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  • Pham Doan Trang in Voice of America: Tense One-Day Trial Ends in 9-Year Sentence for Vietnamese Journalist

    VOA spoke to the lawyer of Pham Doan Trang after a nine-year sentence was handed down to the Vietnamese author and journalist by a Hanoi court.

    Excerpt:

    The award-winning journalist was convicted of “spreading anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of Vietnam’s Penal Code. The charge has been criticized by her lawyer Dang Dinh Manh and international rights organizations, who say Trang is being penalized for her work.

    “We believe what Trang has done was merely exercising the right to freedom of speech,” said Manh, one of five lawyers who defended the 43-year-old journalist.

    He added that the charge contradicts provisions in Vietnam’s constitution that protect free speech.

    The lawyer told VOA the Hanoi People’s Court judges maintained that Trang’s behavior was “dangerous to the society and the administration.”

    Manh added that in an unusual move, the court handed down a prison term longer than requested by the prosecution.

    Manh said that Trang was frequently interrupted when addressing the court.

    The journalist, who was arrested in October 2020, pleaded not guilty.

    “We believe that the conviction of Trang does not have enough of a legal basis,” said Manh.

    Trang’s family has protested the sentence. Her brother, Nguyen Chinh Truc, who attended the trial with their 81-year-old mother, told VOA he raised objections at the hearing.

    International reaction

    The United States and other governments, along with international rights groups, have condemned the conviction of Trang, who is known for her reports on human rights and legal issues affecting Vietnamese.

    In a statement released Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that Trang “did nothing more than peacefully express her opinions.”

    He called on Vietnam to release the journalist “who has been recognized internationally for her work to advance human rights and good governance in Vietnam.”

    Britain, Germany and the Czech Republic also voiced concern at the sentencing.

    Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to VOA’s request for comment on Trang’s case and the international condemnation of her conviction.

    The ministry spokesperson has previously said that only criminals are imprisoned in Vietnam.

    Trang is one of at least 23 journalists in jail for their work as of December, according to data by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

    In 2019, Trang was honored with the prize for impact by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

    The watchdog criticized her sentencing and is campaigning to have Trang released.

    “This is political justice carried out on the ruling party’s orders with the sole aim of punishing a journalist just for trying to inform her fellow citizens,” Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk, said in a statement.

    “We urge the international community to impose targeted sanctions on the Vietnamese officials responsible for Pham Doan Trang’s unacceptable fate, in order to obtain her immediate release,” he added.

    Before becoming an advocate for democracy and human rights in Vietnam, Trang worked for state-owned newspapers.

    She founded the online law and human rights magazine Luat Khoa and has authored several books that authorities banned from publication.

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  • Pham Doan Trang in Radio Free Asia: Vietnamese independent journalist Pham Doan Trang is jailed for 9 years

    Trang had called for democracy and good governance in Vietnam, and had spoken with Radio Free Asia and the BBC.

    Excerpt:

    A court in Vietnam has sentenced an independent Vietnamese journalist and activist to nine years in prison following her conviction on a charge of “carrying out propaganda” against the state, her lawyer said on Tuesday.

    Pham Doan Trang, who has won multiple foreign awards for her writing, was sentenced Tuesday at the Hanoi People’s Court, with trial judges handing down a sentence longer than the prison term requested by prosecutors, defense attorney Dang Dinh Manh told RFA.

    “The trial’s atmosphere was pretty tense,” said Manh. “But finally the panel of judges came out and pronounced a sentence of nine years’ imprisonment, which was higher than that proposed by the Procuracy.”

    “They had called only for a seven- or eight-year jail term,” Manh said, adding that the judges in announcing their verdict said that Trang’s actions had been harmful to society, and had therefore called for a harsher sentence.

    The judges had based their decision only on the arguments and information provided by prosecutors and had rejected all arguments presented by lawyers working in Trang’s defense, Manh said.

    “The verdict surprised us, and we think that Pham Doan Trang will certainly appeal against it.”

    The U.S. State Department on Tuesday condemned the conviction and sentencing of Trang, saying she had done nothing more in her writings than peacefully express her opinions.

    “We note as well the recent opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which found Trang’s detention to be arbitrary and in contravention of Vietnam’s international human rights commitments and obligations,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price.

    “The United States calls on the Vietnamese government to release Trang, who has been recognized internationally for her work to advance human rights and good governance in Vietnam, and to allow all individuals in Vietnam to express their views freely and without fear of retaliation,” Price said.

    Writing on Monday on his Facebook page, defense lawyer Ngo Anh Tuan said that in a meeting with Trang on Oct. 19 — her first meeting with lawyers after her arrest — Trang said she had refused during 10 periods of interrogation to confess to the charges against her.

    “In some of these sessions, investigators also asked her if she would be willing to leave Vietnam and live in a foreign country if it seemed she would be sentenced during her trial to many years in prison,” Tuan said, adding that Trang had refused to consider such a move.

    “She said she would never be willing to be a ‘commodity’ to be exchanged with a foreign government,” he said.

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    Vietnamese independent journalist Pham Doan Trang is jailed for 9 years Radio Free Asia
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  • Pham Doan Trang in BBC News Vietnamese: Hanoi court sentenced freelance journalist Pham Doan Trang to 9 years in prison

    The first-instance trial of journalist Pham Doan Trang ended at the end of the afternoon on December 14 with a 9-year prison sentence for her for “conducting propaganda against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”, as prescribed at Article 88 of the Penal Code 1999.

    Excerpt:

    Speaking to BBC News Vietnamese right after the trial, lawyer Ngo Anh Tuan, one of the defense lawyers for Ms. Doan Trang, said:

    “The representative of the Procuracy suggested 7 to 8 years in prison. The trial panel sentenced him to 9 years in prison. They pronounced this sentence not against the law. Previously, the trial panel only pronounced within the framework proposed by the Procuracy, but according to the new law. Now, they have the right to declare higher than the proposal of the Procuracy.”

    When asked whether the lawyers and Ms. Pham Doan Trang were able to present enough arguments in the trial, lawyer Tuan briefly said, “incomplete”.

    The Vietnamese media said, “The prosecution assessed that Pham Thi Doan Trang’s anti-corruption activities seriously affected security and order, causing anger and anger among the public and the people.”

    On his personal Facebook page, lawyer Dang Dinh Manh, one of Pham Doan Trang’s defenders in court today, wrote:

    “Talking to us at the detention center the day before the trial, perhaps 90% of Ms. Pham Thi Doan Trang will decide to appeal the first-instance judgment.”

    Pham Doan Trang was arrested on the day of the end of the two-day Vietnam-US human rights dialogue, October 6-7, 2020.

    During more than a year in detention, Ms. Pham Doan Trang only met her lawyer once on October 19, 2021 and never met her family.

    Lawyer Ngo Anh Tuan recounted his exchange with Ms. Doan Trang on October 19, 2021 on his personal Facebook:

    “In 10 times, she was pressured but she refused to answer and asked for a new lawyer to declare but was not accepted;

    During the working process, Ms. Trang did not cooperate, did not confess and never confessed, so if there is a clip of confession released in any form, it means that it was cut, not correct. the truth.”

    What does the international say?

    After the trial, Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director, Human Rights Watch, issued a statement saying:

    “It is infuriating that Pham Doan Trang was sentenced to 9 years in prison just for expressing his views and defending his beliefs.”

    “The imprisoning of a reformer dedicated to promoting human rights, good governance and justice is a stinging indictment.”

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    Hanoi court sentenced freelance journalist Pham Doan Trang to 9 years in prison BBC News Vietnamese
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    Toa Ha Noi xu tu 9 nam nha bao tu do Pham oan Trang BBC News Tieng Viet
    Tòa Hà Nội xử tù 9 năm nhà báo tự do Phạm Đoan Trang – BBC News Tiếng Việt.pdf
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  • Pham Doan Trang in Reuters: Vietnam jails dissident journalist for 9 yrs over ‘anti-state’ acts

    Reuters discloses how the Vietnam Communist Party retains tight media censorship and tolerates little criticism, as it jails journalist and prominent dissident Pham Doan Trang for nine years.

    Excerpt:

    A court in Vietnam jailed a journalist and prominent dissident for nine years on Tuesday for anti-state activities, her lawyers and state media said, in a case that attracted the attention of international human rights groups.

    Pham Doan Trang, who published material widely on human rights and alleged police brutality in Vietnam, was convicted of “conducting propaganda against the state” by a Hanoi court, according to her legal team and state-controlled media.

    Despite sweeping economic reform and increasing openness to social change, Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party retains tight media censorship and tolerates little criticism.

    Calls to the court seeking confirmation of the verdict went unanswered.

    “It was such a long sentence, close to the maximum term for such activities,” said one of her lawyers, Nguyen Van Mieng, adding that Trang had not pleaded guilty at the trial and they would meet later to discuss a possible appeal.

    Trang, 43, was detained hours after an annual U.S.-Vietnam human rights dialogue in October last year, an arrest the U.S. embassy said could impact freedom of expression.

    Dang Dinh Manh, another member of her legal team, said the nine-year sentence was severe.

    “The judges insisted that Trang’s activities were dangerous for society and for the administration,” Manh said.

    The United States condemned the conviction and called on the government to release Trang, adding that everyone should be allowed to express views freely and without fear of retaliation.

    “We also urge the government to ensure its laws and actions are consistent with the human rights provisions of Vietnam’s Constitution and Vietnam’s international obligations and commitments,” the state department said in a statement.

    Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, called the verdict an unacceptable sentence for a brave woman who only spoke her mind.

    “The imprisonment of such a committed reformer dedicated to promoting human rights, good governance and justice is a searing indictment of everything that is wrong with authoritarian Vietnam today,” he said.

    “In a democratic society, Trang’s prolific ideas and writings would be admired and extolled rather than criminalised.”

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    Vietnam jails dissident journalist for 9 yrs over anti state acts Reuters
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  • Pham Doan Trang in The Bangkok Post: Prominent dissident journalist jailed in Vietnam

    Pham Doan Trang — a campaigner for press freedom and civil rights — has long been a thorn in the side of authorities, writing on a host of controversial issues from land grabs to police violence.

    Excerpt:

    The former state media reporter was accused of “spreading propaganda against the socialist republic of Vietnam”, said judge Chu Phuong Ngoc.

    “Her behaviour was dangerous for society… implemented with the intention of violating the socialist regime… and (she) must be seriously punished”.

    During the hearing, Trang testified to being detained 25 times since 2015, and said she had been “terrorised” by security forces.

    She walked with a limp due to a leg injury sustained when police broke up an environmental protest she attended six years ago.

    In 2016, as a freelancer, she wrote extensively on the country’s worst environmental disaster, a toxic spill that killed tonnes of fish in central Vietnam and prompted rare protests across the country.

    That same year she was detained by police on her way to a meeting with then-US President Barack Obama in Hanoi, who had invited her to join a gathering of activists during his visit.

    Trang was detained again in November 2017 after meeting with a European Union delegation, which was preparing for the annual bilateral human rights dialogue between the EU and Vietnam.

    In her book “Politics of a Police State”, she recounted the continual harassment she endured during these years.

    It included police pouring glue over her apartment’s door lock to prevent her from leaving and posting intimate photos taken from her computer.

    In a letter she wrote in 2019 entitled “Just in case I am imprisoned”, Trang urged the public to focus on fighting for free and fair elections in Vietnam, rather than her freedom.

    “I don’t want freedom for just myself: that’s too easy,” she wrote.

    “I want something greater: freedom for Vietnam.”

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  • Pham Doan Trang in Reporters Without Borders: Vietnamese journalist Pham Doan Trang, 2019 RSF Prize, sentenced to nine years in prison

    Pham Doan Trang in Reporters Without Borders: Vietnamese journalist Pham Doan Trang, 2019 RSF Prize, sentenced to nine years in prison

    Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) reacts on Hanoi court decision against journalist Pham Doan Trang prison sentence.

    Excerpt:

    The sentence, pronounced by the Hanoi court against journalist Pham Doan Trang, comes after 434 days of arbitrary detention. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) denounces this sentence, which muzzles an emblematic figure in the fight for press freedom, in Vietnam and around the world.

    The hearing was dispatched in a few hours. Journalist Pham Doan Trang , winner of the 2019 RSF Prize , was sentenced today, Tuesday December 14, to nine years in prison by the Hanoi People’s Court for “propaganda against the state”, on the grounds of Article 117 of the penal code.

    The court’s verdict went beyond the requisitions of the prosecution, which had asked for seven to eight years in prison. In his recitals, Judge Chu Phuong Ngoc maintained that “the behavior [of the journalist] was dangerous for society”, with the intention of “violating the socialist regime”.

    “The pathetic arguments put forward by the Hanoi court to justify its verdict do not deceive anyone,” said the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific office, Daniel Bastard. We are dealing with political justice, at the orders of the ruling party, whose sole purpose is to punish a journalist who simply tried to inform her fellow citizens. We call on the international community to impose targeted sanctions on the Vietnamese dignitaries responsible for the unacceptable fate that befalls Pham Doan Trang, in order to secure his immediate release.”

    International mobilization

    Arrested at her home in Ho Chi Minh City on the night of October 6 to 7, 2020, the journalist was then placed in incommunicado detention for more than a year, until October 19, after more than a year of pre-trial detention. His trial, initially scheduled for November 4, was postponed at the last minute, a few days after the publication, on October 25, of a joint statement by eight UN experts calling for his release.

    Prior to this appeal, RSF launched an international campaign on his behalf as soon as Pham Doan Trang’s arrest was announced. As such, the organization had collected the video testimonies of several Vietnamese journalists and bloggers in exile, who showed their solidarity.

    Another video , published last April, also mobilized the community of winners of the RSF press freedom prize. From Poland to the Philippines, and from India to Turkey, their testimony had made the world aware of the plight of their colleague Pham Doan Trang, and of Vietnamese journalists in general.

    According to the barometer constantly updated by RSF, Vietnam currently has a record number of 43 journalists and bloggers currently in detention.

    The country ranks 175th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index established by RSF in 2021.

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    Vietnamese journalist Pham Doan Trang 2019 RSF Prize winner sentenced to nine years in prison RSF
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  • Pham Doan Trang in The Washington Post: Vietnam jails its ‘most famous activist’ for nine years

    The Washington Post recounts the events leading to the conviction of Pham Doan Trang for disseminating anti-state propaganda.

    Excerpt:  

    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, who was repeatedly interrupted by the judge during the trial, denied all charges. Her lawyers said she was informed of her trial date only a day beforehand.

    There was heavy security at the courthouse, with riot police on hand and checkpoints on the main roads leading to the area, as well as numerous plainclothes agents.

    “The trial was held under tight security control, which is not new for trials of this kind,” said Le Van Luan, one of the five lawyers for Trang. “The judge handed down a sentence that is heavier than
    what prosecutors recommended. That’s unusual.”Advertisement

    “Trang was in good spirits,” he told The Washington Post as he left the courthouse, adding that they would appeal to a higher court within 15 days.

    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.

    Despite opening the country to foreign investment and seeking closer ties with the United States, Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party retains tight control of the media and remains deeply intolerant of dissent. In a December 2020 report, Amnesty International said Vietnam held a record 170 prisoners of conscience, 40 percent of whom were incarcerated for sharing posts critical of the government on social media.

    Nguyen Quang A, a prominent Vietnamese dissident, said the authorities were afraid of Trang, “the most famous activist in Vietnam.”Advertisement

    “By jailing her, they are removing a focal point for dissidents in order to silence others,” Nguyen said. “The message is that the police can arrest anyone, so be obedient.”

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    Vietnam jails Pham Doan Trang its most famous activist The Washington Post
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  • Pham Doan Trang in The Hill: Vietnamese activist Pham Doan Trang sentenced to nine years in jail

    The Hill gathered reactions from various sectors on the nine year conviction of prominent activist and journalist Pham Doan Trang.  

    Title: Vietnamese activist Pham Doan Trang sentenced to nine years in jail
    Publish Date: December 14, 2021
    Publisher: The Hill

    Excerpt:

    A prominent activist and journalist in Vietnam was sentenced to nine years in prison on Tuesday for disseminating information critical of the nation’s government.

    Pham Doan Trang, who was arrested last year, received a harsher sentence than the seven to eight years prosecutors had asked for during a trial in Hanoi People’s Court, according to The Washington Post.

    The decision to jail Trang, who has written several articles critical of the country’s communist government, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, was met with widespread condemnation on Tuesday.

    The U.S. State Department said in a statement they condemned the jailing of a journalist, saying she did “nothing more than peacefully express her opinions.”

    “The United States calls on the Vietnamese government to release Trang, who has been recognized internationally for her work to advance human rights and good governance in Vietnam, and to allow all individuals in Vietnam to express their views freely and without fear of retaliation,” the statement read.

    Human rights organization Amnesty International also published a post criticizing Trang’s detention, calling attention to the journalist’s reports about water pollution killing marine life near Vietnam and the construction of a military airport near a village that led to violent clashes.

    “It is outrageous that the Vietnamese authorities are convicting Pham Doan Trang, a courageous journalist and human rights defender, who has for years fought for a just, inclusive, and rights-respecting Vietnam,” said Ming Yu Hah, the deputy regional director for campaigns. “Her work should be celebrated and protected, not punished and criminalized.”

    Authorities detained Trang in October 2020 in Ho Chi Minh City and charged the author with “making, storing, distributing or disseminating information, documents and items against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.”

    At the time, nations and human rights organizations criticized the arrest as arbitrary and a suppression of freedom of speech and the press.

    In a letter to the United Nations, Vietnam officials argued they respect freedom of speech and activism in the country, but wrote they had detained Trang, along with several other activists, for violating Vietnam law. Officials accused Trang of attempting to overthrow the government and “slandering and harming the reputation of individuals and organizations.”

    “The arrest of Pham Thi Doan Trang is to investigate violations of the law, abuse of social network and internet to post information that distorts the truth with a view to causing public anxiety,” the letter read.

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    Vietnamese activist Pham Doan Trang sentenced to nine years in jail TheHill
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  • Pham Doan Trang in International Publishers Association: IPA condemns 9 year sentence of Vietnamese author and publisher Pham Doan Trang

    José Borghino, IPA Secretary General issues a statement on the 9 nine year sentence of Pham Doan Trang, the recipient of the 2020 IPA Prix Voltaire.

    Excerpt:

    On Tuesday 14 December, the Washington Post reported that Vietnamese publisher, author and journalist Pham Doan Trang has been sentenced by the Hanoi People’s Court to 9 years in prison for disseminating anti-state propaganda.

    José Borghino, IPA Secretary General, said: All publicly available information about this case, the charges and the process make it impossible to see this as anything but a show trial. The International Publishers Association commends Pham Doan Trang for her bravery in the face of this persecution which can only be intended to intimidate others into silence.

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    International Publishers Association IPA condemns 9 year sentence of Vietnamese author and publisher Pham Doan Trang
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  • Pham Doan Trang in the US Department of State: On the Conviction of Vietnamese Author and Journalist Pham Doan Trang

    Ned Price, Department Spokesperson for the US Department of State issued a press statement on the Pham Doan Trang’s nine year prison sentence.

    Excerpt:

    The United States condemns the conviction and sentencing to 9 years imprisonment of noted Vietnamese author and journalist Pham Doan Trang, who did nothing more than peacefully express her opinions.  We note as well the recent opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which found Trang’s detention to be arbitrary and in contravention of Vietnam’s international human rights commitments and obligations.  The United States calls on the Vietnamese government to release Trang, who has been recognized internationally for her work to advance human rights and good governance in Vietnam, and to allow all individuals in Vietnam to express their views freely and without fear of retaliation.  We also urge the government to ensure its laws and actions are consistent with the human rights provisions of Vietnam’s Constitution and Vietnam’s international obligations and commitments.

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    On the Conviction of Vietnamese Author and Journalist Pham Doan Trang United States Department of State
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