A Vietnamese court sentenced a journalist to six years in jail over “anti-state” content, in a case that sparked condemnation from international human rights groups over Vietnam’s prosecution of dissidents.
Thang was charged with storing and spreading anti-state content through his social media accounts. He was arrested in July 2022, and his family has not been allowed to visit him since.
Thang was also a contributing blogger to Radio Free Asia (RFA). Four RFA contributors, including Thang, are currently being held in Vietnam.
“The outrageous harassment he has endured and his sentencing to six years in prison demonstrates the extent to which Vietnamese authorities will go to silence independent journalists and voices,” she said.
US Calls For Thang’s Release Ahead of Visit
The U.S. State Department called for the release of Thang and other political detainees in a statement released ahead of State Secretary Antony Blinken’s visit to Hanoi on Friday.“Ahead of the secretary’s visit to Hanoi, our message is clear—Vietnam is an important partner in the Indo-Pacific, and that partnership can only reach its full potential if the government of Vietnam takes concerted steps to meet its obligations and commitments under international law and improve its human rights record,” a State Department spokesperson said.
The statement followed HRW’s request that Blinken uses his visit to Vietnam to urge the regime to cease its “systematic abuse of freedom of expression” and release all political prisoners currently held in Vietnam.
‘Horrendous Rights Record’
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at HRW, had also urged Vietnam’s trade partners in Europe, North America, Australia, and Japan to denounce Vietnam’s suppression of free speech and call for Thang’s release.Ming Yu Hah, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for campaigns, said that Vietnam should view Thang’s peaceful activism and reporting as “part of legitimate public debate.”
“His lack of adequate access to a lawyer and family visits are a further stain on a deeply flawed and unfair trial,” she added.
Robertson said that “Vietnam’s horrendous rights record is especially shameful” given that the country is a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council.