Vietnam urged to free journalist jailed for 5 years over government criticism

Five years after Vietnamese journalist Pham Doan Trang was arrested at her home in Ho Chi Minh City, an international coalition of human rights and press freedom organizations is urging authorities to release her immediately.

In a joint statement issued on Monday, groups including Reporters Without Borders, PEN America, PEN International, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Legal Initiatives for Vietnam said her continued imprisonment reflects the country’s escalating repression of independent journalism.

Arrest and conviction: Trang, one of Vietnam’s most recognized voices for civil rights, is serving a nine-year prison sentence for “anti-state propaganda” after being convicted in a one-day trial in December 2021. Before her arrest, Trang was known for her independent reporting on human rights and environmental issues and for co-founding two online magazines, Luat Khoa and The Vietnamese, that promoted legal literacy and civil rights. Pham has received international recognition for her work, including the U.S. State Department’s International Women of Courage Award and the Committee to Protect Journalists’ International Press Freedom Award.

In a letter written in May 2019 to be made public if she were ever arrested, Trang stated, “I don’t want freedom just for myself, that’s too easy. No, I want something greater – freedom for Vietnam.”

Detention and health concerns: Rights groups said these peaceful activities led to her arrest on October 6, 2020, under Article 117 of Vietnam’s Penal Code, a provision that criminalizes criticism of the government. She was held incommunicado for more than a year before her trial and was later transferred in October 2022 to a remote prison nearly 1,000 miles from her family, making visits by her elderly mother nearly impossible. Advocates have reported concerns about her health, citing chronic sinusitis, arthritis, gynecological issues and lingering injuries from a 2015 police assault.

The coalition’s statement called for Trang’s immediate and unconditional release, along with assurances of her safety, access to independent medical care and regular communication with her family.