Blogger and Luật Khoa editor-in-chief Pham Doan Trang states her reasons for refusing to go to Berlin to receive her Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom award despite the interventions and assistance of the German Embassy in Hanoi.
- Title: Phạm Đoan Trang đạt giải Tự do Báo chí 2019 của RSF
- Publish Date: September 12, 2019
- Publisher: VOA Tiếng Việt
Excerpt:
Note: Original texts in Vietnamese.
On the evening of September 12, 2019 in Berlin, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) officially awarded the Press Freedom award in the category of Influence to independent journalist and blogger Pham Doan Trang of Vietnam.
Blogger Pham Doan Trang, the author of several political books banned from publication in the country, told VOA that she decided not to go to Berlin to attend the RSF award ceremony on September 12 because she knew that the Vietnamese government could cause harm. prevented her from leaving the country, even though the German Embassy in Hanoi intervened.
Female blogger Pham Doan Trang says:
“I think if I want to go, the government can give it away, but certainly before I go, I have to sit down and negotiate, and I have to accept some conditions set by the government, and if I don’t accept it, then I don’t want to go. can not go. Since I didn’t want to talk to them, I decided not to go.
“As far as I know, the German Ambassador intervened with the Vietnamese government to return the right to carry passports as well as ensure the freedom of entry and exit of some Vietnamese activists including myself.
“The German side is very enthusiastic, but in my experience, we have to negotiate with the Vietnamese police anyway such as: not campaigning, not propagandizing, not slandering the country…otherwise they will start a campaign. element; they’ll also think they’ll have a hard time deciding whether or not I’ll go home, so it’s best for me to decide not to go.”
On August 29, activist Pham Doan Trang, co-founder of the online website Law Faculty Magazine , was nominated by RSF for the Freedom of the Press Award in the Influence category.
Ms. Doan Trang commented on the reason why she was nominated by RSF for the Influence category :
“I think maybe they know that in the last 2-3 years I have published a lot of books, besides my editorial work at Law Faculty of Journalism . Every year I publish 2-3 books and have such a large readership that I am surprised myself. Maybe they use that to award prizes.
“I know that the value that RSF pursues when considering this award is that they want journalists around the world, especially journalists who are victims of persecution, harassment, abuse, government abuse. right to know that these journalists are not alone in their fight.
“RSF has really helped people in my situation feel that they are not alone.”
Blogger Pham Doan Tranh’s books recently released by Freedom Publishing House include Popular Politics, Nonviolent Resistance, Prison Raising Manual, Politics of A Police State , etc.
On the evening of September 12, present in Berlin, journalist Trinh Huu Long announced on Facebook:
“For many reasons, journalist Doan Trang did not go to Germany to attend this award ceremony. Journalist Trinh Huu Long, Editor-in-Chief of Law Khoa , will attend the event on behalf of journalist Doan Trang.”
Download in Vietnamese:
Download in English: