Vietnam Sentences Most Prominent Activist To 9 Years In Prison

Posted by African Examiner Asia, Latest Headlines Tuesday, December 14th, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Hanoi People’s Court on Tuesday sentenced Pham Doan Trang, a prominent Vietnamese activist, and dissident who has won European human rights awards, to 9 years in prison.

Trang was charged with disseminating “anti-state propaganda,’’ although the authorities dropped another similar charge that would have seen her jailed for up to 20 years.

She was initially detained in Ho Chi Minh City on October 6, 2020, the same day Vietnam and the U.S. held a human rights dialogue that included talks on issues including the right to freedom of expression.

Trang is the author of numerous books whose work spans everything from women’s rights and environmental issues to politics and activism.

She is also the co-founder of environmental rights group Green Trees and a number of independent media outlets.

In 2017, Trang was awarded the 2017 Homo Homini Award presented by Czech human rights organisation People in Need.

She was also awarded a press freedom award in 2019 by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in recognition of her impact.

In January 2020, she spoke out about a highly sensitive land rights clash in Dong Tam Village, related to the construction of a military airport on farmland claimed by villagers on the outskirts of Hanoi, in which three policemen and a village leader lost their lives.

In spite of decades of opening up to foreign investment, Vietnam strictly censors national media and is intolerant of dissent.

Land rights activists Trinh Ba Phuong and Nguyen Thi Tam, who also spoke out about the Dong Tam conflict, will face trial on dec.15.

AFP