Key Events 

• Lê Trung Khoa and Nguyễn Văn Đài Sentenced to 17 Years in Absentia;
• Y Quỳnh B’Đăp Appears on VTV, Confesses to Đắk Lắk Attack in June 2023;
• Communist Party Casts Community Leaders as “Core Force” of Security in Central Highlands;
• Việt Nam’s Application Zalo Retreats after Backlash over Data Terms

17-Year Prison Sentences Issued in Absentia for Lê Trung Khoa and Nguyễn Văn Đài

On the final day of the year, two political trials involving Lê Trung Khoa and Nguyễn Văn Đài concluded in Hà Nội with heavy prison terms for what authorities described as “anti-state propaganda.”

Both defendants were tried in absentia, and each received a 17-year prison sentence.