Vietnam targeted by spyware

24.02.2021 Ellen Daniel (Verdict) - Human rights activists in Vietnam have been targeted by the notorious hacking group Ocean Lotus.

The group, which is suspected of having links with the Vietnamese government, has carried out a campaign of spyware attacks against the activists, an investigation by Amnesty Tech, a global collective of advocates, hackers, researchers and technologists. [read more]

Cyberspionage: Ausländische Regimekritiker in Deutschland nicht sicher

24.02.2021 (SWR) - Regimekritiker, die Zuflucht in Deutschland suchen, sind nach einer Recherche von BR und "Zeit Online" nicht sicher vor Cyberspionage. Die Menschenrechtsorganisation Amnesty International ist zu einem ähnlichen Ergebnis gekommen und fordert Aufklärung.

Die Recherche vom vergangenen Oktober hat aufgedeckt, dass zum Beispiel "kritische" Blogger aus Vietnam zu Zielen von Hackerangriffen und Cyberspionage wurden. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnamese Hackers Target Human Rights Defenders: Amnesty

24.02.2021 By Ionut Arghire (SecurityWeek) - Between February 2018 and November 2020, Vietnam-linked hacking group Ocean Lotus targeted Vietnamese human rights activists in the country and abroad with spyware, a new report from Amnesty International reveals.

Also referred to as APT32, APT-C-00, SeaLotus, and Cobalt Kitty, Ocean Lotus is a highly sophisticated group that has been active since at least 2012, mainly focused on media, human rights, and civil society organizations, but also targeting Vietnamese political dissidents, foreign governments and companies. [read more]

Viêt-Nam. Des militant·e·s visés par un groupe de pirates tristement célèbre

24.02.2021 (Amnesty International France) - Le groupe de pirates informatiques Ocean Lotus, soupçonné d’entretenir des liens avec l’État vietnamien, est à l’origine d’une campagne soutenue d’attaques lancées au moyen de logiciels espions contre des défenseur·e·s vietnamiens des droits humains, comme le révèle une nouvelle enquête menée par Amnesty Tech, qui souligne l’intensification des atteintes portées à la liberté d’expression.

« Les dernières attaques lancées par Ocean Lotus témoignent de la répression dont des militant·e·s vietnamiens sont la cible dans leur pays et à l’étranger, simplement parce qu’ils défendent les droits humains. Cette surveillance illégale bafoue le droit à la vie privée et étouffe la liberté d’expression, a déclaré Likhita Banerji, chercheuses à Amnesty Tech. [en savoir plus]

Click and Bait: Vietnamese Human Rights Defenders Targeted with Spyware Attacks

24.02.2021 (Amnesty International) - A new Amnesty International investigation has identified a campaign of spyware attacks targeting Vietnamese human rights defenders (HRDs) from February 2018 to November 2020. Amnesty International’s Security Lab attributes these attacks to an attack group known as Ocean Lotus. The group has been active since at least 2014, targeting the private sector and HRDs.

The spyware attacks investigated and identified by the Security Lab are the latest evidence of a crackdown on freedom of expression in Viet Nam and against Vietnamese activists outside the country. [read more]

Vietnam: Activists targeted by notorious hacking group - new investigation

24.02.2021 (Amnesty International UK) - Notorious hacking group Ocean Lotus, which has been suspected of having links with the Vietnamese government, is behind a sustained campaign of spyware attacks on the country’s human rights activists, a new investigation by Amnesty Tech has revealed.

The organisation’s Security Lab found technical evidence in phishing emails sent to two prominent Vietnamese human rights defenders showing that Ocean Lotus was responsible for the attacks between 2018 and November 2020. [read more]

Ocean Lotus: Cyberangriffe auf Aktivisten aus Vietnam in Deutschland

24.02.2021 (Heise) - Von Stefan Krempl Amnesty International hat in Phishing-Mails Hinweise gefunden, dass die Gruppe Ocean Lotus einen in Deutschland lebenden vietnamesischen Blogger ausgespäht hat.

Es gibt weitere Anzeichen dafür, dass in Deutschland Regimekritiker aus Vietnam gezielt ausspioniert werden. Amnesty International (AI) hat am Mittwoch einen Bericht veröffentlicht, wonach die kriminelle Gruppe von Cyber-Angreifern Ocean Lotus den seit 2013 in Deutschland lebenden vietnamesischen Blogger und Demokratie-Aktivisten Bui Thanh Hieu zwischen Februar 2018 und Dezember 2019 mindestens viermal mit einer mächtigen Malware angegriffen hat. [Weiterlesen]

Des militants vietnamiens auraient été ciblés par des pirates informatiques

24.02.2021 (L'actualité) - BANGKOK — Le groupe de pirates informatiques Ocean Lotus a ciblé plusieurs militants vietnamiens des droits de la personne, a dénoncé mercredi Amnistie internationale, ce qui représente la plus récente attaque contre la liberté d’expression dans ce pays communiste.

Le Vietnam compte parmi les derniers pays communistes du monde à ne tolérer aucune dissidence. [en savoir plus]

Hacker-Angriffe auf vietnamesischen Menschenrechtler in Deutschland

24.02.2021 (Amnesty International Deutschland) - Der in Deutschland lebende vietnamesische Blogger und Demokratie-Aktivist Bui Thanh Hieu wurde von der Hacker-Gruppe Ocean Lotus angegriffen, die Verbindungen zur vietnamesischen Regierung haben soll. Auch weitere Menschenrechtsverteidigerinnen und -verteidiger sind betroffen. Zu diesem Ergebnis kommt Amnesty Tech, ein interdisziplinäres Team aus Technologie- und Menschenrechtsexpertinnen und -experten, in einem neuen Bericht.

Das Security Lab von Amnesty Tech schützt Menschenrechtsverteidigerinnen und -verteidiger weltweit vor technischen Angriffen. Es fand in Phishing-E-Mails an zwei prominente vietnamesische Menschenrechtsverteidiger, von denen einer seit 2013 in Deutschland lebt, sowie an eine vietnamesische NGO mit Sitz in den Philippinen Beweise dafür, dass für diese Angriffe zwischen 2018 und November 2020 die Hacker-Gruppe Ocean Lotus verantwortlich ist. [Weiterlesen]

Critics Roll Their Eyes as Vietnam Applies to Join UN Human Rights Council

23.02.2021 (RFA) - Vietnam on Monday announced its candidacy to join the U.N. Human Rights Council, but claims by the country’s foreign minister that the one-party communist state fully protects “human rights and fundamental freedoms” drew swift scorn and disbelief from rights experts.

Nguyen Van Dai--a Vietnamese lawyer and democracy advocate now living in Germany—voiced surprise and concern at Pham’s announcement, calling Vietnam Southeast Asia’s most oppressive state. [read more]

Vietnamese reporter Phan Bui Bao Thy detained over critical Facebook posts

19.02.2021 (CPJ) - Bangkok, February 18, 2021 – Vietnamese authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Phan Bui Bao Thy and stop jailing reporters for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. 

On February 10, police in Vietnam’s central Quang Tri province arrested Thy, bureau chief of the state-run Giao Duc Va Thoi Dai (Age and Education) news magazine, and charged him with violating Article 331 of the country’s penal code, a provision which criminalizes “abusing democratic freedoms,” according to news reports. [read more]

Jailed Vietnamese Blogger Held in Isolation, Denied Visits in Mental Hospital

18.02.2021 (RFA) - A Vietnamese blogger held in a mental hospital while awaiting trial for criticizing Vietnam’s one-party communist state was refused a visit from supporters on Wednesday, with authorities saying he is being kept in isolation as a “political case.”

Le Anh Hung, a member of the online Brotherhood of Democracy advocacy group who blogged for Voice of America, was arrested on July 5, 2018 on a charge of “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state” under Article 331 of Vietnam’s criminal code. [read more]

Vietnamese State Media Bloggers Held on Defamation Charge for Criticizing Officials

16.02.2021 (RFA) - Two journalists employed by official media are being held by police in central Vietnam’s Quang Tri province on charges of “abusing press freedoms” for posting articles online criticizing provincial leaders, state media and other sources say.

Phan Bui Bao Thy, 56 and bureau chief of the online magazine Age and Education, and an associate, Le Anh Dung, 50, were taken into custody on Feb. 10 after articles appeared on Facebook pages the two men operated accusing provincial officials of corruption, police said. [read more]

Vietnamese magazine reporter held for “abusing democratic freedoms"

16.02.2021 (RSF) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Phan Bui Bao Thy, a state-owned magazine bureau chief in Vietnam’s central province of Quang Tri, who is being held on a charge of “abusing democratic freedoms” for accusing local leaders of corruption in Facebook posts. He was just acting in the general interest, RSF says.

The bureau chief of the magazine Giao Duc va Thoi Dai (Age and Education), Phan Bui Bao Thy is facing a possible seven-year prison sentence after being formally charged on 10 February with violating article 331 of the penal code, which penalizes journalists “who abuse their press freedom.” He was previously taken in for questioning on 5 February and then released. [read more]

Un journaliste vietnamien arrêté pour avoir “abusé de ses libertés démocratiques”

16.02.2021 (RSF) - Interpellé pour avoir révélé des faits de corruption impliquant deux dirigeants locaux, le journaliste Phan Bui Bao Thy, qui travaille pour un magazine d’Etat, risque sept ans de prison. Notant qu’il a agit dans un esprit d’intérêt général, Reporters sans frontières (RSF) exige sa libération immédiate et inconditionnelle.

Il risque une peine de sept ans de détention pour avoir “abusé de ses libertés démocratiques”. Phan Bui Bao Thy, directeur de bureau du magazine d’Etat Giao Duc va Thoi Dai (“Âge et éducation”) dans la province de Quang Tri (centre du Vietnam), a été formellement accusé, le 10 février dernier, d’avoir violé l'article 331 du code pénal, qui punit les journalistes qui “abusent de leur liberté de la presse”. Il avait préalablement été interpellé le 5 février pour interrogatoire. [en savoir plus]

Vietnamese Police Say Prisoner Died After a Fall, Revising Earlier Suicide Claim

11.02.2021 (RFA) - State-run VNExpress reported Thursday that on Jan. 6, 23-year-old Duong Quoc Minh, detained since Nov. 6 on charges of disrupting public order, fell and hit his head while resisting prison escorts at the Chi Hoa detention camp in Ho Chi Minh City, according to a representative of the camp.

However, in a Jan. 16 report published by local outlet Tuoi Tre, Duong’s mother Trieu Ngoc Binh said she received notice from the police on Jan. 6 that said her son had taken his own life and requested that she come to receive his body. [read more]

Jailed Vietnamese RFA Blogger Refuses to Appeal Sentence, Destroys Petition Form

29.01.2021 (RFA) - A jailed Vietnamese blogger has refused to appeal his 11-year prison term imposed for writing articles criticizing Vietnam’s government, tearing up a petition form given to him after prison guards told him what to write on it, his lawyer says.

Arrested in May 2020, Thuy was indicted along with Pham Chi Dung and Le Huu Minh Tuan on Nov. 10 for “making, storing, and disseminating documents and materials for anti-state purposes” under Article 117 of Vietnam’s Penal Code. [read more]

Offener Brief - Hungerstreik der inhaftierten Menschenrechtsverteidiger Tran Huynh Duy Thuc und Nguyen Bac Truyen

27.01.2021 (Renate Künast) Die Menschenrechtssituation in Vietnam besorgt mich als Vorsitzende der ASEAN Parlamentariergruppe zutiefst. Neben meiner Patenschaft für den inhaftierten Journalisten Dr. Pham Chi Dung bin ich aktuell sehr besorgt um den Gesundheitszustand der inhaftierten Menschenrechtsverteidiger Tran Huynh Duy Thuc und Nguyen Bac Truyen, die sich beide aus Protest in einem Hungerstreik befinden.  [Weiterlesen]

Supporters Mark Anniversary of Vietnamese Land Activist’s Death Under Watchful Eye of Police

27.01.2021 (RFA) - Supporters on Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Vietnamese activist Le Dinh Kinh, who was shot and killed by authorities during a deadly land-rights clash, as plainclothes police loitered about keeping close tabs on the gathering, according to the slain activist’s family member.

Dong Tam village elder Le Dinh Kinh, 84, was killed during the early-morning Jan. 9 raid on the village by 3,000 security officers intervening in a long-running dispute over a military airport construction site about 25 miles south of the capital, Hanoi. [read more]

Pressemitteilung - Erklärung von Dr. Pham Chi Dung zu seiner Verurteilung

26.01.2021 (Renate Künast) - Die Bundestagsabgeordnete Renate Künast erklärt zu dem Statement des vietnamesischen Journalisten Dr. Pham Chi Dung über seine Verurteilung am 5. Januar 2021 in Ho Chi Minh Stadt, Vietnam: ... Mit Bestürzung habe ich erfahren, dass er gegen das menschenunwürdige Urteil nicht in Berufung gehen will, da er in diesem vietnamesischen Staat keinerlei Hoffnung für ein faires Verfahren sieht. Seine Erklärung macht deutlich, in welch dramatischer Lage sich die Menschenrechte in Vietnam befinden und dass wir als internationale Gemeinschaft nicht nachlassen dürfen, uns für die deren Wahrung einzusetzen.  [Weiterlesen]

EU lawmakers condemn Vietnam over human rights crackdown

22.01.2021 By James Pearson (Metro) - HANOI (Reuters) – The European parliament has chastised Vietnam over a government crackdown on activists in the Southeast Asian country and called on EU member states to condemn the campaign ahead of a major ruling Communist Party congress next week.

EU lawmakers voted 592 to 32 with 58 abstentions on Thursday in favour of a resolution calling for a tougher stance against the Vietnamese government and highlighting the link between human rights and the trade deal the bloc has with Vietnam. [read more]

Vietnam: Crackdown Ahead of Party Congress - Dissidents Sent to Prison Amid Preparations for Key Political Event

22.01.2021 (HRW) - (Bangkok) – The Vietnamese government’s crackdown on dissidents has been unrelenting prior to the major Communist Party Congress set to begin on January 25, 2021, Human Rights Watch said today.

“Vietnam’s Communist Party is preparing for the pageantry of its party congress while sending people to prison for posting their views and opinions on Facebook, as millions worldwide do every day,” said John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. [read more]

Vietnam Jails Environmental Activist for 7 Years Over Facebook Posts

22.01.2021 By An Hai (VOA) - WASHINGTON - A Vietnamese court sentenced an activist to seven years in prison Wednesday over her Facebook posts criticizing economic and cyber security laws, the government’s handling of the pandemic, and environmental issues.

A court in the southern province of Hau Giang convicted Dinh Thi Thu Thuy, an aquaculture engineer and environmental activist, of “distorting and smearing the honor of the leaders of the Party and State,” her defense lawyer told VOA. [read more]

Die Menschenrechtslage in Vietnam, insbesondere der Fall der für die Menschenrechte eintretenden Journalisten Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy und Le Huu Minh Tuan

21.01.2021 (Europäisches Parlament) - Entschließung des Europäischen Parlaments vom 21. Januar 2021 zur Menschenrechtslage in Vietnam, insbesondere der Fall der für die Menschenrechte eintretenden Journalisten Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy und Le Huu Minh Tuan (2021/2507(RSP)) [Weiterlesen]

Human rights situation in Vietnam, in particular the case of human rights journalists Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy and Le Huu Minh Tuan

21.01.2021 (European Parliament) - European Parliament resolution of 21 January 2021 on the human rights situation in Vietnam, in particular the case of human rights journalists Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy and Le Huu Minh Tuan (2021/2507(RSP)) [read more]

Situación de los derechos humanos en Vietnam, en particular el caso de Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy y Le Huu Minh Tuan, periodistas defensores de los derechos humanos

21.01.2021 (Parlamento Europeo) - Resolución del Parlamento Europeo, de 21 de enero de 2021, sobre la situación de los derechos humanos en Vietnam, en particular el caso de Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy y Le Huu Minh Tuan, periodistas defensores de los derechos humanos (2021/2507(RSP)) [seguir leyendo]

Situation des droits de l’homme au Viêt Nam, en particulier le cas de Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy et Le Huu Minh Tuan, journalistes spécialisés dans les droits de l’homme

21.01.2021 (Parlement européen) - Résolution du Parlement européen du 21 janvier 2021 sur la situation des droits de l’homme au Viêt Nam, en particulier le cas des journalistes défenseurs des droits de l’homme Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy et Le Huu Minh Tuan (2021/2507(RSP)) [en savoir plus]

Hammered and sickled: Vietnam’s protests mounting

21.01.2021 (Democracy Digest) - Vietnam’s Communist Party is in a weaker position than it seems. Protests are mounting and economic growth will be hard to revive, the Economist observes: Although the party does not allow any formal opposition, informal criticism has been growing.

A recent crackdown is a sign of how worried the party is about popular discontent, Tuong Vu of the University of Oregon tells the Economist: Protests are, in effect, illegal in Vietnam, yet on many occasions over the past 15 years the government has had to change course in response to public pressure…. Between 1995 and 2018 factory workers across the country organised over 6,600 strikes, according to Ben Kerkvliet of Australian National University. [read more]

Rights groups snub Vietnam prisoner over hunger strike

17.01.2021 By Kaylee Uland and Nguyen Quynh Thien Trang (Asia Times) - For political prisoners in authoritarian Vietnam, sometimes a hunger strike is the only tool they have left

“Only skin and bone, but his mind is very strong.” This is how Vietnamese political prisoner Tran Huynh Duy Thuc’s family described his condition after their most recent visit with him. Thuc has now been on a hunger strike for more than 50 days protesting the authorities’ refusal to respond to his recent legal petitions. Despite the pleas for help from his family and local activists, the international community remains eerily silent.  [read more]

Vietnam - Events of 2020

14.01.2021 (HRW) - Vietnam continued to systematically violate basic civil and political rights in 2020. The government, under the one-party rule of the Communist Party of Vietnam, tightened restrictions on freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, movement, and religion. Prohibitions remained on the formation or operation of independent unions and any other organizations or groups considered to be a threat to the Communist Party’s monopoly of power [read more]

Vietnam: Rights Violations Intensify

13.01.2021 (HRW) - Vietnamese authorities increased restrictions on basic political and civil rights in 2020, especially freedom of expression and association, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2021.

The tightening of restrictions on free expression appears to be linked to the National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, scheduled for January 25 to February 2, 2021. [read more]

Face à l’emprisonnement de journalistes au Vietnam, l’UE privilégie le dialogue

07.01.2021 Par : Vlagyiszlav Makszimov (Euractiv) - L’UE s’est montrée hésitante mercredi 6 janvier à l’idée de recourir à des sanctions commerciales contre le Vietnam, après l’annonce faite par le pays de lourdes condamnations visant des journalistes, le dernier acte de répression du parti communiste vietnamien au pouvoir à l’égard de mouvements dissidents.

Trois journalistes membres de l’Association des journalistes indépendants du Vietnam (IJAVN), un organisme de défense de la liberté d’expression, ont été condamnés à des peines allant de 11 à 15 ans de prison à Hô Chi Minh mardi (5 janvier). Le chef d’accusation ? Avoir rédigé, stocké et relayé de fausses informations sur le gouvernement. [en savoir plus]

Vietnam ramps up crackdown on dissent ahead of Communist Party congress

07.01.2021 (SCMP) - Authorities in Vietnam are ramping up their crackdown on dissent just weeks before the Communist Party’s national congress, with the jailing of prominent journalist Pham Chi Dung on Tuesday just the latest in a string of sentences handed down to critics of the state.

Before his arrest, Dung was chairman of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam (IAJVN), a group he founded that has advocated for press freedom in the country since 2014 yet is considered an illegal organisation by Hanoi. [read more]

L'Union européenne appelle à la libération immédiate de trois journalistes vietnamiens

06.01.2021 (RTBF) - Trois journalistes vietnamiens ont été condamnés mardi à des peines de 11 à 15 ans de prison pour avoir critiqué le régime communiste, sur fond de répression croissante à l'approche du congrès du Parti communiste, prévu pour le 25 janvier. L'Union européenne, qui a récemment conclu des accords commerciaux avec le pays, a appelé à leur libération immédiate. [en savoir plus]

VIETNAM - JUSTICE: Trois journalistes condamnés à de lourdes peines

06.01.2021 (Gavroche Thailande) - La condamnation de Pham Chi Dung à 15 ans de prison, et à 11 ans chacun pour Nguyen Tuong Thuy et Le Huu Minh Tuan, a été de suite dénoncée par l'Union européenne Tous trois sont membres de l'Association des journalistes indépendants du Vietnam (IJAVN), une organisation de la société civile qui promeut la liberté d'expression, la liberté de la presse et la liberté d'association. [en savoir plus]

Menschenrechtsbeauftragte Kofler zur Verurteilung von drei Journalisten in Vietnam zu langen Haftstrafen

05.01.2021 (Auswärtiges Amt) - Zur Verurteilung der vietnamesischen Journalisten Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy und Le Huu Minh Tuan sagte die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Menschenrechtspolitik und Humanitäre Hilfe im Auswärtigen Amt, Bärbel Kofler, heute (05.01): Erneut sind in Vietnam Aktivisten zu hohen Gefängnisstrafen verurteilt worden, die sich friedlich für‎ Presse- und Meinungsfreiheit sowie für die Gründung von freien und unabhängigen Gewerkschaften eingesetzt haben.

Vietnam verletzt mit dieser Verurteilung internationale Konventionen, zu deren Einhaltung sich das Land verpflichtet hat. [Weiterlesen]

Human Rights Commissioner Kofler on the sentencing of three journalists to lengthy jail terms

05.01.2021 (Auswärtiges Amt) - The Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Assistance at the Federal Foreign Office, Bärbel Kofler, issued the following statement today (5 January) on the sentencing of the Vietnamese journalists Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy and Le Huu Minh Tuan:

Once again, lengthy jail terms have been handed down to activists in Viet Nam who have peacefully campaigned for freedom of expression, the freedom of the press and the founding of free and independent unions.

With these convictions, Viet Nam is breaching international conventions which it has undertaken to uphold. [read more]

Un tribunal de Vietnam condena a penas de entre once y 15 años a tres periodistas independientes

05.01.2021 (Europa Press) - Un tribunal vietnamita ha condenado a penas de entre once y 15 años de cárcel a tres periodistas independientes acusados de "divulgar propaganda contra el Estado", en un caso judicial visto con recelo por organizaciones defensoras de los Derechos Humanos.

Los tres periodistas pertenecen a la Asociación de Periodistas Independientes de Vietnam y uno de ellos, Pham Chi Dung, es el presidente del grupo. El abogado Dand Ding Manh ha confirmado a la agencia DPA que Dung ha sido condenado a 15 años, mientras que los otros dos acusados, Nguyen Tuong Thuy y Le Huu Minh Tuan, han recibido sendas penas de once años. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam.- Un tribunal de Vietnam juzga a tres periodistas por dar información "anti-estado"

05.01.2021 (notimerica) - Un tribunal de la ciudad vietnamita de Ho Chi Minh ha iniciado este martes un juicio contra tres periodistas de la Asociación de Periodistas Independientes de Vietnam (IJAVN, por sus siglas en inglés) por cargos "anti-estatales".

Los tres profesionales de la información se enfrentan a 20 años de cárcel y se espera que el veredicto se emita a lo largo del martes por la tarde.

Pham Chi Dung, de 54 años, presidente de la IJAVN, y otros dos periodistas --Nguyen Tuong Thuy, de 69 años, y Le Huu Minh Tuan, de 31-- son acusados de "difundir propaganda anti-estatal en virtud del artículo 117 del Código Penal", según el Tribunal Popular de la Ciudad de Ho Chi Minh. [seguir leyendo]

Trois journalistes vietnamiens emprisonnés

06.01.2021 (VOA) - Trois journalistes vietnamiens ont été condamnés mardi à des peines de 11 à 15 ans de prison pour avoir critiqué le régime communiste, sur fond de répression croissante à l'approche du congrès du Parti.

Les congrès du Parti communiste, qui ont lieu tous les cinq ans, permettent de renouveler les membres du comité central et du bureau politique, l'instance dirigeante suprême qui en est issue.

Dans les mois qui précèdent, théâtres d'intenses tractations, les autorités ont l'habitude d'intensifier leur répression afin de prévenir toute perturbation.

"La sévérité des peines montre à quel point la censure est importante à l'approche du prochain congrès", a relevé Emerlynne Gil d'Amnesty International. [en savoir plus]

Vietnam: three IJAVN journalists given a total of 37 years in prison

05.01.2021 (RSF) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is appalled by sentences totalling 37 years in prison that a people’s court in Ho Chi Minh City passed today on three members of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam (IJAVN). The sole aim of this purely political trial was to intimidate all Vietnamese citizens fighting for reliable, independently-reported information, RSF said.

IJAVN president Pham Chi Dung was given a record 15-year jail sentence at the end of the sham trial, which was completed in less than four hours, while the association’s vice president, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, and its editor, Le Huu Minh Tuan, were each sentenced to 11 years in prison. [read more]

Renate Künast fordert die Freilassung des vietnamesischen Journalisten Dr. Pham Chi Dung

05.01.2021 (Renate Künast) - Die Bundestagsabgeordnete Renate Künast erklärt zu der Verurteilung der vietnamesischen Journalisten Dr. Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy und Le Huu Minh Tuan am 5. Januar 2021 in Ho Chi Minh Stadt, Vietnam: „Mit großer Bestürzung erfahre ich heute, dass der bekannte Journalist Dr. Pham Chi Dung, Vorsitzender der Vereinigung der Unabhängigen Journalisten in Vietnam (IJAVN), vom Volksgericht in Ho Chi Minh Stadt wegen „Propaganda gegen den Sozialistischen Staat“ zu 15 Jahren Haft und 3 weiteren Jahren Hausarrest verurteilt worden ist. Zwei seiner Mitstreiter wurden in diesem Prozess zu insgesamt 22 Jahren Haft und 6 Jahren Hausarrest verurteilt. Das ist bislang die höchste Strafe wegen dieser Anschuldigung für Menschenrechtsverteidiger in Vietnam. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam sentences 3 independent journalists to more than 10 years in prison

05.01.2021 (CPJ) - Bangkok, January 5, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today strongly condemned the convictions and harsh prison sentences handed down to Vietnamese journalists Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, and Le Huu Minh Tuan, and called for their immediate and unconditional releases.

The Ministry of Public Security said in a statement the three wrote stories to “distort and defame the people’s administration, infringe the interests of the Communist Party of Vietnam and state,” according to reports. [read more]

Hohe Haftstrafen für Journalisten in Vietnam

05.01.2021 (DW) - Menschenrechtler sind empört über das drakonische Vorgehen gegen die drei Reporter. Sie müssen 15 beziehungsweise elf Jahre ins Gefängnis, weil sie "staatsfeindliche Propaganda" verbreitet haben sollen.

Ein Volksgericht in der vietnamesischen Metropole Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt hat drei Reporter wegen staatsfeindlicher Delikte zu langen Haftstrafen verurteilt worden. Laut Gericht wurde ihnen "Verbreitung staatsfeindlicher Propaganda nach Artikel 117 des Strafgesetzes" zur Last gelegt.

Alle drei Männer sind Mitglieder der Unabhängigen Journalistenvereinigung Vietnams (IJAVN) und schrieben unter anderem für die regierungskritische Onlinezeitung des Verbands, die "Vietnam Times". Der IJAVN-Vorsitzende, Pham Chi Dung, wurde zu 15 Jahren Haft verurteilt, sein Stellvertreter Nguyen Tuong Thuy und der Redakteur Le Huu Minh Tuan zu jeweils elf Jahren. Der gesamte Prozess dauerte Berichten zufolge nur einen halben Tag. [Weiterlesen]

Hasta 15 años de prisión a periodistas en Vietnam por críticas

05.01.2021 (La Jornada) - AFP Hanoi. Tres periodistas de Vietnam fueron condenados a penas de entre 11 y 15 años de prisión por haber criticado al régimen comunista en un momento en que la represión crece con motivo de la celebración del congreso del Partido.

Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy y Le Huu Minh Tuan, miembros de la Asociación de periodistas independientes de Vietnam y conocidos por sus discursos prodemocracia, fueron declarados culpables este martes de haber "suministrado y difundido informaciones en línea contra la República socialista de Vietnam". [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam : trois responsables de l’Association des journalistes indépendants condamnés à un total de 37 ans de prison

05.01.2021 (RFS) - Deux des trois reporters ont été condamnés à onze ans de prison, tandis que le président de l’association écope d’une peine record de quinze ans derrière les barreaux. Reporters sans frontières (RSF) dénonce un jugement purement politique, dont la seule motivation est d’intimider l’ensemble des citoyens vietnamiens qui se battent pour avoir accès à une information fiable et indépendante.

Le procès a été bâclé en moins de quatre heures… Le président de l’Association des journalistes indépendants du Vietnam (IJAVN), Pham Chi Dung, a été condamné ce matin, mardi 5 janvier, à une peine record de 15 ans de prison par le tribunal populaire d’Hô-Chi-Minh-Ville. Le vice-président de l’association, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, et son rédacteur en chef, Le Huu Minh Tuan, écopent pour leur part d’une peine de onze ans de réclusion chacun.  [en savoir plus]