OCT 26 2021– Legal Initiatives for Vietnam (LIV), alongside 27 other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) released a joint statement calling for the immediate release of independent journalist and human rights advocate, Pham Doan Trang. Trang, one of the “best-known independent writers in Vietnamese civil society” who is also “recognized internationally for her human rights advocacy,” was arrested at her home in Ho Chi Minh City on October 7, 2020. She is currently being charged under Article 88 of the 1999 Penal Code which criminalizes ‘making, storing, distributing or disseminating information, documents, and items against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.’

The statement comes ahead of Trang’s upcoming trial which is scheduled to take place on November 4, 2021. However, information about her trial was only made public on October 18, 2021, more than a year after her arrest.