2011 crackdown on Vietnamese youth activists

Arrests of Vietnamese Christian activists May 2022 Between July 2011 and December 2011 a number of young Vietnamese Christian activists, primarily located in northern province of Nghệ An, Vietnam, and working with the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, were arrested by the Vietnamese government for protesting for land rights and circulating a petition to free prominent legal rights activist Cu Huy Ha Vu, a prominent human rights defender who was imprisoned for seven years in April 2011.http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/16039 Vietnam: Update – Front Line Defenders informed of the locations of detained human rights defenders 11 June 2012 10 October 2011 Frontline Defenders https://web.archive.org/web/20120604094532/http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/16039 4 June 2012 deadhttp://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapacific/news/article_1655830.php/Eight-Catholics-arrested-after-taking-part-in-protests Eight Catholics arrested after taking part in protests 11 June 2012 9 August 2011 Asia Pacific news https://archive.today/20130129035243/http://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapacific/news/article_1655830.php/Eight-Catholics-arrested-after-taking-part-in-protests 29 January 2013 deadhttps://sg.news.yahoo.com/eight-vietnamese-activists-held-subversion-112525587.html Eight Vietnamese activists 'held for subversion' 11 June 2012 30 August 2011 AFP Ian Timberlake Among them was 26-year-old high-profile blogger Paulus Le Son.https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/02/week-censorship-arrested-bloggers-vietnam-googles-new-censorship-policy-and-china This Week in Censorship: Arrested Bloggers in Vietnam, Google's New Censorship Policy, and China Blocks Tibetan-Language Blogs 11 June 2012 3 February 2012 Electronic Frontier Foundation Maira Sutton Four of them, Dau Van Duong, Tran Huu Duc, Chu Manh Son, and Hoang Phong had already been tried, allegedly for distributing pro-democracy leaflets and sentenced under Article 88 to two to three years in jail. Fourteen other activists were sentenced to 3 to 15 years in prison after a two-day trial on 8–9 January 2013. Activists During the original wave in July and August 2011, 17 original activists have been arrested.http://www.chretiente.info/201204182329/marcher-et-prier-vers-chartres-pour-17-catholiques-prisonniers-des-communistes/ Marcher et prier vers Chartres pour 17 catholiques prisonniers des communistes 11 June 2012 18 April 2012 chrétiens https://archive.today/20130218010949/http://www.chretiente.info/201204182329/marcher-et-prier-vers-chartres-pour-17-catholiques-prisonniers-des-communistes/ 18 February 2013 deadhttp://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.RES.484: Calling on the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to respect basic human rights and cease abusing vague national security provisions such as articles 79 and 88 of the Vietnamese penal code which are often the pretext to arrest and detain citizens who peacefully advocate for religious and political freedom. 11 June 2012 6 June 2011 US House of Representatives 12 December 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121212171236/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.Res.484: dead Name Age at time of arrest Hometown Date of Arrest Trial Verdict Dang Xuan Dieu 32 Vinh City 30 July 2011 8–9 January 2013 13 years prison term Ho Duc Hoa 37 Vinh City 30 July 2011 8–9 January 2013 13 years prison term Nguyen Van Oai 31 Vinh City 30 July 2011 8–9 January 2013 3 years prison term, 2 years house arrest Chu Manh Son 22 Nghệ An Province 2 August 2011 24 May 2012http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/19887 Appeal of human rights defenders Dau Van Duoang, Tran Huu Duc, and Chu Manh Son to take place on 26 September 2012 24 September 2012 Frontline Defenders 11 January 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20121202142917/http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/19887 2 December 2012 dead 26 months in prison Dau Van Duong 23 Nghệ An Province 2 August 2011 24 May 2012 42 months in prison Tran Huu Duc 23 Nghệ An Province 2 August 2011 24 May 2012 39 months in prison Paulus Le Son 26 Thanh Hóa Province 3 August 2011 8–9 January 2013 13 years prison term, 5 years of house arrest Nong Hung Anh 23 Lạng Sơn 5 August 2011 8–9 January 2013 5 years prison term, 3 years house arrest Nguyen Van Duyet 31 Vinh City 7 August 2011 8–9 January 2013 6 years prison term, 4 years house arrest Nguyen Xuan Anh 29 Vinh City 7 August 2011 8–9 January 2013http://www.albanytribune.com/09012013-vietnam-call-to-release-convicted-activists/ Vietnam: Call To Release Convicted Activists 13 January 2013 9 January 2013 Albany Tribune https://web.archive.org/web/20130113045454/http://www.albanytribune.com/09012013-vietnam-call-to-release-convicted-activists/ 13 January 2013 dead 3 years prison term, 2 years house arrest Ho Van Oanh 26 Vinh City 16 August 2011 8–9 January 2013 3 years prison term, 2 years house arrest Thai Van Dung 24 Nghệ An Province 19 August 2011 8–9 January 2013 5 years prison term, 3 years house arrest Tran Minh Nhat 23 Lâm Đồng Province 27 August 2011 8–9 January 2013 4 years prison term, 3 years house arrest Ta Phong Tan 43 Bạc Liêu Province 5 September 2011 24 September 2012 10 years prison termVietnam jails dissident bloggers https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-19697905 BBC 24 September 2012 Tran Vu Anh Binh 37 Unknown 19 September 2011 30 October 2012 6 years prison term, 2 years house arrest30 October 2012 Việt Nam kết án tù 2 nhạc sĩ Việt Khang và Trần Vũ Anh Bình với tội danh tuyên tuyền chống Nhà nước https://www.rfi.fr/vi/viet-nam/20121030-viet-nam-ket-an-tu-2-nhac-si-viet-khang-va-tran-vu-anh-binh-voi-toi-danh-%c2%ab-tuyen-t RFI Vietnamese Nguyen Dinh Cuong 31 Nghệ An Province 24 December 2011 8–9 January 2013 4 years prison term, 3 years house arrest Hoang Phong 24 Nghệ An Province 29 December 2011 24 May 2012 2 years of probationViệt Nam kết án tù các thanh niên công giáo http://www.rfa.org/vietnamese/in_depth/catho-youn-peop-on-trial-05242012075417.html RFA 24 May 2012 Arrest Reporters Without Borders reported on the arrest of the Catholic blogger Paulus Le Son and the major police operation targeting around 10 Catholics in August 2011. Paulus Le Son was arrested at his home on 3 August 2011 around 11:30am. Police blocked the road as he returned home on his motorcycle, deliberately causing him to fall. Four police officers then lifted him by his hands and feet and tossed him into a police car.4 August 2011 Blogger Paulus Le Son Arrested Again Amid Mounting Tension http://en.rsf.org/vietnam-blogger-paulus-le-son-arrested-04-08-2011,40751.html https://web.archive.org/web/20110811220548/http://en.rsf.org/vietnam-blogger-paulus-le-son-arrested-04-08-2011,40751.html 11 August 2011 11 June 2012 Reporters Without Borders Dang Xuan Dieu, 32, and Ho Duc Hoa, 37 were detained on 30 July at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City. The activists' families have tried to visit the activists in prisons multiple times, but were denied visits. 2012 Trials for Article 88 On 24 May 2012, a trial was held for Dau Van Duong, Tran Huu Duc, Chu Manh Son, and Hoang Phong who were arrested under Article 88 of Vietnam's Penal Code, "conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam". The four from Nghệ An were arrested for distributing leaflets.22 May 2012 Vietnam: Four Religious Advocates Facing Trial for Social Activism http://newamericamedia.org/2012/05/vietnam-four-regilious-advocates-facing-trial-for-social-activism.php usurped https://web.archive.org/web/20120527132933/http://newamericamedia.org/2012/05/vietnam-four-regilious-advocates-facing-trial-for-social-activism.php 27 May 2012 11 June 2012 New American Media They were convicted of propaganda against the state and sentenced by the People's Court of Nghệ An in Vietnam to two to three and a half years of imprisonment.http://mediadefence.org/news-story/vietnamese-activists-sentenced-long-prison-terms Vietnamese activists sentenced to long prison terms 11 June 2012 23 May 2012 Media Legal Defense Initiate https://archive.today/20130415072532/http://mediadefence.org/news-story/vietnamese-activists-sentenced-long-prison-terms 15 April 2013 dead The four were denied access to legal counsel until just before the trial. Of the four, one was arrested in December 2011, while the other three had been awaiting trial since their arrests in August 2011. Only after protesting outside were families and supporters of the four were allowed into the courtroom. On 24 September 2012, Ta Phong Tan and two other bloggers Nguyen Van Hai and Phan Thanh Hai were convicted by the People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City. In the same year, another trial was held for Tran Vu Anh Binh and Viet Khang, another dissident musician on 30 October. 2013 Trial for Article 79 2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents On 8 and 9 January 2013, a trial was held by the People's Court of Nghệ An Province for 14 of democracy activists, including Dang Ngoc Minh, Dang Xuan Dieu, Ho Duc Hoa, Ho Van Oanh, Paulus Le Son, Nguyen Dang Minh Man, Nguyen Dang Vinh Phuc, Nguyen Dinh Cuong, Nguyen Van Duyet, Nguyen Van Oai, Nguyen Xuan Oanh, Nong Hung Anh, Thai Van Dung, and Tran Minh Nhat.https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/01/09/vietnam-release-convicted-activists Vietnam: Release Convicted Activists - Drop Charges Against Blogger Le Quoc Quan 9 January 2013 Human Rights Watch 19 July 20128 January 2013 Vietnam Puts 14 Activists on Trial for Dissent ABC News https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/vietnam-put-trial-14-activists-18158316 https://web.archive.org/web/20130111092537/http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/vietnam-put-trial-14-activists-18158316 11 January 2013 11 January 2013 Associated Press They were accused of maintaining ties with Viet Tan,http://www.eurasiareview.com/11012013-vietnam-rwb-says-can-prove-innocence-of-convicted-blogger-paulus-le-son/ Vietnam RWB Says Can Prove Innocence of Convicted Blogger Paulus Le Son 11 January 2013 Eurasia Review 11 January 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20140408220258/http://www.eurasiareview.com/11012013-vietnam-rwb-says-can-prove-innocence-of-convicted-blogger-paulus-le-son/ 8 April 2014 dead a US-based pro-democracy organization to establish democracy and reform Vietnam through peaceful and political means.https://www.senate.gov/~foreign/testimony/2008/DiemTestimony080312p.pdf Testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs 7 May 2008 12 March 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080502193956/https://www.senate.gov/~foreign/testimony/2008/DiemTestimony080312p.pdf 2 May 2008http://www.alistaircoe.com.au/2009/viet-tan/ Alistair commends Vietnam pro-democracy movement Alistair Coe 6 December 2009 12 November 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20110903181004/http://www.alistaircoe.com.au/2009/viet-tan/ 3 September 2011 dead The verdict was announced by Judge Tran Ngoc: All of them were sentenced to 3–13 years in prison on charges violating Clause 1 of Article 79 of the Vietnamese criminal code for organizing "to attempt to overthrow the government". At the trial, Paulus Le Son was the only one not to have acknowledged any wrongdoings. During the trial, a large number of police were deployed around the court, with police detaining a number of other bloggers who attempted to attend the trial. International response Shortly after the arrest wave, Human Rights Watch released a press statement on 30 September 2011 calling for the immediate release of Dang Xuan Dieu, Ho Duc Hoa, Nguyen Van Duyet, Nong Hung Anh and Paulus Le Son and a dismissal of their charges.Request for the immediate release of Dang Xuan Dieu, Ho Duc Hoa, Nguyen Van Duyet, Nong Hung Anh and Paulus Le Son, and the dismissal of all charges https://www.hrw.org/news/2011/09/30/vietnam-free-religious-activists-immediately 11 June 2012 30 September 2012 Human Rights Watch The Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ, is alarmed by the arrest and recent crackdown on freedom of express in Vietnam and calls on the government to immediately release all of the journalists detained in the country.http://cpj.org/2011/10/in-vietnam-crackdown-on-journalists-in-past-six-mo.php In Vietnam, crackdown on journalists in past six months 11 June 2012 3 October 2011 CommitteeToProtectJournalist On 3 October 2011, Bob Bietz, CPJ's Asia program director stated, "With these arrests, Vietnam now ranks among the worst jailers of journalists in the world. The crackdown under way underscores the Communist Party government's enduring fear of an independent press scrutinizing its record, policies, and personalities. The national security-related charges used to imprison these journalists are bogus across the board." On 13 December 2011, Congresswoman Susan Davis, representing the California 53rd District and a member of the Vietnam Caucus in Congresshttp://www.house.gov/susandavis/iss_fafairs.shtml FOREIGN AFFAIRS 11 June 2012 3 October 2011 Congresswoman Susan Davis spoke on the Congress floor http://phailentieng.lenduong.net/post/14197352882/repsusandavis Taking the House Floor on December 13, 2011, Congresswoman Susan Davis (CA-53rd) addressed Congress on behalf of Paulus Le Son and 14 other arrested youth activists 11 June 2012 13 December 2012 C-SPAN https://web.archive.org/web/20120120134633/http://phailentieng.lenduong.net/post/14197352882/repsusandavis 20 January 2012 dead on behalf of Paulus Le Son and 14 other arrested Vietnamese youth activists. Davis stated, "I call on my colleagues to stand side-by-side with these brave individuals and raise their voice in demanding that the Government of Vietnam release all prisoners of conscience and uphold their commitment to human rights for all."14 December 2011 Congresswoman Susan Davis stands up for blogger Paulus Le Son and 14 arrested youth activists http://viettan.org/Congresswoman-Susan-Davis-stands.html https://web.archive.org/web/20120119131616/http://www.viettan.org/Congresswoman-Susan-Davis-stands.html 19 January 2012 11 June 2012 Viet Tan On 12 March 2012, Media Legal Defence Initiative and eight other NGOs issued a joint letter to the Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung calling for the immediate release of bloggers Dang Xuan Dieu, Ho Duc Hoa, Nguyen Van Duyet, Nong Hung Anh and Paulus Le Son. The letter states, "There are no grounds for such charges against any of the five. Mr. Dieu is an engineer and community organizer. Mr. Hoa is also a community organizer, Mr. Duyet is the President of the Association of Catholic Workers of Vinh, and Mr. Anh is a student at Hanoi University. Mr. Son is a blogger. All are active contributors to prominent citizen journalist sites, including Vietnam Redemptorist News (VRNs)."Request for the immediate release of Dang Xuan Dieu, Ho Duc Hoa, Nguyen Van Duyet, Nong Hung Anh and Paulus Le Van Son, and the dismissal of all charges http://www.mediadefence.org/sites/default/files/uploads/20120312%20Joint%20letter%20five%20Vietnamese%20bloggers%20FINAL%20as%20sent.pdf 11 June 2012 12 March 2012 Media DefenceApril 2019 InternetArchiveBot yes On 22 May 2012, Human Rights Watch issued a second press release calling the immediate release of the four Catholic activists accused of Article 88. "It's absolutely shameful that the Vietnam government is putting these Catholic activists on trial, and may send them to prison for years for nothing more than expressing their views and distributing leaflets", said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/05/22/vietnam-free-catholic-activists Vietnam: Free Catholic Activists 11 June 2012 22 May 2012 Human Rights Watch Following the 2013 trial, Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, condemned the arrest and calls for the "convictions to be squashed immediately". He states "The conviction of yet more peaceful activists is another example of a government that is increasingly afraid of the opinions of its own people. Instead of imprisoning critics, the Vietnamese government should be honoring them for their efforts to address the myriad problems facing the country that the government itself has also identified." Phil Robertson, the deputy director of the Asia division of Human Rights Watch, also followed up with "this was the largest group to be brought to trial together in recent times." Other human rights organizations have called this the "largest subversion to be brought in years" in Vietnam.https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/world/asia/activists-convicted-in-vietnam-crackdown-on-dissent.html?_r=0 Activists Convicted in Vietnam Crackdown on Dissent Seth Mydans 1 January 2013 9 January 2013 New York Times References 3 External links Video of US Congresswoman Susan Davis voicing concern for the activists in the US Congress US House of Representatives resolution addressing the arrests https://web.archive.org/web/20121212171236/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.Res.484: 12 December 2012 Category:Political repression in Vietnam Category:2011 in Vietnam Category:No-U Movement Category:History of Nghệ An province Category:Vietnamese Christians Category:Vietnamese dissidents