Key Events

• Vietnam Sentences Blogger Duong Van Thai to 12 Years in Prison Following Abduction from Thailand
• Political Prisoner Nguyen Thi Tam Accuses Prison Guards of Prison Camp No. 5 for Discrimination
• U.S. Embassy Honors Religious Freedom Activists
• UN Working Group Declares Vietnamese Journalist Pham Chi Dung’s Detention Arbitrary, Calls for Immediate Release

Blogger Duong Van Thai Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison Under Section 2, Article 117

Vietnamese activist and blogger Duong Van Thai was tried in a closed trial on Oct. 30, 2024, where he was sentenced to 12 years in prison, followed by three years of probation.

Thai, who fled to Thailand in early 2019 after publishing content critical of the Vietnamese government, was abducted by Vietnamese intelligence agents in Bangkok earlier in April. Despite holding UN-recognized refugee status, he was forcibly returned to Vietnam, sparking international criticism regarding Hanoi’s cross-border targeting of dissidents.