VIETNAM Press conditions in Vietnam largely stagnated in 2005, despite efforts by the country’s leaders to project an image of greater openness. Three writers remained imprisoned on antistate charges for material distributed online; print and broadcast media continued to work under the supervision of the government; and attacks on journalists were common.
New York, January 26, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of freelance Internet journalist Nguyen Khac Toan but deplores the continued imprisonment of two other online reporters in Vietnam. Authorities in Hanoi freed Toan on Tuesday, according to Doan Viet Hoat, a prominent U.S.-based dissident, and international news reports. Toan had been sentenced…
DECEMBER 29, 2005 Posted: January 17, 2006 Tieng Noi Dan Chu CENSORED, HARASSED Hackers shut down the Tieng Noi Dan Chu (Democratic Voices) Web site 19 days after it launched on International Human Rights Day, the U.S.-funded broadcaster Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported. Tieng Noi Dan Chu was founded by dissident writer Tran Khue and…
DECEMBER 8, 2005 Posted January 4, 2006 Do Nam Hai, freelance HARASSED Police in Ho Chi Minh City interrogated Hai overnight about his efforts to make 11 copies of his book, Let’s Have a Referendum, which was published in the U.S. in September. Hai, commonly known by his pen name Phuong Nam, was detained at…
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the ongoing harassment of prominent writer and medical doctor Nguyen Dan Que. Although he was released from prison in February, Que continues to face harsh restrictions on his movements and communication with others. He is barred from sending material online and seeking employment.
New York, July 25, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by reports that the health of imprisoned writer Pham Hong Son is deteriorating. Son, imprisoned since 2002 for distributing pro-democracy writings, has been coughing up blood, a U.S.-based Vietnamese dissident group, the People’s Democracy Party (PDP), reported last week. Family members have requested…
In advance of your June 21 meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, the Committee to Protect Journalists is writing to call your attention to the imprisonment of Vietnamese writers Pham Hong Son, Nguyen Khac Toan, and Nguyen Vu Binh for their journalistic work.
APRIL 25, 2005 Posted: May 4, 2005 Nguyen Thanh Giang and Tran Khue HARASSED The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the official harassment of dissident writers Nguyen Thanh Giang and Tran Khue. In an apparent attempt to silence dissent before the 30th anniversary of the defeat of U.S. forces, articles in the state media denounced…