April 14, 2023
Cited article by CNN via Reuters
HRRC condemns Vietnam's arrest and imprisonment of activists. The people of Vietnam must be allowed to practice their rights to freedom of speech and expression without threat of retaliation. We call on authorities to release all political prisoners immediately.
Article Summary
Vietnam authorities sentenced political activist Nguyen Lan Thang to six years in prison for "anti-state activities" which included "making, storing or distributing information, materials, documents to oppose the state of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam." After the six years in prison, Thang will serve another two years under house arrest. Thang is a prominent voice on sociopolitical issues in Vietnam and was involved in several environmental and anti-China protests. Further, he shared information online via his blog and advocated for jailed activists.
According to Human Rights Watch, since 2018 over 160 people have been arrested for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and speech under "vague or overbroad laws that criminalize protesting or criticizing the government." A delegation of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee of Human Rights recently visited Vietnam and expressed grave concern about the deteriorating state of human rights in the country.