Home » Vietnam Arrests Blogger Nguyen Vu Binh for Critical Views

Vietnam Arrests Blogger Nguyen Vu Binh for Critical Views

Human Rights Watch urges the release of the prominent dissident

by Amelia Crawford

Vietnam Should Immediately Release Blogger Nguyen Vu Binh, Says Human Rights Watch

Vietnamese authorities must immediately release prominent blogger Nguyen Vu Binh and drop all charges against him, Human Rights Watch urged today.

Nguyen Vu Binh, 55, was arrested on February 29, 2024, in Hanoi for expressing criticism against the Communist Party of Vietnam. He has been charged with propaganda against the state under Article 117 of Vietnam’s penal code. His trial is scheduled for September 10, 2024, and if convicted, Binh faces up to 12 years in prison.

“Nguyen Vu Binh has dedicated over two decades to advocating for human rights and democracy in Vietnam,” said Patricia Gossman, Asia Director at Human Rights Watch. “His peaceful expression of dissent is not a crime, and the charges against him must be dropped.”

This is the eighth trial since To Lam took office as General Secretary of the Communist Party. During To Lam’s tenure as head of the Ministry of Public Security from 2016-2024, at least 269 people have been arrested for peacefully exercising their basic rights. In recent months, Vietnamese authorities have also convicted several other human rights advocates, including Nguyen Chi Tuyen and Tran Minh Loi.

Nguyen Vu Binh was once a journalist at the official Communist Review before he resigned in 2000 to pursue political reform and human rights causes. He was arrested in 2002 for criticizing the government and writing a testimony on human rights abuses in Vietnam. His US Congressional testimony focused on promoting the idea of a democratic Vietnam free from government repression.

Despite spending seven years in prison for espionage charges in 2003, Nguyen Vu Binh resumed his activism after his release in 2007. He continued to write on issues like corruption, land rights, police brutality, and the Vietnam-China relationship. His writings have been published widely, including on Radio Free Asia, where he authored over 300 pieces between 2015 and 2024.

In his final blog entry before his arrest, Nguyen Vu Binh urged human rights advocates in Vietnam to support one another amid increasing repression by the government. He had received Hellmann/Hammett awards in both 2002 and 2007 for his work as a persecuted writer.

Human Rights Watch’s Patricia Gossman remarked, “It is absurd that the Vietnamese government, which controls all media, cannot tolerate the peaceful criticism of one individual like Nguyen Vu Binh. When will the country’s leaders learn to accept dissent?”

Human rights organizations and countries with ties to Vietnam must continue to speak out against the oppression faced by those like Nguyen Vu Binh and others seeking democracy and freedom in the country.

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