Vietnam / Asia

Bangkok, April 13, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday condemned the sentencing of imprisoned Vietnamese journalist Nguyen Lan Thang to six years in prison on anti-state charges in relation to his reporting on human rights issues in the country. “The harsh sentence handed to journalist Nguyen Lan Thang is an outrage and must be immediately and…

Bangkok, April 10, 2023 – Vietnamese authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Nguyen Lan Thang and drop all charges pending against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. Thang, a political activist and contributor to U.S. Congress-funded Radio Free Asia who also posted reporting on his personal social media accounts, was arrested on…

On April 13, police in Russia’s Khakassiya republic arrested Mikhail Afanasyev and seized his digital devices. Afanasyev, chief editor of the online magazine Novy Fokus, was detained based on an article about riot police in southern Siberia refusing to serve in Ukraine. He faces a possible 10-year prison sentence for spreading “false” information.  It’s not surprising for…

Bangkok, October 26, 2022 – Vietnamese authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Le Manh Ha and stop treating independent journalists as criminals for merely doing their jobs of reporting the news, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Tuesday, October 25, the People’s Court of Tuyen Quang province sentenced Ha after a two-day…

Bangkok, October 14, 2022 – Vietnamese authorities must investigate, identify, and bring to full justice the prison guards responsible for physically abusing imprisoned journalist Huynh Thuc Vy, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On October 9, Vy told her young daughter that guards had beaten and choked her at the Gia Trung Prison, where…

Bangkok, October 11, 2022 – In response to a news report and social media post that Vietnam has punitively transferred journalist Pham Doan Trang to a prison facility far away from her family, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation on Tuesday: “CPJ categorically condemns the transfer of journalist Pham Doan Trang to a detention facility far…

Bangkok, September 16, 2022 – Vietnamese authorities should immediately and unconditionally release imprisoned blogger Le Anh Hung and stop harassing journalists on spurious anti-state charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On August 30, the Hanoi People’s Court convicted and sentenced Hung to five years in prison under Article 331 of the penal code,  an anti-state…

Bangkok, August 16, 2022 – In response to news reports that the Hanoi People’s High Court in Vietnam will hold an appeals trial on August 25 for imprisoned journalist Pham Doan Trang, who was sentenced on propaganda charges to nine years imprisonment in December 2021, the Committee to Protect Journalists on Tuesday issued the following statement calling for…

Bangkok, August 12, 2022 — In response to news reports that Vietnamese journalist Do Cong Duong, who was imprisoned on anti-state charges, died on August 2, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “CPJ is deeply saddened by reports of imprisoned Vietnamese journalist Do Cong Duong’s death from an underlying illness,” said Shawn…

Bangkok, April 11, 2022 – Vietnamese authorities should drop all requirements that journalist Phan Bui Bao Thy attend mandatory “re-education” classes, let him work freely, and stop using arbitrary anti-state laws to harass and detain journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On April 7, the People’s Court of Quang Tri sentenced Thy to…