The Vietnamese Magazine reports:
- As we previously reported, the trials of Pham Doan Trang and the two farmers Trinh Ba Phuong and Nguyen Thi Tam were originally scheduled for November 4 and 3, respectively. However, the court later postponed the trials, allegedly due to the prosecutors having come into contact with COVID-19.
- On October 25, 2021, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) released its opinions regarding the arrest, detention, and treatment by the Vietnamese state of Pham Doan Trang.
- WGAD concluded that the deprivation with Doan Trang case violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. WGAD believes that the best remedy would be to urgently and immediately release Doan Trang and compensate her in accordance with international law.
- Meanwhile, Legal Initiatives for Vietnam, along with 27 other NGOs, released a joint statement calling for the immediate release of independent journalist and human rights advocate Pham Doan Trang. The statement also urged the Vietnamese authorities to ensure that she’s given a fair trial and also conform to international human rights standards.
- Also last week, Doan Trang’s attorney Le Van Luan announced on social media that his client had been examined for health problems suffered while in detention following appeals made to authorities, reports RFA. According to Luan, authorities-assigned doctors have now made two visits a week to examine Trang’s health in prison, following petitions made by her lawyers on October 20 and 22 urging that she receive medical care for high blood pressure and other health problems.
Bao Sach (Clean Newspaper) members receive a total of 14 years and six months in prison
- On October 28, the local Court of Can Tho City sentenced five independent journalists of the Bao Sach group, a Facebook-based journalism project, to a total of 14 years and six months in prison after a two-day trial, reports RFA. The five were charged under Article 331 of Vietnam’s Penal Code with “abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to infringe upon State and individuals’ interests” for writing articles that the authorities said had defamed government officials with distorted information. The mentioned penal article has been criticized for its arbitrary criminalization without defining the actual conduct of the offense.
- Journalist Truong Chau Huu Danh, one of the co-founders of Bao Sach, was sentenced to four years and six months in jail. Doan Kien Giang and Le The Thang each received three-year sentences, while Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao and Nguyen Thanh Nha were each given two-year sentences. The five members will also be banned from journalism for three years after completing their prison terms, according to the Can Tho Court.
- Several international news outlets, including press freedom advocate Reporters Without Borders (RSF), have reported on the trial. Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk, said that by “imposing such long jail terms on the five Bao Sach journalists, the Vietnamese authorities have given new evidence of their determination to suppress any attempt to provide independently reported news and information.”
- Meanwhile, in an interview with Reuters, Deputy Asia Director for Human Rights Watch Phil Robertson urged Vietnam not to treat media as “enemies of the state.” “The [Vietnamese] government should recognize that citizen journalists and independent media are allies of good governance,” he added.
- In a press statement, the U.S. Department of State said that the United States “is deeply troubled that a Vietnamese court has convicted journalists affiliated with the Bao Sach (Clean Journalism) group.” The United States also urged the Vietnamese government “to ensure its actions are consistent with the human rights provisions of Vietnam’s constitution and its international obligations and commitments.”
- Vietnamese state media on October 29 reported that the People’s Court of Quang Tri Province began its trial of Phan Bui Bao Thy, a former magazine bureau chief, along with two other people for defaming and accusing local leaders of corruption. They were arrested in February this year and prosecuted for the same charges as the Bao Sach members.
- Thy is accused of operating several Facebook accounts, including one account named after a local historic monument called Quang Tri 357, in which he posted reports about cases of corruption regarding the deputy minister of culture, tourism, and sports, Nguyen Van Hung, who is from Quang Tri, and the province leader Vo Van Hung, according to a news report from RSF.
- Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific, called for the immediate release of Phan Bui Bao Thy regarding his arrest. “His fate highlights the straitjacket enclosing public media journalists in Vietnam, who are persecuted as soon as they stray from the official line imposed by the ruling Communist Party’s propaganda department. In so doing, the Vietnamese authorities violate article 25 of their own constitution,” said Bastard.
Vietnamese language services of international news agencies were attacked
- On October 30, Facebook fan pages of major news agencies’ Vietnamese language services were interfered with, reportedly having their page names changed into pro-government rhetorical titles.
- Social media fan pages of Radio Free Asia (RFA), British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and Voice of America (VOA) were affected around 10 a.m on October 30; the issue lasted for about two hours before those fan pages eventually gained control of the situation. The Vietnamese language services of these major news agencies have long been seen as independent sources of information for Vietnamese readers living under the country’s heavily censored media environment.
- According to RFA Vietnamese, state media denied the accusation that government-backed hackers were behind the interference.
RFA reports:
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