PEN International and the Norwegian Writers in Prison Committee urged the Vietnamese authorities to drop all charges against prominent dissident and journalist Pham Doan Trang.
President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam
PEN International and The Norwegian Writers in Prison Committee hereby urge Vietnamese authorities to immediately drop all charges against author, journalist and activist Pham Doan Trang.
Trang’s apartment was raided and Trang was arrested on October 6th 2020, detained without access to her family or legal representation. The arrest took place just hours after the 2020 U.S.-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue concluded.
Pham Doan Trang has fought to promote human rights and democracy through her writing and social media. After Trang’s arrest in October she was charged under Art. 177 of the Vietnamese Penal Code and accused of “making, storing, spreading information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the State of Socialist Republic of Vietnam”. Trang, like many before her, has used her platforms and her voice to spread awareness about human rights issues in Vietnam. She is one of several activists who have been detained for this.
PEN International and the Norwegian Writers in Prison Committee strongly urge Vietnamese authorities to:
immediately release Pham Doan Trang from detainment
drop all charges made against her under the Vietnamese Penal Code
provide Trang with immediate and unimpeded access to her family and legal representative; and
end crackdown on bloggers, writers and free speech activists in Vietnam
Yours sincerely,
Mari Moen Holsve Member of Writers in Prison Committee PEN Norway
Pham Doan Trang has earned awards for her activism and is known as one of Vietnam’s prolific writers. In this rare interview with SBS Tiếng Việt, we are given a glimpse of Pham Doan Trang as a daughter sharing her thoughts on her mother, about herself and her causes that she is determined to fight for.
Pham Doan Trang, as many people know, is a sharp writer, a human rights figure for freedom and democracy for Vietnam.
She is the author of a series of works that are among the favorites of Freedom Publishing House, such as Popular Politics, Prison Raising Manual, Non-Violent Resistance, Politics of A Police State, and several other titles. Other books she co-authored include Learning Public Policy Through SEZ Law.
She is also the co-founder of Luat Khoa Magazine – one of the prestigious independent newspapers in Vietnam and Tu Do Publishing House.
In 2017, Pham Doan Trang was awarded the Homo Homini Prize by People In Need.
In 2019, she continued to receive the Press Freedom Award of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), in the category of Influence (Impact).
In 2020, Freedom Publishing House – was awarded the Voltaire Prize for human rights voices.
Pham Doan Trang’s parents are both teachers.
Her mother Bui Thi Thien Can – a stout, petite high school teacher, could not have imagined that the good and good things she taught her son had brought him to become a thorn in the side of the authorities.
From an outstanding and promising journalist of the state press, Pham Doan Trang has stepped out of the red world of party media to speak with a different voice from the authorities: the voice of those who are marginalized. unjustly died in prison, the voice of the people who lost their land, the voice of patriots before the sea and islands were invaded, the voice fighting for territorial integrity, human rights and justice in society.
She used her pen to speak and she was hunted and attacked.
From a healthy girl, during an anti-China protest in 2014 she was cut off by plainclothes security, causing her knee pain and permanent injury to have to fight to get around.
And yet, the authorities isolated her and made it difficult for anyone to contact or help her.
For the past two years, she has had to leave her family in Hanoi to avoid her mother’s constant surveillance and uninvited government visits to their home.
She has to move to many places
In each place, she had to move several times to avoid government loans and difficulties related to the books she wrote.
Since mid-2019 alone, she has had to relocate nearly 50 times.
However, all of this she said she can overcome.
The thing that bothered her the most was thinking about her mother, at an uncertain age, but still had to look forward to her children every day.
In the Vu Lan season, Mai Hoa talked to Pham Doan Trang about her mother.
If you run to your mother now, what’s the first thing you’ll do?
I have thought about this a lot, so there is always an immediate answer: If I could run back to my mother right now, the first thing I would do is hug her. Then I sat down and listened to my mother’s stories, happily talking about all kinds of things, I just kept quiet and listened. Mother is an old woman, but when she is happy, she also has the features of a child, very loving.
The memory of her mother is full, but what is the most prominent mark about her when recalling to see that you love her the most?
I love my mother the most, especially when she rushes to do something for me, or when the police come to the house, she ruffles her feathers like a mother chicken protects her child (but she can’t). My mother is originally from Hanoi, she is a high school teacher, so she has a very gentle and pedantic personality. The mother is small again, the older she gets, the more shriveled she becomes. But when the police came, a thin, gray-haired old woman, unable to speak, kept glaring angrily at the police in order to protect her child, guilty?
Mother also often goes online to read current news (mainly from people who are called “reactionaries” by this government). When the network was cut or the firewall couldn’t get in, my mother was still depressed, struggling not knowing what to do, looking extremely hurt.
My biggest regret is that I have never and certainly will never give my mother peaceful years, as long as this one-party dictatorship exists.
For me, the most beautiful mother is when she is happy, she feels happy. Which… that I could never do for my mother, in this situation.
I haven’t been home for a long time, is life convenient for me to call my mother, what do mother and daughter say to each other?
I can only call my mom online (can’t use a normal phone), but if so, I can only call her when she’s online. So usually, I don’t call, just wait until my mother is online, then she will call me. Every time my mother called, usually she was also chatting with me, I just listened, kept quiet, and tried to comfort her if she had something to worry about.
When I sit back and think about the furthest childhood I can remember, what is the image of Trang and her mother? What was the mother like when she was a girl? How does mother love in father’s love?
When I was a child, my mother taught all day, every day went to class from morning to evening, but at that time Vietnam did not have a Saturday holiday, so I was less close to my mother than my father. But I really miss the image of my mother taking me by bike to go out somewhere, for example, once taking me to West Lake to play on the occasion of early summer, June 1 (International Children’s). Mother and daughter sat under the shade of a very cool green tree and heard the sound of cicadas. My mother bought me a ripe pink whip (the Southern people call it plum). She also remembers the books her mother bought for her, mainly children’s stories, such as the novel “No Family” by Hector Marlot, or the play “The Blue Bird” by Maurice Maeterlinck. Both are books that greatly influenced my childhood thinking.
My father and mother attended the University of Education together, and have been in love since college. Thinking about my parents’ love and the years they spent together – from falling in love to getting married and struggling with the difficult life of the subsidy period to raise three children – I just feel overwhelmed. sadness and love for parents.
When she was young, her mother did not know how to dress, only wearing black pants, a shirt and often had long hair because she did not have money to do her hair. When I was old, my hair fell out, my mother also began to “know” to curl and get her hair done, but her clothes were still mediocre. It took 5-7 years to buy a new set of clothes. How much money do you have to save to raise your children and give it all to the world? My father is the same, saving his last pocket money to give to poor students… but he understands that his kindness can’t save the whole society?
That feeling of sadness and love for my parents is a great motivation for me to join the fight with the desire to change the country. I don’t want to forever have couples like my parents, gentle, honest, poor, struggling with a life of hardship and full of money and deception to raise good children. A good society is a society where honest people must live properly and do not have to suffer with the question: Is it right for me to raise my children to be such good people? ?
What dish do you remember most from your mother’s cooking? What’s your favorite song, or the song that your mother used to hum when you were young, or the song that I remember most now, from my mother?
I miss the shrimp dish (also known as moi) braised with green star fruit, every time my mother makes it, I eat 3 bowls of rice.
When she was young, her mother sang very well, until the middle years she lost her voice, due to the sequelae of pharyngitis – an occupational disease of teachers. Her mother’s musical taste is high and varied, and has influenced her greatly; I must say that I would not have been able to play or sing without the influence of my mother’s love of music. Mother sang, she lulled me with many classical songs, by professional vocalists, such as Beauty of Petal, The Song of Solveig, Then a bird flew (Polish folk song), Willow, Volga River, Bengawan Solo (Indonesian folk song)… There are verses that my mother sang that to me, became a classic, imprinted in my mind from 4-5 years old until now, never to be forgotten, such as:
“The day they took him away, was when the couple separated. My parents want to advise me to end my love for you.”
Or: “The Volga, dreamy nights! Time, please don’t pass.”
Did your mother ever get angry with you or regret that you weren’t ‘better’ than a fool?
She’s not mad at me, but she certainly is, and regrets that I didn’t get wiser, didn’t live a less stormy life.
Does your mother know that you are sad about her and this makes you suffer a lot?
I don’t know if my mother knows.
Have you ever put yourself in the situation of a mother with a child, how do you think you will be?
If I had a child like… I would be very sorry, and most likely I would prevent him from going down the road of struggle. So I really sympathize with parents who try to prevent their children from “getting involved in reactionaries”. Because it’s really a struggle, but which parent doesn’t love their child, pity their child. That’s why I’m lucky I don’t have to go to jail.
What do you think can help your mother be as strong and secure as possible when thinking about her child? In other words, if you could do something for your child, what do you think your mother would do?
I think mom is only at ease when I’m safe and happy. And that’s what my mother and I can’t do. If she could do anything for me, I’m sure my mother would try her best to make me go abroad to live, giving up all the way to struggle.
And if you could give your mother a hug or do something for her now, what would you do? Why?
I just want to be with my mother and be with her forever.
What is the last thing you want your mother to think of you?
That I love my mother and always try my best, desperately, to fulfill a part of the responsibility of a child to her mother. I know I’m an unfilial child, I can’t make my parents happy, but I hope they know that I’ve tried a lot.
The last thing that comes to mind is my mother – even if the days fade, even if time erases the image, what is it?
I always know and always remember that my mother is a wonderful mother who has sacrificed her whole life for her children: Sacrificing her youth years, teaching, working to raise her children to adulthood, and sacrificing peace love of the old years so that their children can safely follow the path they choose, never blame them, a love and support them unconditionally.
Does Pham Doan Trang Club actually exist? Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper published an article that says it does. But activists and independent journalists say it is old propaganda method of the State which is afraid of opposing voices.
Many people in the community of social activities and relatives of journalist Pham Doan Trang believe that Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper is trying to deter and distort the truth about an “object” who unfortunately caught their eye in the article. Recent news about Pham Doan Trang Club. They told RFA that they were not even aware of the existence of this club.
On November 3, 2020, the People’s Public Security website online had an article titled “Against the Peaceful Evolution, the farce of calling for the establishment of Pham Doan Trang Club”.
At the beginning of the article, please read verbatim: “The so-called “Pham Doan Trang Club” is just a trick to entice and gather people who go against the interests of the nation and nation, and sabotage the interests of the nation. stability and development of the country that this whole nation is building and cultivating day by day and hour by hour.
With 3 main questions, one is the truth behind the calls for Pham Doan Trang’s release, the second is to know who Pham Doan Trang is, and the third is the provisions of Vietnamese law for the establishment of Pham Doan Trang. The People’s Public Security Association and website continued to inform that: ” After the subject Pham Thi Doan Trang, also known as Pham Doan Trang, was arrested for the crime of “propaganda against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” according to Article 88 Penal Code 1999 and the crime of “Making, storing, distributing or propagating information, documents and items aimed at opposing the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under Article 117 of the 2015 Penal Code, certain subjects cried out in cyberspace, demanding the establishment of the so-called “Pham Doan Trang Club”, also known as “The Women’s Club for Human Rights”, led by Pham Le Thuy. ”
Radio Free Asia tried to contact Pham Le Thuy as well as the Women’s Human Rights Club. Unfortunately, there is no sign that the telephony line is connected to the right person for the right job.
What is special to admit is that when any dissident is arrested, in addition to the legal proceedings, the Vietnamese communist press agencies are very involved, they put the whole system in place. politics to destroy people fighting for freedom and democracy for Vietnam. – Pham Thanh Nghien
Even a source closest to the incident refused to answer, saying that he was afraid of being harassed and arrested by the police when the case was unclear.
Such fear is understandable, as former political prisoner, blogger Pham Thanh Nghien said:
“ I don’t know who called Pham Doan Trang Club. A few months ago, there was also a group calling for the establishment of the Independent Trade Union, and someone asked me, I always affirm that now being persecuted like this, there is no real struggle organization or people. Which struggle calls for the establishment of a group. After Pham Doan Trang was arrested, I and some friends who loved Pham Doan Trang did not or did not think about setting up a group or organization, specifically the Pham Doan Trang Club.
And it is not strange if the Pham Doan Trang Club is considered a trick, a hostile intention to destroy in the eyes of the Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper, the powerful media agency in the village on the right side. The next opinion of blogger Pham Thanh Nghien:
Any independent civil society group or organization that has the goal of promoting human rights is heavily criticized, criticized and slandered by the police and the State. convicted again”.
“For me, this is nothing special. What is special to admit is that when any dissident is arrested, in addition to the legal proceedings, the Vietnamese communist press agencies are very involved, they put the whole system in place. politics to destroy people fighting for freedom and democracy for Vietnam. Even though the person himself has been captured, that means there is no chance or ability to defend himself anymore. This is very familiar, which means that it is not strange, but it is not that we accept such familiar things . “
Former reporter of Communist Magazine, now independent journalist Nguyen Vu Binh, explains why the call to establish Pham Doan Trang Club caught the eye of Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper:
“This information is quite new but if that is the case then it is also what every civil society establishes its own Clubs and groups. It’s the right of the people.”
“The authorities are always vigilant about this, the People’s Public Security newspaper talking about Pham Doan Trang Club, and then calling for Pham Doan Trang’s release is a trick, smearing the people fighting here. Ms. Pham Doan Trang can be a preemptive preemptive blow. I think using the word preemptively is the norm. Against peaceful evolution is a familiar article in the mainstream press.
“Many people do not know that the article has given it like that, people will go to find out who Pham Doan Trang is, unintentionally stimulating the curiosity of bystanders. It also has this side and the other side” .
With the question “First of all, it is necessary to find out who Pham Doan Trang is, is Pham Doan Trang a person, event or event, raised by the Cong An Nhan Dan online newspaper and then answered that “Pham Doan Trang is not in the list. the list of “contributing to the socio-economic development of the country”.
Illustration. Journalist Pham Doan Trang and her books
Still according to the Cong An Nhan newspaper, Pham Doan Trang, 42 years old, was arrested for activities infringing on national security and against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, who used to go abroad illegally and was arrested. Disciplinary governing body forced to quit, then “changed color”, joined and established and operated many illegal associations and groups, wrote for websites of enemies who were anti-national and anti-national. , the nation, used to be the representative face of the so-called “free publishing house”, spreading many materials with propaganda content, distorting the democracy and human rights situation in Vietnam, opposing the Party, The State and the regime and smear the leaders of the Party and State, incite the overthrow of the political regime in our country.
From the position that “many people dream of” ie born into a basic family, graduated from Hanoi – Amsterdam School and Faculty of Economics, Hanoi Foreign Trade University, Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper continued, Pham Doan Trang became a lawbreaker. The acts that the subject has committed need to be dealt with strictly according to Vietnamese law.
Reviewer, former political prisoner and blogger Pham Thanh Nghien argued:
“I don’t want to be someone who is too proud of my friend. Pham Doan Trang, like some other women, dreams of a normal life in a country with good politics.
“In terms of fighting, I affirm that Pham Doan Trang is very brave. Trang is a person with aspiration, honesty, frankness, simplicity and affection. With her qualifications, Trang can lead a well-off economically and mentally comfortable. If she hadn’t become a fighter for democracy in a society without freedom of expression like in Vietnam, Trang would have lived differently. But if that was the case, there wouldn’t be a Pham Doan Trang today.”
“The failure of the authorities is to arrest a person who has planned for himself the worst path on the path of struggle. Capture or not, for Pham Doan Trang, this is first of all a victory over himself, a victory over fear, a symbol of the aspiration for freedom for Vietnam.”
The decision of Vietnamese law on the establishment of the Association is the third title of the article against the peaceful evolution by calling for the establishment of the Pham Doan Trang Club. The article asserts that “Vietnam already has Decree 45/2010/ND-CP, Decree 33/2012/ND-CP and Circular 03/2013/TT-BNV, all of which are legal documents and regulations. establishment of an association.
The establishment of an association is voluntary, the article emphasizes, but must contribute to the country’s socio-economic development, and must be organized and operated in compliance with the Constitution, laws and association charters.
For independent researcher Nguyen Quang A, who knows a lot about democracy writer and is also the voice of Freelance Publishing House Pham Doan Trang, invokes so many regulations to justify each prohibition against success. The establishment of Pham Doan Trang Club is an old propaganda method of the State which is afraid of opposing voices:
“I didn’t know there was a call for the establishment of the Pham Doan Trang Club, nor did I read the Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper and was not surprised at all about the argument that it was boring in Vietnam.”
“Anyone who doesn’t shut up and doesn’t say what they want will be considered a peaceful development, an argument that has been repeated for decades. Sometimes they raise it themselves to thwart the call.”
Speaking against peaceful developments, criticizing the call to establish Pham Doan Trang Club is a farce, showing the poor professionalism of a newspaper that often has to obey the communist party. This is the opinion of former journalist Le Phu Khai of the Voice of Vietnam, the author of the book “The Word Ai Article” accused of being anti-party, causing him many difficulties like the present activist Pham Doan Trang:
“In the past, the state-owned press was still the same, so in China a very famous general, Mr. Liao Huazhou, said, “In China, the most lack of information is the press.” It’s the same with Vietnam, especially the state-owned press is lacking in information.”
“Miss Doan Trang is not guilty at all. The Constitution of Vietnam clearly states the right to freedom of publication, freedom of thought and freedom of the press. She only writes books peacefully, expresses her opinions, her thoughts, but imprisoning her like that is a violation of human rights.”
“The Vietnamese Constitution recognizes the right to form associations, but those who propagate the Constitution are arrested and imprisoned.”
According to Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper, the so-called “Pham Doan Trang Club” does not fully guarantee all elements and does not comply with the provisions of Vietnamese law.
This conclusion of Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper was considered by a group of independent journalists in the country as heavy on performance but empty in meaning.
Pham Doan Trang’s lawyer was finally given a chance to meet his client after close to a year of pretrial detention. He confirmed the acclaimed journalist is troubled by health issues. A former political prisoner said that “extreme stress and depression can cause a host of medical issues.”
Detained Vietnamese activist author Pham Doan Trang is in poor health after a year of pretrial detention, her lawyer said this week after meeting Trang for the first time since her arrest.
Pham Doan Trang was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City in October 2020 and charged under article 117 of the Vietnamese Penal Code, accused of “making, storing, distributing, or disseminating information, documents and items against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
With a trial date set for Nov. 4, one of the lawyers, Le Van Luan, was finally able to meet with Trang on Tuesday, and said in a Facebook post that Trang had lost 10 kilograms (22 pounds) over the past year.
In addition, her legs were in pain due to the changing weather’s effects on her knees, which were broken in an attack she suffered in 2015.
She also suffers from ovarian cysts and menorrhagia, a condition which has caused her periods to last as long as 15 days. The long periods and her low blood pressure have resulted in constant fatigue, Luan said, but she has not had proper medical checkups or treatment over the past year.
A former prisoner of conscience told RFA’s Vietnamese Service that Trang’s health issues might be related to living in constant stress for long periods.
Nghien said that most detention centers have clinics, but it is difficult for political prisoners to access medical exams and treatment.
“The pre-trial detention is the most stressful time because detainees have to deal with the interrogation and aren’t allowed to see their families. Those who are detained for political reasons are not even allowed to see their lawyers,” she said.
Trang, who authored a book on political engagement that angered authorities in Hanoi, was a cofounder of Legal Initiatives for Vietnam, a California-based NGO.
She also received Press Freedom Prize in 2019 from Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders for her work.
Legal Initiatives for VIETNAM co-founder Trinh Huu Long expresses his apprehensions on freedom to publish in Vietnam, citing the “untouchables” in Vietnam. Pham Doan Trang joins the session with a pre-recorded message, as she receives the IPA’s Prix Voltaire, its freedom to publish prize for her courage to o publish works critical of the government and calling for democracy in Vietnam.
Trinh Huu Long, editor in chief of Luat Khoa, a Vietnamese language legal magazine, said that there are four “untouchables” in Vietnam. “You cannot criticize the General Secretary of the Communist Party, the president, the prime minister or the speaker of the House,” he said. “Everyone fears the government.”
But there was a hint of optimism. Long noted that change was inevitable. “Vietnam doesn’t have much choice,” he said. “It will have to open up to democratic countries for economic development, it will have to become more open and respect the rule of law and human rights – it will become a free country in time.”
The session included a moving pre-recorded address by the author and journalist and co-founder of Liberal Publishing House, Pham Doan Trang, who was arrested on 6 October. She has received the IPA’s Prix Voltaire, its freedom to publish prize, and described in her address the difficulties faced by those who choose to publish work critical of the government or calling for democracy. “We have to move from place to place, we cannot buy printing machinery because it will be picked up by CCTV, so our publishing is about hand-gluing the books. Book delivery is dangerous too. The police can disguised themselves as booksellers and make an arrest. Two book-shippers were arrested and tortured.”
She concluded her address with these words: “Books are not simply books for us – books mean our lives, books means freedom.”
Hanoi is set to implement a new decree on December 1 which seeks to to tighten control over the news media even more. Under the decree, anyone sharing information that authorities deem harmful but not serious enough for a criminal penalty could face steeper fines and a longer, 12-month suspension.
With this, independent journalists, such as Pham Doan Trang, who was jailed earlier this month, are at greater risk of arrest.
Vietnam’s journalists and social media users face a new obstacle to independent reporting through a government decree that imposes harsh penalties for sharing information deemed harmful to the country.
Observers and rights activists see the decree, due to go into effect Dec. 1, as part of Hanoi’s increasing efforts to tighten control over the news media.
Since January, Vietnam has arrested about 20 journalists, publishers and social media users over critical content; demanded that Facebook agree to censor “anti-state” posts; issued a one-month publishing ban on the news website Phu Nu Online over its investigations into environmental damage; and, last week, arrested prominent blogger and democracy activist Pham Doan Trang.
Vietnamese journalist Pham Doan Trang was awarded a 2019 Press Freedom Prize for Impact, Sept. 12, 2019, in Berlin. “I hope this award will encourage the Vietnamese people to engage more in press freedom,” she told VOA Vietnamese.
Under the latest decree, signed Oct. 7 by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, anyone sharing information that authorities deem harmful but not serious enough for a criminal penalty could face steeper fines and a longer, 12-month suspension.
The law previously allowed for fines of up to 100 million Vietnamese dong (US $4,300) and suspensions of up to six months. The most severe order was a three-month ban the Ministry of Information and Communications imposed on news outlet Tuoi Tre Online in July 2018. The ministry accused the outlet of disseminating false news over its reporting on the president’s comments on a protest law.
Provincial people’s committees and local authorities, along with the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Press Authority, will have power to issue the penalties.
Appeals are allowed, but administrative fines in Vietnam have to be paid within 10 days.
“The Vietnamese press is not the same as overseas. The country is governed by one-party rule. It does not accept pluralism or multiparty. It does not accept criticism,” Vo said. “They explicitly and unequivocally declare that the press is a propaganda tool of the party and state.”
Vietnam has a poor record for free media, ranking 175 out of 180 countries, where 1 is the most free, on an annual index compiled by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Journalists at state-run and state-approved outlets have to register and meet certain requirements, such as having a press card and press activity permit.
But independent journalists, such as Pham Doan Trang, who was jailed earlier this month, are at greater risk of arrest.
The journalist’s Oct. 6 arrest “is another leap forward into an outright crackdown by the Communist Party of Vietnam,” Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk, told VOA Vietnamese.
“RSF is appalled by the arrest of Pham Doan Trang, who was honored with our Press Freedom Award for Impact exactly one year ago. Her only crime was to provide her fellow citizens with trustful information and enable them to fully exercise their rights,” Bastard said.
Pham, an outspoken democracy activist and author, was arrested on anti-state propaganda charges, police and state media said.
Rights groups condemned the arrest, which took place hours after annual U.S.-Vietnam human rights talks, and they warned that the blogger risked torture in custody.
Pham, who was arrested at an apartment in Ho Chi Minh City, is accused of “making, storing, distributing or disseminating information, documents and items against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” To An Xo, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Security, said.
The blogger writes about legal issues, citizen rights and politics, and in September he released a joint investigative report into a government attack on a village that was the center of a land dispute.
The U.S. State Department expressed concern over Pham’s arrest.
“Her detention could impact freedom of expression in Vietnam. We urge the Vietnamese government to ensure its actions and laws are consistent with Vietnam’s international obligations and commitments,” the State Department said in a statement sent to VOA via email.
Legal Initiatives for VIETNAM co-founder Vi Tran shares her views on colleague and friend, Pham Doan Trang’s recent arrest. The embattled journalist and co-founder of Luat Khoa and The Vietnamese is known for her advocacies on human rights, the rule of law and democracy for Vietnam. Her peaceful ways to inform and educate through the might of the pen earned her support from local compatriots and international humanitarian organizations.
Prominent Vietnamese activist and journalist Pham Doan Trang was arrested by the police on October 6 for charges related to “conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under Article 88 of the 1999 Penal Code, and “making, storing, spreading information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under Article 117 of the 2015 Penal Code. She faces up to 20 years in jail if convicted.
Doan Trang is part of the editorial board of The Vietnamese Magazine. She founded the online legal magazine Luat Khoa. She was also one of the founders of the Liberal Publishing House whose books on democracy have been confiscated by authorities. She also co-founded the Vietnam Legal Initiative, a United States-based NGO working to promote human rights in Vietnam.
Doan Trang authored the following books: Politics for the Common People, A Handbook for Families of Prisoners, On Non-Violent Resistance Techniques, Politics of a Police State and Citizen Journalism.
Doan Trang was previously arrested by the police for her role in protests against China’s incursion into Vietnam’s maritime territories and a community action protesting environment pollution. In several interviews, she narrated the attacks and harassment she endured in the hands of the police.
Doan Trang, who faced constant threats and surveillance from the police, anticipated her arrest as early as May 2019. She instructed her friend to release a letter titled “Just In Case I Am Imprisoned” if ever she was arrested.
Pham Doan Trang left this letter with me, to publicize upon her arrest. Please share. pic.twitter.com/lVt52Kpkea
In her letter, she asked those who will campaign for her freedom to prioritize other prisoners of conscience. She also wrote about the need to campaign for democratic reforms in Vietnam:
I don’t need freedom just for myself, that would be too easy. I want something much greater: freedom and democracy for all of Vietnam. It might see like some grand goal, but it’s totally possible, with your support.
She added that she will not “admit guilt, confess, or beg for leniency” because she is innocent. She has a personal appeal:
Send me my guitar and try to have the wardens accept it – For me, the guitar is like my Bible.
Several human rights advocates and media groups have issued statements in support of Doan Trang. Tran Quynh Vi, editor-in-chief of The Vietnamese Magazine, wrote about the importance of Doan Trang’s work as a journalist and activist:
Pham Doan Trang is a highly-respected journalist who has diligently expanded the political and legal information for the masses in Vietnam, encouraging people to practice the universal values of freedom and democracy that are stated clearly in Vietnam’s Constitution and which the government has also supported in many of the international treaties it has signed.
The world press spoke out about Pham Doan Trang’s arrest in October 2020.
See numerous articles from different news agencies around the world as they reported and analyzed the verdict handed to prominent journalist and author Pham Doan Trang by the Vietnamese authorities.
A series of articles in many languages, from many news agencies around the world, simultaneously reported and analyzed the case of dissident journalist Pham Doan Trang who was arrested on October 7 and accused of “propaganda” against the state’.
With this charge, Pham Doan Trang could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
On October 7, BBC News published an article titled “Pham Doan Trang: Vietnam arrests famous pro-democracy blogger”, in which:
“Vietnam has arrested a prominent dissident writer and blogger just hours after holding talks with the United States on human rights.”
Simultaneously speaking out
Take pictures,
Dissident journalist Pham Doan Trang was arrested by the Vietnamese government on the evening of October 6, 2020
On the same day, The Guardian of the UK had an article with the title: “Vietnam arrests famous journalist when the state suppresses freedom of expression online”.
Writing that Pham Doan Trang is the author of many books with works on a variety of topics, from women’s rights and LGBT to the environment, campaign activities and land rights, the article states analysts’ opinions. :
Ms. Trang’s arrest is part of a crackdown on activists ahead of Vietnam’s national congress in January, while Facebook is facing criticism for growing complicity in the crackdown. press freedom of speech.”
British news agency Reuters reported that “Vietnam detained an activist a few hours after a human rights meeting with the US”. The bulletin wrote:
Sources and international human rights groups say Vietnam has arrested a blogger and a prominent dissident for “anti-state activities” hours after the country’s government held protests. Annual human rights negotiations with the United States…
Bloomberg also quoted a statement from Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), saying the arrest came hours after the annual human rights dialogue between the US and Vietnam. .
“Doan Trang’s blog covers politically sensitive topics, including the relationship between Vietnam and China and tensions over maritime and island claims,” Robertson said. According to Robertson, police arrested Trang in May 2016 when she went to meet President Barack Obama, who invited her to attend an activist gathering with him during his visit to Hanoi.
Aljazeera news agency also reported on the arrest of Pham Doan Trang. The paper portrays her as a celebrity known for her active fieldwork, participating in protests in support of imprisoned dissidents, demonstrating on the environment, and responding to demands. China’s navigation in the South China Sea.
Trang has been in the sights of security forces for more than 10 years and has been detained and harassed several times, including when she was on her way to a meeting with then-US President Barack Obama in 2016. , and a year later, when she came into contact with a delegation from the European Union on a fact-finding trip before the annual human rights dialogue with Vietnam,” the newspaper wrote.
The Book Seller reports that Ms. Pham Doan Trang is scheduled to speak in a joint session presented by the IPA at the Frankfurt Book Fair and her video speech will be broadcast as planned on October 15. .
In an article titled “Prix Voltaire laureate Pham Doan Trang arrested in Vietnam”, The Book Seller quotes Kristenn Einarsson, chair of the IPA’s Freedom of Publication committee, as saying: “This is terrible news. but sadly, it was predictable.Pham Doan Trang and Freedom Publishing House have been operating in the dark for many years.Mrs. Trang’s work and courage is an inspiration to all publishers. publishing, and the international publishing community must support her and fight for real freedom of publishing in Vietnam.”
Juergen Boos, president of Frankfurter Buchmesse, said: “We are very concerned about Pham Doan Trang’s arrest, just before the start of the world’s largest book fair that celebrates freedom of expression. We are delighted that the international publishing community will be able to listen to Pham Doan Trang in a pre-recorded video at the panel session on the topic ‘Guerilla publishing and international support’.”
Theshiftnews page quotes Mr. Daniel Bastard, Head of Asia – Pacific Department of Reporters Without Borders (RSW) – which awarded Pham Doan Trang the Press Freedom Award for Influence in 2019: “The arrest case Pham Doan Trang is the latest stage in the current Communist Party leadership’s pursuit of an increasingly repressive policy.
“Her only crime was providing her compatriots with independent information and helping them to fully exercise their rights under the Vietnamese constitution. Her place of residence is not a prison. She must be released immediately”.
The RSW representative also said that the most recent contact with Pham Doan Trang was when she was hospitalized for treatment of a leg wound that was allegedly caused by police after her arrest in 2018.
Shawn Crispin, Southeast Asia representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) , said in an article posted on the organization’s website: “The Vietnamese government should immediately release Pham Doan Trang and abolish it. all charges against her. Also end the decades-long campaign of repression against her. Vietnam needs to stop treating independent journalists like criminals.”
Vietnam is usually near the bottom of RSW’s rankings for press freedom, and currently ranks 174 out of 180 countries.
‘Increased suppression of freedom of speech’
In the case of Pham Doan Trang’s arrest, Yu Hah from Amnesty International told The Guardian that Facebook’s decision to comply with Vietnamese authorities’ censorship requests earlier this year “made them complicit with the country’s harsh suppression of free speech”.
“We’ve seen a steady increase in the moderation of legitimate comments on social and political issues on this platform since 2018, with a particularly strong increase in 2020. “
“Merely sharing information about Vietnam’s many serious human rights issues, from land disputes to the death penalty, has now become routine subject to arbitrary censorship on Facebook,” said Ms. Yu Hah. speak.
Take pictures,
Pham Doan Trang won the Press Freedom Award, Influence category, of Reporters Without Borders, 2019
The Guardian reiterated that in March 2020, a Reuters report revealed how Facebook faced intense pressure from the Vietnamese government. State-run telecommunications companies have shut down Facebook’s Vietnam-based servers. This slows down local traffic on Facebook.
As a result, Facebook began censoring content deemed “anti-state” in Vietnam, including content posted by activists like Pham Doan Trang.
Facebook emphasizes that the posts are not deleted but are “geo-blocked”, meaning that users with a Vietnamese IP address cannot see them, but are still visible to users abroad.
But the article in The Guardian claims that geo-blocking not only affects important posts, but also affects individual accounts.
The example given is Bui Van Thuan, a Vietnamese Facebook user with tens of thousands of followers. On January 8, after Thuan posted content critical of the government, he received a notice from Facebook that “due to a legal requirement” in Vietnam, his account would be “restricted from access”.
In the weeks leading up to the interview with The Guardian, Thuan publicly wrote on Facebook about the conflict over land rights in Dong Tam. More specifically, he predicted an imminent crackdown. Two days later, about 3,000 policemen raided Dong Tam village at dawn and in clashes with villagers, three policemen and Mr. Le Dinh Kinh – the village’s spiritual leader – were killed.
Just eight months after the clash, the murder trial delivered a verdict. Two brothers, his son Le Dinh Kinh was sentenced to death. Thuan’s Facebook account remained restricted all the time and was only unlocked a few days after the trial ended.
Carl Thayer, professor emeritus at the University of New South Wales Canberra, an expert on Southeast Asia, told The Guardian that since Vietnam started implementing the Cybersecurity Law in 2019 there has been “a clear increase” marked the arrest and trial of Vietnamese who expressed their views on a number of social issues, especially corruption and the environment, on social networks”.
“Most of the arrests are indirectly related to the upcoming national congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam [in January],” Professor Carl Thayer was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
“In other words,” said Carl Thayer, “the arrests are part of a process that continues to quell disagreements on sensitive social issues and prevent others from following suit. Arrests will spike in the coming months as the congress draws near.”
Update: On October 18, 2021, the Hanoi People’s Procuracy issued an indictment against Ms. Pham Thi Doan Trang for “conducting propaganda against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, as stipulated in article 88 of the Penal Code 1999”. According to Vietnamese newspapers on the same day, the indictment was transferred to the Hanoi People’s Court. The trial is expected to be opened on November 4, presided over by Judge Chu Phuong Ngoc.
Several human rights groups voiced their dismay over the arrest of Luat Khoa and The Vietnamese co-founder, Pham Doan Trang just hours after annual U.S.-Vietnam human rights talks. Human Rights Watch calls the arrest a “scorched earth response” to political dissent in the country.
Outspoken Vietnamese democracy activist and author Pham Doan Trang has been arrested on anti-state propaganda charges, police and state media said Wednesday, as rights groups condemned her apprehension just hours after annual U.S.-Vietnam human rights talks and warned that the blogger faced the risk of torture in custody.
Pham Doan Trang was arrested at an apartment in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday night and charged under article 117 of the Vietnamese Penal Code, accused of “making, storing, distributing or disseminating information, documents and items against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” To An Xo, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Security, said. Trang, described by state media as a blogger who used to work for various publications in Vietnam, was transferred to Hanoi.
If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison, Amnesty International said, warning that she faced serious danger in official custody.
“Pham Dan Trang faces an imminent risk of torture and other-ill treatment at the hands of the Vietnamese authorities. She must be immediately and unconditionally released,” said Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Campaigns, Ming Yu Hah, in a statement.
“The arrest of Pham Doan Trang is reprehensible. She is a leading figure in the struggle for human rights in Viet Nam. She has inspired countless young activists to speak up for a more just, inclusive, and free Vietnam,” said Hah.
‘Scorched earth response’
Human Rights Watch noted that her arrest occurred “just a few hours after the annual human rights dialogue between the United States and Vietnam” and that she was immediately charged.
“Vietnam’s scorched earth response to political dissent is on display for all to see with the arrest of prominent blogger and author Pham Doan Trang,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch.
“Every day she spends behind bars is a grave injustice that violates Vietnam’s international human rights commitments and brings dishonor to the government,” he said in a statement.
“Governments around the world and the UN must prioritize her case, speak out loudly and consistently on her behalf, and demand her immediate and unconditional release,” added Robertson.
Rachael Chen, spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, said the mission was concerned about the reported arrest and “monitoring the situation closely.”
“We urge the Vietnamese government to ensure its actions and laws are consistent with Vietnam’s international obligations and commitments,” she said in an e-mailed comment.
“Authors, bloggers, and journalists often do their work at great risk, and it is the duty of governments and citizens worldwide to speak out for their protection,” said Chen.
Spate of arrests
Following Trang’s arrest, her friends posted a message they said was written by her in advance, that read: “Nobody wants to go to jail, but if prison is the place for those who fight for freedom, and if it is the place to carry out set goals, then we should go to prison.”
Human Rights Watch noted that last month Trang had published the third edition of a report of a violent clash at Dong Tam commune outside Hanoi in January. The publication of the first edition of that report one week after the incident led to the arrest in June three out of five authors of the report, Can Thi Theu and her sons Trinh Ba Phuong and Trinh Ba Tu. They were also charged with for anti-state propaganda.
Amid a spate of arrests and abuse of independent journalists this year in Vietnam, Trang told RFA in May that toleration of dissent was deteriorating and likely to get worse in the run-up to the ruling Communist Party congress in January.
“Freedom has always been restricted, but nowadays it seems to be narrower, and there’s more and more violence,” she said at the time. “From now until the party congress, the scope of freedom can be tightened more and more, and the suppression will increase.”
Trang, who released a well-regarded book titled Politics for Everyone, was awarded the Reporters Without Borders 2019 Press Freedom Prize. She founded the online legal magazine Luat Khoa and edits another web-based rights journal called thevietnamese.
The arrest of Pham Doan Trang- regarded as one of Vietnam’s prominent journalist and a critic of the authorities, is part of the government’s repressive tactics to silence dissidents. The one-party state is also preparing a cybersecurity law that will require internet companies like Facebook and Google to remove content deemed ‘anti-state’.
Vietnamese authorities have arrested Pham Doan Trang – one of the nation’s most prominent independent journalists.
Trang was detained on Tuesday evening in Ho Chi Minh City, the same day Vietnam and the US held the 24th annual US-Vietnam human rights dialogue, which included talks on issues such as the right to freedom of expression.
Analysts say her arrest is part of a crackdown on activists ahead of Vietnam’s five-yearly national congress in January, while Facebook is facing criticism for growing increasingly complicit in suppressing freedom of speech.
Vietnamese authorities confirmed on Wednesday that they had charged Trang with “making, storing, distributing or disseminating information, documents and items” that aim to oppose the Vietnamese state. The harshest sentence for this crime is 20 years in jail.
Trang is the author of numerous books whose work covers everything from women’s rights and LGBT issues to environmental concerns, activism and land rights. In 2019, Reporters Without Borders awarded her a Press Freedom Prize in recognition of her impact.
Most recently, she spoke out online 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 one villager and three policemen lost their lives.
Phil Robertson at Human Rights Watch said: “Despite suffering years of systemic government harassment, including severe physical attacks, she has remained faithful to her principles of peaceful advocacy for human rights and democracy. Her thoughtful approach to reforms, and demands for people’s real participation in their governance, are messages the Vietnam government should listen to and respect, not repress.”
Ming Yu Hah at Amnesty International said: “This is an outrageous arrest. Pham Doan Trang is a leading figure in the struggle for human rights in Vietnam. She has inspired countless young activists to speak up for a more just, inclusive and free Vietnam.”
Hah told the Guardian Facebook’s decision to cave into Vietnamese authorities’ demands for censorship earlier this year makes them complicit in the country’s harsh repression of freedom of expression.
“We have documented a persistent rise in the censorship of legitimate commentary on social and political affairs on the platform since 2018, with a particularly sharp increase in 2020,” she added. “Merely sharing information about Vietnam’s many serious human rights problems, from land disputes to the death penalty, now regularly leads to arbitrary censorship on Facebook.”
In March this year, a Reuters report revealed how Facebook faced intense pressure from the Vietnamese government. State-run telecommunications companies took the social media site’s local servers offline, which slowed local traffic on the site to a crawl. Consequently, the company began allowing censorship in Vietnam of content deemed “anti-state”, including those by activists like Trang.
Vietnam is in the process of finalising guidelines for its highly controversial cybersecurity law, which requires internet companies like Facebook and Google to remove content deemed “anti-state” and says the US tech giants will have to set up local offices and servers in Vietnam if they wish to continue operating – a request the organisations have refused to carry out.
