Vietnam May Try Two Local Activists, American Citizen on Allegation of Subversion Soon


From left to right: Mr. Michael Minh Phuong Nguyen, Huynh Duc Thanh Binh, Tran Long Phi and Thomas Bao

Defend the Defenders, February 18, 2019

The Vietnamese communist regime may hold the first-instance hearing to try American citizen Michael Minh Phuong Nguyen and two local activists named Huynh Duc Thanh Binh and Tran Long Phi in late February, Defend the Defenders has learned.

Mr. Tran Van Long, a former political prisoner and the father of Mr. Phi, told Defend the Defenders that he has learned the news from his relatives who went to visit his son earlier this month.

A police officer who is investigating the case told Phi’s relatives that they have completed investigation and the trial is likely to be held in coming weeks. 

Mr. Phi, 23, was kidnapped together with Mr. Nguyen and Mr. Binh on July 7 last year after they returned to Ho Chi Minh City from Hue City where they met with female activist Le My Hanh.

Later, police announced that they charged Binh with “conducting activities to overthrow the government” under Article 109 of the country’s 2015 Penal Code. So far, police have yet publicized the charge(s) against Phi and Nguyen, a Vietnamese American from California.

Police also detained Mr. Huynh Duc Thinh, a former political prisoner from Bao Loc city, Lam Dong province. Without being charged, Mr. Thinh, the father of university student Binh, was held for month and released in late January. However, he has been under house arrest and forced to go to Ho Chi Minh City to report to police every week.

All of the detainees have been held in the temporary detention facility located at No. 4 Phan Dang Luu under the authority of the Police Department of HCM City.

Mr. Long said the trio Long, Nguyen and Thinh would be tried for subversion and face imprisonment of life jail or even death penalty if they are convicted, according to the current Vietnamese law.

Police said the defendants will have lawyers appointed by the authorities but not attorneys of their choice, according to the family of Long.

Mr. Long said police have conducted search many times the seedling store of Mr. Thinh in Bao Loc city, and they have plan to confiscate the facility as they suspect that it was the place that many activists had gathered to discuss how to deal with the communist regime.

In late December last year, police in Hanoi also issued three summoning letters to request Ms. Hanh for interrogation in relations with the detainees, with whom she met in early July last year. However, Ms. Hanh went into hiding and refused to obey by the police’s request.

Vietnam’s communist regime continues its crackdown on local dissent which started in late 2015 with the arrest of prominent human rights attorney Nguyen Van Dai and his assistant Ms. Le Thu Ha.

Vietnam sentenced 40 activists in 2017. One year later, the communist regime arrested 27 activists and convicted 41 with a total 301 years and nine months in prison and 69 years of probation. In addition, it sentenced around 100 peaceful demonstrators with imprisonment of between eight months and 54 months in jail, according to Defend the Defenders’ statistics.

So far this year, Vietnam has arrested five activists without publicizing the charges against them.

According to NOW!Campaign, a coalition of 15 international and domestic NGOs including Defend the Defenders, BPSOS, Civil Rights Defenders and Front Line Defenders, Vietnam is holding around 250 prisoners of conscience. Around ten of them are in pre-trial detention.

The Vietnamese communist regime may hold the first-instance hearing to try American citizen Michael Minh Phuong Nguyen and two local activists named Huynh Duc Thanh Binh and Tran Long Phi in late February, Defend the Defenders has learned.

Mr. Tran Van Long, a former political prisoner and the father of Mr. Phi, told Defend the Defenders that he has learned the news from his relatives who went to visit his son earlier this month.

A police officer who is investigating the case told Phi’s relatives that they have completed investigation and the trial is likely to be held in coming weeks. 

Mr. Phi, 23, was kidnapped together with Mr. Nguyen and Mr. Binh on July 7 last year after they returned to Ho Chi Minh City from Hue City where they met with female activist Le My Hanh.

Later, police announced that they charged Binh with “conducting activities to overthrow the government” under Article 109 of the country’s 2015 Penal Code. So far, police have yet publicized the charge(s) against Phi and Nguyen, a Vietnamese American from California.

Police also detained Mr. Huynh Duc Thinh, a former political prisoner from Bao Loc city, Lam Dong province. Without being charged, Mr. Thinh, the father of university student Binh, was held for month and released in late January. However, he has been under house arrest and forced to go to Ho Chi Minh City to report to police every week.

All of the detainees have been held in the temporary detention facility located at No. 4 Phan Dang Luu under the authority of the Police Department of HCM City.

Mr. Long said the trio Long, Nguyen and Thinh would be tried for subversion and face imprisonment of life jail or even death penalty if they are convicted, according to the current Vietnamese law.

Mr. Long said police have conducted search many times the seedling store of Mr. Thinh in Bao Loc city, and they have plan to confiscate the facility as they suspect that it was the place that many activists had gathered to discuss how to deal with the communist regime.

In late December last year, police in Hanoi also issued three summoning letters to request Ms. Hanh for interrogation in relations with the detainees, with whom she met in early July last year. However, Ms. Hanh went into hiding and refused to obey by the police’s request.

Vietnam’s communist regime continues its crackdown on local dissent which started in late 2015 with the arrest of prominent human rights attorney Nguyen Van Dai and his assistant Ms. Le Thu Ha.

Vietnam sentenced 40 activists in 2017. One year later, the communist regime arrested 27 activists and convicted 41 with a total 301 years and nine months in prison and 69 years of probation. In addition, it sentenced around 100 peaceful demonstrators with imprisonment of between eight months and 54 months in jail, according to Defend the Defenders’ statistics.

So far this year, Vietnam has arrested five activists without publicizing the charges against them.

According to NOW!Campaign, a coalition of 15 international and domestic NGOs including Defend the Defenders, BPSOS, Civil Rights Defenders and Front Line Defenders, Vietnam is holding around 250 prisoners of conscience. Around ten of them are in pre-trial detention.