Blogger Phan Kim Khanh
Defend the Defenders, October 13, 2017
The People’s Court in Vietnam’s northern Thai Nguyen province will hold a trial on October 25 against blogger Phan Kim Khanh on charges of “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the Penal Code, according to court announcements.
At the trial, which is schedule to start at 7.30 AM, Mr. Khanh will be tried for “Propagating against, distorting and/or defaming the people’s administration” and “Making, storing and/or circulating documents and/or cultural products with contents against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.”
If convicted, Khanh, 24, will face imprisonment of between three and twelve years, according to the law.
The court said the trial will be open to the public.
Mr. Khanh, who was arrested on March 21 while taking an undergraduate course at Thai Nguyen University, was finally permitted to meet with his lawyer on September 20 to prepare his defense following six months of incommunicado detention.
The charges against Khanh, who is an excellent second-year student and president of the Student Association of the university’s International Studies Faculty, arise from police allegations that he uses his social media channels to propagandize anti-sate information. The police specifically mentioned the following accounts they attributed to Khanh, “Bao Tham nhung” (Corruption Newspaper” and “Tuan bao Viet Nam” (Vietnam Weekly) and three Facebook accounts namely “Bao Tham nhung,” “Tuan bao Viet Nam” and “Dan chu TV” (Democracy TV) as well as two Youtube channels namely “Viet Bao TV” and “Vietnam Online.”
Police also said Khanh had been in contact with people considered by the authorities to be anti-reactionary individuals, including former political prisoner Nguyen Van Hai (aka Dieu Cay), who is living in exile in the U.S., following his release in 2014 from imprisonment in Vietnam.
Khanh was also accused of participating in the management of several websites related to Vietnam Reform Party (Viet Tan), a U.S.-based pro-democracy group labeled a terrorist organization by Vietnam’s government.
Activists said the websites and Facebook accounts Khanh manages provide real news on Vietnam, particularly on the country’s systemic corruption, an issue the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam has vowed to deal with.
Khanh comes from a poor family with two elderly parents. He has been one of nearly 20 activists arrested by Vietnam’s government on allegations of conducting anti-state activities since the beginning of 2017.
He has been one of nearly 20 activists arrested by Vietnam’s government on allegations of conducting anti-state activities so far this year.
In July-September, Vietnam imprisoned three activists, namely Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh (Mother mushroom), Tran Thi Nga, and Nguyen Van Oai. The first two were convicted of “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 and sentenced to ten years and nine years in prison, respectively. Mr. Oai was sentenced to five years in jail and four years under house arrest on charges of “resisting individuals in the performance of official duties,” under Article 257 and “failing to execute judgments” under Article 304 of the Penal Code.
In order to keep the country under a one-party regime, the Vietnamese communist government frequently uses controversial articles such as 79, 88, and 258 of the national security provisions of the Penal Code to silence local dissidents, human rights defenders, social activists, and bloggers.
According to international human rights organizations, Vietnam is holding over 100 prisoners of conscience. Hanoi always denies such charges, claiming it only imprisons those who have violated the law.
Vietnam is among world’s biggest enemies of a free Internet, imprisoning dozens of journalists and bloggers. It was ranked 178 out 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders’ 2017 Press Freedom Index.
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October 13, 2017
Trial against Anti-corruption Blogger Phan Kim Khanh Set on October 25
by Nhan Quyen • [Human Rights]
Blogger Phan Kim Khanh
Defend the Defenders, October 13, 2017
The People’s Court in Vietnam’s northern Thai Nguyen province will hold a trial on October 25 against blogger Phan Kim Khanh on charges of “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the Penal Code, according to court announcements.
At the trial, which is schedule to start at 7.30 AM, Mr. Khanh will be tried for “Propagating against, distorting and/or defaming the people’s administration” and “Making, storing and/or circulating documents and/or cultural products with contents against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.”
If convicted, Khanh, 24, will face imprisonment of between three and twelve years, according to the law.
The court said the trial will be open to the public.
Mr. Khanh, who was arrested on March 21 while taking an undergraduate course at Thai Nguyen University, was finally permitted to meet with his lawyer on September 20 to prepare his defense following six months of incommunicado detention.
The charges against Khanh, who is an excellent second-year student and president of the Student Association of the university’s International Studies Faculty, arise from police allegations that he uses his social media channels to propagandize anti-sate information. The police specifically mentioned the following accounts they attributed to Khanh, “Bao Tham nhung” (Corruption Newspaper” and “Tuan bao Viet Nam” (Vietnam Weekly) and three Facebook accounts namely “Bao Tham nhung,” “Tuan bao Viet Nam” and “Dan chu TV” (Democracy TV) as well as two Youtube channels namely “Viet Bao TV” and “Vietnam Online.”
Police also said Khanh had been in contact with people considered by the authorities to be anti-reactionary individuals, including former political prisoner Nguyen Van Hai (aka Dieu Cay), who is living in exile in the U.S., following his release in 2014 from imprisonment in Vietnam.
Khanh was also accused of participating in the management of several websites related to Vietnam Reform Party (Viet Tan), a U.S.-based pro-democracy group labeled a terrorist organization by Vietnam’s government.
Activists said the websites and Facebook accounts Khanh manages provide real news on Vietnam, particularly on the country’s systemic corruption, an issue the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam has vowed to deal with.
Khanh comes from a poor family with two elderly parents. He has been one of nearly 20 activists arrested by Vietnam’s government on allegations of conducting anti-state activities since the beginning of 2017.
He has been one of nearly 20 activists arrested by Vietnam’s government on allegations of conducting anti-state activities so far this year.
In July-September, Vietnam imprisoned three activists, namely Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh (Mother mushroom), Tran Thi Nga, and Nguyen Van Oai. The first two were convicted of “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 and sentenced to ten years and nine years in prison, respectively. Mr. Oai was sentenced to five years in jail and four years under house arrest on charges of “resisting individuals in the performance of official duties,” under Article 257 and “failing to execute judgments” under Article 304 of the Penal Code.
In order to keep the country under a one-party regime, the Vietnamese communist government frequently uses controversial articles such as 79, 88, and 258 of the national security provisions of the Penal Code to silence local dissidents, human rights defenders, social activists, and bloggers.
According to international human rights organizations, Vietnam is holding over 100 prisoners of conscience. Hanoi always denies such charges, claiming it only imprisons those who have violated the law.
Vietnam is among world’s biggest enemies of a free Internet, imprisoning dozens of journalists and bloggers. It was ranked 178 out 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders’ 2017 Press Freedom Index.