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Tag: Pham Doan Trang

  • Pham Doan Trang in Wired: One Free Press Coalition Spotlights Journalists Under Attack

    Luat Khoa and The Vietnamese editor Pham Doan Trang is part of One Free Press Coalition’s 10 “Most Urgent” press freedom cases this March 2020.  The coalition of press and media companies hopes to use their collective voices to give awareness, strike conversations and “stand up for journalists under attack for pursuing the truth.”

    Excerpt:

    IN MAY 2019, WIRED joined the One Free Press Coalition, a united group of preeminent editors and publishers using their global reach and social platforms to spotlight journalists under attack worldwide. Today, the coalition is issuing its eighth monthly “10 Most Urgent” list of journalists whose press freedoms are being suppressed or whose cases demand justice.

    Here’s March 2020’s list, ranked in order of urgency:

    8. Pham Doan Trang (Vietnam)
    Journalist in hiding to evade arrest continues reporting.
    Phan Doan Trang has been in hiding since August 2018, after Ho Chi Minh City police brutally beat her and confiscated her national ID card, on top of silencing measures including interrogation, monitoring and shutting off her internet and electricity. A colleague reports that Trang, cofounder of The Vietnamese and Luat Khoa news publications, has not fully recuperated from the assault and her health has deteriorated. While moving between safe houses, she has continued critical reporting on the environment, freedom of religion and online civil society.

    The One Free Press Coalition is comprised of over 30 prominent international members including: Al Jazeera Media Network; AméricaEconomía; The Associated Press; Bloomberg News; The Boston Globe; BuzzFeed; CNN Money Switzerland; Corriere Della Sera; De Standaard; Deutsche Welle; Estadão; EURACTIV; The Financial Times; Forbes; Fortune; HuffPost; India Today; Insider Inc.; Le Temps; Middle East Broadcasting Networks; NHK; Office of Cuba Broadcasting; Quartz; Radio Free Asia; Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty; Republik; Reuters; The Straits Times; Süddeutsche Zeitung; TIME; TV Azteca; Voice of America; The Washington Post; WIRED; Yahoo News.

    One Free Press Coalition partners with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) to identify the most urgent cases for the list, which is updated and published on the first business day of every month.

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    One Free Press Coalition Spotlights Journalists Under Attack March 2020 WIRED
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  • Pham Doan Trang in Forbes: One Free Press Coalition Marks One Year Anniversary Advocating For Journalists Whose Freedoms Are Being Threatened

    One Free Press Coalition is a united group of 38 distinguished media brands using their global reach and platforms to spotlight journalists under attack worldwide.  Pham Doan Trang, co-founder of Luat Khoa and The Vietnamese, is listed as one of the “most urgent” press freedom cases that need to be addressed immediately.

    Excerpt:

    The One Free Press Coalition, a united group of 38 pre-eminent media brands using their global reach and platforms to spotlight journalists under attack worldwide, today observed its one-year anniversary of the organization’s inception. To date, the Coalition has played an important role in successfully advocating for 50 individuals, supporting in the release of 10 journalists featured on their monthly “10 Most Urgent” lists, most recently Sophia Xueqin Huang, who was released from prison in January after being jailed while covering the extended unrest in Hong Kong.

    By bringing attention to this, the One Free Press Coalition has sparked critical conversations globally, with more than 19,000 mentions of the initiative on social media, totaling 1.17 billion total potential impressions globally.

    “In the one year since we established the One Free Press Coalition, we have used the collective voices of our partners and members to shine a bright light on journalists worldwide whose press freedoms and personal liberties are under assault,” said Randall Lane, Chief Content Officer, Forbes and Founding Member of the One Free Press. “We’re proud to have played a role in bringing attention to the plights of 56 journalists – whose cases we highlighted in our monthly ‘10 Most Urgent’ list – as we continue to fight for and secure justice. A free press is a vital and indispensable institution to the proper functioning of society everywhere.”

    Published this morning at www.onefreepresscoalition.com and by all Coalition members, including new pledge Agencia EFE, the 13th 10 Most Urgent list includes the following journalists, ranked in order of urgency:

    8. Pham Doan Trang (Vietnam)

    Journalist in hiding to evade arrest continues reporting.

    Phan Doan Trang has been in hiding since August 2018, after Ho Chi Minh City police brutally beat her and confiscated her national ID card, on top of silencing measures including interrogation, monitoring and shutting off her internet and electricity. A colleague reports that Trang, cofounder of The Vietnamese and Luat Khoa news publications, has not fully recuperated from the assault and her health has deteriorated. While moving between safe houses, she has continued critical reporting on the environment, freedom of religion and online civil society.

  • Pham Doan Trang in Time: These Are the 10 ‘Most Urgent’ Threats to Press Freedom in March 2020

    Time Magazine has joined in the call to prioritize the “10 Most Urgent” press freedom cases.  Pham Doan Trang, co-founder of The Vietnamese and Luat Khoa is one of the 10 international journalists under attack.

    Excerpt:

    This month, Chen is on One Free Press Coalition’s list which highlights the 10 “most urgent” cases of threats to press freedom across the world.

    Read about all 10 journalists under attack on the March list here:

    8. Pham Doan Trang (Vietnam): Journalist in hiding to evade arrest continues reporting.

    Phan Doan Trang has been in hiding since August 2018, after Ho Chi Minh City police brutally beat her and confiscated her national ID card, on top of silencing measures including interrogation, monitoring and shutting off her internet and electricity. A colleague reports that Trang, cofounder of The Vietnamese and Luat Khoa news publications, has not fully recuperated from the assault and her health has deteriorated. While moving between safe houses, she has continued critical reporting on the environment, freedom of religion and online civil society.

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    10 Most Urgent Threats to Press Freedom in March 2020 Time
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  • Pham Doan Trang in Fortune: 10 journalists who deserve justice immediately

    Pham Doan Trang, co-founder of The Vietnamese and Luat Khoa magazines, is listed as one of the 10 international journalists, whose press freedom case is classified as “Most Urgent” by the One Free Press Coalition.

    Excerpt:

    The last thing journalists seek when they go behind the scenes of a story is to end up behind bars. But for many reporters, harsh interrogation, wrongful arrest, and brutal assault are all possible realities of doing one’s job.

    Even today, as the world is in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China, journalists who have reported on the situation have been punished for doing so. Chen Qiushi, a video journalist who revealed that hospitals in China were struggling to deal with the virus, has not been seen since Feb. 6. Meanwhile, three other journalists, who wrote an opinion piece regarding the crisis, have been expelled by the Chinese government.

    When it comes to fighting a virus that has threatened public health, caused profits to plummet, and hit global markets hard, cracking down on free press does nothing to address the crisis at hand and only puts more people’s lives at risk. That’s only one of the reasons why Fortune remains committed to fighting for fellow journalists—and why publishing this monthly list of the “10 Most Urgent” press freedom cases is a moral imperative.

    The One Free Press Coalition (OFPC) compiles the list (below), in partnership with the Center for Press Justice (CPJ) and the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF). This month marks one year of these organizations’ efforts to circulate their list. While some journalists have received justice since appearing on these lists, other cases remain unresolved, and new cases continue to arise. (You can read last month’s list here.)

    8. Pham Doan Trang (Vietnam)

    Journalist in hiding to evade arrest continues reporting.
    Phan Doan Trang has been in hiding since August 2018, after Ho Chi Minh City police brutally beat her and confiscated her national ID card, on top of silencing measures including interrogation, monitoring and shutting off her internet and electricity. A colleague reports that Trang, cofounder of The Vietnamese and Luat Khoa news publications, has not fully recuperated from the assault and her health has deteriorated. While moving between safe houses, she has continued critical reporting on the environment, freedom of religion and online civil society.

    Download:

    10 journalists who deserve justice OFPC March 2020 Fortune
    10 journalists who deserve justice (OFPC)_ March 2020 _ Fortune.pdf
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  • Pham Doan Trang in RFI Tiếng Việt: Báo cáo vụ Đồng Tâm : “Những khuất tất của chính quyền Việt Nam”

    Luật Khoa magazine editor Pham Doan Trang is also one of the authors of the Dong Tam Attack Report, a 28-page document forwarded to international human rights organizations and delivered to the office of a US Congressman.  In this interview, Ms. Pham shares their basis for coming up with the document and what they hope to achieve.

    Full transcription in Vietnamese:

    Phạm Đoan Trang : “Vụ việc này đầy khuất tất từ phía chính quyền. Điểm đáng nói đầu tiên là về cái chết của ba sĩ quan công an. Công an nói có ba chiễn sĩ hy sinh, bị quân khủng bố phóng hỏa, giết. Trên mạng có những bức ảnh cho thấy thi thể của ba người này chỉ còn là than. Bản báo cáo về vụ Đồng Tâm chỉ ra rằng, bình thường cơ thể con người, để thành tro cháy gần hết như vậy cần mất khoảng ba hay bốn tiếng. Không có lý gì lực lượng công an để đồng đội của họ cháy trong ba tiếng đồng hồ mà không dập lửa. Cũng như là bom xăng, một chai xăng mà đơn vị đo là 0,65 lít thì không thể gây ra một vụ cháy kinh hoàng như vậy. Tường nhà thì không ám khói, không có dấu vết của một vụ hỏa hoạn. Điểm đáng ngờ thứ hai liên quan đến cái chết của cụ Kình. Cụ bị giết thế nào ? Ai giết ? Tại sao lại bị mổ tử thi ? Biên bản khám nghiệm tử thi ấy đâu ?

    Điểm thứ ba là cáo buộc của chính quyền nói cụ Kình và gia đình, dân Đồng Tâm là khủng bố, tàng trữ vũ khí. Vậy chính quyền đã biết chuyện những người dân Đồng Tâm tàng trữ vũ khí -nếu có, từ thời điểm nào ? Nếu biết từ trước tại sao không xử lý đúng quy trình tố tụng ? Thí dụ như thông báo trước, thậm chí có thể đến vây hãm, yêu cầu đầu hàng. Nhưng ít nhất phải chờ đến khi bên trong có động thái, thí dụ như bắt con tin, hay đe dọa sát hại con tin trong nhà thì mới có thể tấn công. Nếu như họ vẫn ở trong nhà và cố thủ thì vẫn phải đợi. Bạo lực chỉ là biện pháp cuối cùng. Ngoài ra còn có vấn đề những người khác bị bắt, bị ép cung, tra tấn. Dấu hiệu rõ ràng là nếu chỉ đánh nhau bình thường, mặt không thể có những vết bỏng. Không thể có những vết cháy trên mặt. Đó là dấu vết của sự tra tấn rất rõ”.

    Mục đích báo cáo về vụ Đồng Tâm là gì ?

    Phạm Đoan Trang : “Chúng tôi nhận thấy rằng, từ trước đến giờ, trong tất cả những sự kiện tương tự hoàn toàn nhà nước độc quyền phát ngôn. Trong vụ Đồng Tâm, câu chuyện đến một mức quá xa, nghĩa là nhà nước không chỉ phát ngôn mà còn đàn áp thẳng cánh những người cung cấp thông tin. Trong một tuần lễ, tôi biết có ít nhất ba người bị công an bắt vì đã đưa tin trái chiều về Đồng Tâm. Đưa tin và quan điểm về Đồng Tâm. Thậm chí chỉ chia sẻ bài trên Facebook. Bài có nội dung trái với những gì truyền thông nhà nước đã đưa. Cho nên chúng tôi quyết định, trong một thời gian cực ngắn, chỉ 2 ngày, để làm báo cáo đó.

    Chúng tôi muốn là có một nguồn thông tin tham khảo dành cho cộng đồng quốc tế cũng như là cho người trong nước. Chúng tôi mong muốn vấn đề sẽ được quốc tế hóa, được cộng đồng quốc tế, các chính phủ, những nước dân chủ và các tổ chức quốc tế về nhân quyền như Human Rights Watch hay Amnesty International, lên tiếng, gây sức ép buộc chính quyền Việt Nam cho phép điều tra độc lập, hoặc thừa nhận tội lỗi của mình. Hay ít nhất là giảm án, bảo vệ những người đã bị bắt. Hiện giờ những người chưa bị bắt, những nhân chứng còn sống sót bị đe dọa khủng bố rất kinh hoàng”.

    Full Transcription in English:

    Pham Doan Trang:“This case is full of uncertainty from the government side. The first point worth mentioning is about the deaths of three police officers. The police said that three soldiers died, were set on fire and killed by terrorists. Online there are The photos show that the bodies of these three people are reduced to coal.The report on the Dong Tam incident indicates that, normally, the human body, to burn most of the ash, takes about three or four hours. There is no reason for the police force to let their comrades burn for three hours without putting out the fire.Like a petrol bomb, a bottle of gasoline that measures 0.65 liters cannot cause a fire. The house was so horrifying, the walls of the house were not covered with smoke, there was no trace of a fire. The second point of suspicion concerns the death of Mr. Kinh. How was he killed? Who killed? Why was he operated on? Where’s the autopsy report?

    The third point is the government’s accusation that Kinh and his family and people in Dong Tam are terrorists and possess weapons. So the government knew about the Dong Tam people’s possession of weapons – if so, when? If you knew in advance, why didn’t you handle the proceedings properly? For example, advance notice, maybe even siege, requesting surrender. But at least you have to wait until there is an action inside, such as taking hostages, or threatening to kill hostages in the house, before you can attack. If they were still at home and entrenched, they would still have to wait. Violence is only a last resort. There is also the issue of others being arrested, forced to surrender, tortured. The obvious sign is that if it’s just a normal fight, the face can’t have burns. There can be no burn marks on the face. It’s a very clear mark of torture.”

    What is the purpose of reporting on the Dong Tam case?

    Pham Doan Trang : “We have found that, in all similar events, the state has completely monopolized the speech. In the Dong Tam case, the story goes too far, that is, the state. In a week, I know at least three people were arrested by the police for reporting conflicting information about Dong Tam. Tam. Even just shared the article on Facebook. It had content that was contrary to what the state media had reported, so we decided, in a very short time, just 2 days, to do that report.

    We want to be a reference source for the international community as well as for local people. We hope the issue will be internationalized, voiced by the international community, governments, democratic countries and international human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International. Vietnamese authorities allow independent investigation, or admit guilt. Or at least reduce the sentence, protect those who have been arrested. Now for those who have not been arrested, the surviving witnesses are facing terror threats.”

  • LIV’s Trinh Huu Long and Pham Doan Trang in Al Jazeera: ‘Pushing boundaries’: The rise of Samizdat publishing in Vietnam

    In Vietnam, illegal copying and distribution of books are banned by the government.  Liberal Publishing House publishes and distributes books Vietnam’s government does not wants its citizens to read.

    Excerpt:

    The government has long censored and controls its media and publishing industries and imposed tight restrictions on them.

    The Law on Publishing prohibits “propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” the “spread of reactionary ideology” and “the disclosure of secrets of the [Communist] Party, State, military, defence, economics, or external relations.”

    Liberal Publishing House has published 11 books from eight authors during the past year on politically sensitive topics including China’s role in Vietnam and controversial legislation on Special Economic Zones. It has also released a legal handbook for jailed activists.

    It is the first Samizdat in Vietnam to launch a website and Facebook page.

    “We have tens of thousands of readers despite police repression and state censorship,” Ha said. “Many of them are members of the Communist Party.”

    There is no way to verify these claims, but in October, Vietnamese authorities cracked down on Liberal Publishing House, its distribution network and readers.

    In November, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch released a joint statement calling for an end to the intimidation and harassment of people either associated with the publisher’s activities or trying to obtain copies of Samizdat books.

    By printing books they can make independent information look professional and legitimate to readers. If (readers) can hold it in their hands they trust it more.

    BY TRINH HUU LONG, CO-FOUNDER, LEGAL INITIATIVES FOR VIETNAM.

    According to Amnesty International’s Vietnam campaign team, police have questioned nearly 100 people for either owning or reading books printed by Liberal Publishing House.

    “They know how dangerous and damaging [Samizdat publishing] is to their regime,” said Trinh Huu Long, a democracy activist and co-founder of Legal Initiatives for Vietnam.

    “By printing books, they can make independent information look professional and legitimate to readers. If they can hold it in their hands they trust it more. It’s valuable.”

    Download:

    Pushing boundaries The rise of Samizdat publishing in Vietnam Human Rights News Al Jazeera
    ‘Pushing boundaries’_ The rise of Samizdat publishing in Vietnam _ Human Rights News _ Al Jazeera.pdf
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  • LIV’s Trinh Huu Long and Pham Doan Trang in Journal of Democracy: Thirtieth Anniversary of Polish Democracy

    Legal Initiatives for VIETNAM co-director Trinh Huu Long accepted Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom Prize for Impact in behalf of Vietnamese journalist Pham Doan Trang, who has been served with travel restrictions.

    Excerpt:

    Reporters Without Borders Prize

    On September 12, Reporters Without Borders awarded its Press Freedom Prize for Impact to Vietnamese journalist Pham Doan Trang. Trang is the editor of the online human-rights magazine The Vietnamese, and founder of the online magazine Luat Khoa. Trang has been repeatedly beaten and imprisoned for her activism. Trinh Huu Long, Trang’s coeditor at Luat Khoa, accepted the award on her behalf when travel restrictions prevented Trang from attending the ceremony in Berlin. Speaking via video, Trang said, “We will fight until journalism is no longer seen as a crime anywhere in the world.”

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    News and Notes Journal of Democracy
    News and Notes _ Journal of Democracy.pdf
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  • Pham Doan Trang in Nguoi Viet: Blogger Phạm Đoan Trang được trao giải ‘Press Freedom Prize 2019’

    Pham Doan Trang in Nguoi Viet: Blogger Phạm Đoan Trang được trao giải ‘Press Freedom Prize 2019’

    The morning after accepting the “Prize for Impact” award, journalist and blogger Pham Doan Trang sat down with Nguoi-Viet for a private interview where she reveals her thoughts on the Press Freedom Prize award and the challenges that she and other conscientious Vietnamese journalists are facing in order to do their job.

    Title: Blogger Phạm Đoan Trang được trao giải ‘Press Freedom Prize 2019’
    Publish Date: September 13, 2019
    Publisher: Nguoi Viet

    Full Article:

    Note:  Original text in Vietnamese.

    Blogger Pham Doan Trang was awarded the ‘Press Freedom Prize 2019’

    BERLIN, Germany (NV) – At dawn Vietnam time on Friday, September 13, blogger and freelance journalist Pham Doan Trang was honored to be one of three people jointly awarded the “Press Freedom Prize 2019” by Reporter. Reporters Without Borders.

    The award ceremony took place solemnly at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin. The person who represented blogger Pham Doan Trang to receive the award was Mr. Trinh Huu Long, editor-in-chief of Law Faculty Magazine.

    Pham Doan Trang is the author of many books that are banned from circulation in Vietnam: “Popular Politics,” “A Handbook on Raising Prisoners,” “Non-Violent Resistance”…

    She was awarded in the category “The Prize For Impact”

    The other two are Saudi journalist Eman al Nafjan and Maltese journalist Caroline Muscat. The special thing is that all three are female journalists.

    Reporters Without Borders said in a statement: “The Impact Journalist Award is given to a journalist whose work has made concrete improvements to press freedom and pluralism, or increased awareness of the issues of the press. This topic was given to Vietnamese journalist and blogger Pham Doan Trang. She is a co-founder of Luat Khoa, an online magazine specializing in providing information on legal issues, and also edited the English-language website The Vietnamese to help Vietnamese people protect their human rights. them and against the authoritarian rule of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Pham Doan Trang is the author of many books, including one that defends the rights of the LGBT community in Vietnam. She was beaten by the police for her works and was detained twice in several days in 2018.”

    Before the award ceremony took place, journalist Pham Doan Trang explained to VOA Vietnamese Language about the decision not to go to Germany to attend this event: “As far as I know, the German ambassador intervened with the Vietnamese government to they returned the right to carry the passport as well as guarantee the freedom of entry and exit of some Vietnamese activists including myself. The German side is very enthusiastic, but in my experience, they have to negotiate with the Vietnamese police anyway such as: not campaigning, not propagandizing, not slandering the country… otherwise they will prosecute ; 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.”

    At the end of August, when the news of the nomination for the “Press Freedom Prize 2019” was spread, journalist Pham Doan Trang wrote on his personal page: “I also want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the countless people who have helped me. supported me over the years, quietly or openly, with things that might have been trivial to them. Like many people who have worriedly inquired about my health and sent me medicine. Like thousands of readers have bought, read and read ‘Popular Politics,’ ‘The Prisoner’s Handbook,’ ‘Non-Violent Resistance’… despite the stalking and hunting of the police and public opinion, defying summons for ‘reactionary reading.’”

    “What can I do to repay them? I understand that I can never be grateful to them all, and no words of thanks are enough. I can only say: For me, it doesn’t matter whether I win or not, because there is no prize as precious as your love for me. And to repay the favor, there is nothing like trying, with all that we can, to contribute to a democratic, free Vietnam – in our lifetime,” according to Facebook Pham Doan Trang.

    “Fighting for freedom must accept the loss of a large part of freedom and many other things”

    On the morning of September 13, right after learning of the award, journalist Pham Doan Trang gave a private interview to Nguoi Viet daily.

    *Vietnamese: Looking back on the journey from a state-owned newspaper reporter to the 2019 Press Freedom award of Reporters Without Borders, what do you see yourself having to trade, or lose?

    – Journalist Pham Doan Trang: I think I also lost a lot, but I don’t want to talk about those losses, because my concept has long been “do not cry, ask not to do.” Having accepted to go on the road to fight for freedom, surely it takes a large part of freedom and many other things.

    *Vietnamese: At the same time as you received the award, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam denied that Vietnam was in the top 10 countries with the most strict press censorship in the world, what is your comment?

    – Journalist Pham Doan Trang: I am neither surprised nor outraged by that reaction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam and the Vietnamese state in general. However, I do know for sure that Ms. Le Thi Thu Hang, as a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has a wealth of experience in dealing with the Vietnamese press and has extensive relationships with Vietnamese journalists. Nam and she understand too well the reality of whether or not Vietnam controls press freedom or not, how tightly it is controlled… Having understood that fact so well that it can still be denied, we must recognize it as an official or cadre. of the Communist Party and State of Vietnam is very good at living both sides and lying without being ashamed.

    *Vietnamese: According to you, what challenges, or sufferings, are the journalists in Vietnam facing if they love their job and have a conscience for journalism?

    –Journalist Pham Doan Trang: Good question but too broad, to answer it I would need to write at least one book. As succinctly as possible, for me, the biggest torment for a conscientious Vietnamese journalist is the feeling of being powerless, unable to do anything to change the situation, solve problems, save lives. victims of injustice, poverty and human rights violations in Vietnam. (T.K.)

    Download article in Vietnamese:

    Blogger Pham oan Trang uoc trao giai Press Freedom Prize 2019
    Blogger Phạm Đoan Trang được trao giải ‘Press Freedom Prize 2019’.pdf
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    Download article in English:

    Nguoi Viet Blogger Pham Doan Trang was awarded the Press Freedom Prize 2019
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  • LIV’s Trinh Huu Long and Pham Doan Trang in BBC Vietnamese Giải Tự do Báo chí: Phạm Đoan Trang đấu tranh bằng ngòi bút

    Trinh Huu Long co-founder of Luật Khoa Magazine and The Vietnamese received the 2019 Press Freedom award by Reporters Without Borders in behalf of colleague Pham Doan Trang.  According to him, the Prize for Impact made Ms. Pham not only a journalist but also a democracy activist who uses her pen to help change the political rule in Vietnam.

    Excerpt:

    Note:  Original texts in Vietnamese.

    With Pham Doan Trang being awarded the 2019 Freedom of the Press award, it is hoped that domestic authorities will “reduce the intensity of their repression against the individual”, lawyer Trinh Huu Long told the BBC.

    A freelance journalist, blogger, and a well-known democracy fighter in Vietnam has just been awarded the 2019 Press Freedom award by Reporters Without Borders, in the Influence category.

    Representing journalist Pham Doan Trang at the award ceremony was Mr. Trinh Huu Long, who co-founded two websites of Luat Khoa Magazine and The Vietnamese with Ms. Doan Trang.

    “We hope that by being more known to the world [through this award], and more recognized by the world for the efforts of independent Vietnamese journalists, the Vietnamese government will reduce the intensity of the violence. pressure on Pham Doan Trang personally and the community of Vietnamese independent journalists as well as Vietnamese activists,” Mr. Trinh Huu Long said from Berlin.

    “We hope that international pressure will help gradually improve the Vietnamese government’s attitude, behavior and policies towards independent journalists,” added Mr. Trinh Huu Long.

    This event made her “not only a journalist but also a democracy activist,” said Trinh Huu Long.

    “Pham Doan Trang tries to use the most popular language, to explain in the most understandable way the seemingly abstract concepts, difficult to understand about democracy, human rights, the rule of law, the rights people have.”

    She wants to “use her pen to wish to change the political regime in Vietnam”, Mr. Trinh Huu Long added.

    Download article in Vietnamese:

    Giai Tu do Bao chi Pham oan Trang au tranh bang ngoi but BBC News Tieng Viet
    Giải Tự do Báo chí_ Phạm Đoan Trang đấu tranh bằng ngòi bút – BBC News Tiếng Việt.pdf
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    Download article in English:

    Press Freedom Prize Pham Doan Trang struggles with pen BBC News Vietnamese
    Press Freedom Prize_ Pham Doan Trang struggles with pen – BBC News Vietnamese.pdf
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  • Pham Doan Trang in Taz: Preis für vietnamesische Journalistin Pham Doan Trang in Berlin geehrt

    Pham Doan Trang, one of Vietnam’s famous dissident, received her Press Freedom Award from Reporters Without Borders via a recorded video message as the journalist is currently in hiding.  Vietnam is notorious for keeping a tight grip on press freedom and expression.

    Excerpt:

    Note:  Original texts in German.

    She can enjoy Vietnamese river landscapes. She likes to pick up the guitar and sing along. But the law graduate Pham Doan Trang sees her profession as journalism. On Thursday, Reporters Without Borders honored the 41-year-old Vietnamese with the prestigious Press Freedom Awards in the Sustainable Journalism category.

    For the award ceremony in the Kammerspiele in Berlin, she sent a video message, a greeting from a country without freedom of the press, as she says. She couldn’t travel there herself because Trang lives underground in Vietnam without a valid passport. If she went home, she would risk arrest. “But journalism is not a crime,” she warns in her video message.

    She began her journalistic career at the semi-public newspaper Vietnam Express . She has published nine books, including a bestseller: in 2008 her volume of portraits of gay and lesbian people was published. The subject of homosexuality was a taboo subject in Vietnam for a long time, and the volume of portraits helped to raise public opinion about it.

    Understandable language, wide reach

    In her journalistic work, Trang advocates for the civil rights of her fellow human beings and encourages them to claim such rights. She writes in an easy-to-understand language, allowing her to reach many readers on the internet.

    Her colleague Trinh Huu Long, who lives in Taiwan, accepted the award for Pham Doan Trang. “She is the main journalistic voice within Vietnam criticizing the government and has great empathy for oppressed people. Her mission is independent journalistic information,” says the man who helps her from Taiwan to find publishers for her books and articles. In Vietnam, the press is state-controlled.

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