Mr. Kim (second from right and Mr. Tung (second from left) at the first trial in December last year
By Defend the Defenders, May 27, 2017
On May 26, the Higher People’s Court in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi rejected the appeals of two political activists, Tran Anh Kim and Le Thanh Tung, finding them guilty of conducting “attempts to overthrow the people’s government” under Article 79 of the country’s Penal Code.
The court upheld the 13-year imprisonment sentence for 68-year-old Kim and 12-year sentence for Mr. Tung handed by the People’s Court of the northern province of Thai Binh in December 2016. In addition, the two will be placed under house arrest for five and four years respectively, after completing their terms.
According to the indictment, Mr. Kim, 67, had the intention to establish an organization called “People Forces for Democracy Promotion” with the participation of army officers to overthrow the current regime and replace it with a democratic government. The two activists planned to publicize their organization on September 21, 2015, but Vietnam’s security forces arrested Mr. Kim a few hours before the organization’s debut.
Mr. Kim, a former lieutenant of the Vietnam People’s Army and deputy head of the military political department of Thai Binh city before the 1990s, is a former political prisoner. From 1995-2005, he participated in a number of groups which promoted multi-party democracy, including the 8406 Bloc. He assisted farmers whose land was illegally seized by local authorities in seeking justice and participated in anti-corruption campaigns.
Mr. Kim was honored with the Hellman/Hammett Prize awarded by the New York-based organization Human Rights Watch in 2009.
He was arrested in July 2009 and charged with attempting to “overthrow the people’s government” under Article 79 of the Penal Code. He was later sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail and released in July 2015.
Mr. Tung is also a former prisoner of conscience, who completed his four-year term mid-2015. Mr. Tung is a member of pro-democracy Bloc 8406. After being freed, Mr. Tung committed to continue to fight for multi-party democracy in Vietnam.
Tung was re-arrested mid-December 2015 when he went to work in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.
Human rights lawyer Vo An Don, who is among the group of lawyers defending the accused, said his clients are innocent as their activities were simply unrealized ideas.
In order to prevent activists to attend the “open appeal” of Kim and Tung, security forces in Hanoi and many localities prevented them from going out of their private residences on Thursday and Friday. All roads leading to the courtroom were blocked.
The sentences of Kim and Tung were upheld amid an intensified crackdown against local dissidents, social activists and human rights defenders. Recently, Vietnam has arrested and issued national warrants for numerous activists, including Vice Chairman of the Viet Labor Movement Hoang Duc Binh, member of Vietnam Pathway Bach Hong Quyen and former prisoner of conscience Thai Van Dung. A number of other activists have been held for lengthy periods of time without being brought to court, such as human rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai and his assistant Le Thu Ha, well-known blogger and human rights defender Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, political activist Luu Van Vinh and his friends, and human rights activist Tran Thi Nga.
Both Kim and Tung are among 82 prisoners of conscience whom the London-based Amnesty International has urged Vietnam to free unconditionally and immediately.
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May 28, 2017
Vietnam Upholds Sentences against Two Political Activists Tran Anh Kim, Le Thanh Tung
by Nhan Quyen • Le Thanh Tung, Tran Anh Kim
Mr. Kim (second from right and Mr. Tung (second from left) at the first trial in December last year
By Defend the Defenders, May 27, 2017
On May 26, the Higher People’s Court in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi rejected the appeals of two political activists, Tran Anh Kim and Le Thanh Tung, finding them guilty of conducting “attempts to overthrow the people’s government” under Article 79 of the country’s Penal Code.
The court upheld the 13-year imprisonment sentence for 68-year-old Kim and 12-year sentence for Mr. Tung handed by the People’s Court of the northern province of Thai Binh in December 2016. In addition, the two will be placed under house arrest for five and four years respectively, after completing their terms.
According to the indictment, Mr. Kim, 67, had the intention to establish an organization called “People Forces for Democracy Promotion” with the participation of army officers to overthrow the current regime and replace it with a democratic government. The two activists planned to publicize their organization on September 21, 2015, but Vietnam’s security forces arrested Mr. Kim a few hours before the organization’s debut.
Mr. Kim, a former lieutenant of the Vietnam People’s Army and deputy head of the military political department of Thai Binh city before the 1990s, is a former political prisoner. From 1995-2005, he participated in a number of groups which promoted multi-party democracy, including the 8406 Bloc. He assisted farmers whose land was illegally seized by local authorities in seeking justice and participated in anti-corruption campaigns.
Mr. Kim was honored with the Hellman/Hammett Prize awarded by the New York-based organization Human Rights Watch in 2009.
He was arrested in July 2009 and charged with attempting to “overthrow the people’s government” under Article 79 of the Penal Code. He was later sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail and released in July 2015.
Mr. Tung is also a former prisoner of conscience, who completed his four-year term mid-2015. Mr. Tung is a member of pro-democracy Bloc 8406. After being freed, Mr. Tung committed to continue to fight for multi-party democracy in Vietnam.
Tung was re-arrested mid-December 2015 when he went to work in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.
Human rights lawyer Vo An Don, who is among the group of lawyers defending the accused, said his clients are innocent as their activities were simply unrealized ideas.
In order to prevent activists to attend the “open appeal” of Kim and Tung, security forces in Hanoi and many localities prevented them from going out of their private residences on Thursday and Friday. All roads leading to the courtroom were blocked.
The sentences of Kim and Tung were upheld amid an intensified crackdown against local dissidents, social activists and human rights defenders. Recently, Vietnam has arrested and issued national warrants for numerous activists, including Vice Chairman of the Viet Labor Movement Hoang Duc Binh, member of Vietnam Pathway Bach Hong Quyen and former prisoner of conscience Thai Van Dung. A number of other activists have been held for lengthy periods of time without being brought to court, such as human rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai and his assistant Le Thu Ha, well-known blogger and human rights defender Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, political activist Luu Van Vinh and his friends, and human rights activist Tran Thi Nga.
Both Kim and Tung are among 82 prisoners of conscience whom the London-based Amnesty International has urged Vietnam to free unconditionally and immediately.