On Aug. 3, the Hanoi People’s Court tried 58-year-old Đoàn Bảo Châu in absentia, sentencing him to seven years in prison and five years of probation. His conviction falls under Article 117 of the 2015 Penal Code for “making, storing, disseminating, or propagandizing information, materials, or items aimed at opposing the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.” [1] 

A martial arts instructor, writer, and journalist primarily based in Hà Nội, he has been a prominent critical voice for nearly two decades.