On January 11, 2022, the Hanoi People’s Court held a trial for Mai Phan Loi, a former journalist and founder of a nonprofit organization, over “tax evasion” charges. The court sentenced the former journalist to a total of 48 months in jail on the same day. He was also ordered to reimburse the tax evasion money, state media reported.

According to The 88 Project, Mai Phan Loi, 50-years-old, is a former editor-in-chief of Phap Luat, a prominent state-run magazine focused on legal issues. In 2016, he was one of the representatives of the Vietnamese civil organization allowed to meet then-President Barack Obama in Hanoi. Loi was officially arrested in July and consequently charged with “committing tax evasion” under Article 200 of Vietnam’s Penal Code.