Key events:

• Hanoi Man Receives 6 Years in Prison For Advocating Political Pluralism
• Human Rights Watch Calls on Vietnam to Free Democracy Campaigner Phan Van Bach
• EU Ambassador to Geneva Concerned about Vietnam’s Human Rights and Shrinking Civil Society
• New Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Calls for ‘Patience’ in Dealing with Differences  

Hanoi Man Receives 6 Years in Prison Due to Advocacy for Political Pluralism

A Hanoi court on Sept. 10 sentenced Hoang Tung Thien to six years in prison under Section 1, Article 117 of the Penal Code for allegedly “drafting and posting numerous articles on social media defaming party and state leaders.” Furthermore, the Security Investigation Bureau of the Hanoi Police Department found that Thien, 46, had allegedly established two web pages and planned to form an independent political party that advocated for political pluralism and a multi-party system in Vietnam. 

According to the indictment via state media, since April 2023, Thien has drafted and posted several articles on Facebook that “slandered the honor and reputation of several organizations and individuals” and attracted significant public attention and interactions. In October of the same year, he reportedly created two websites, “Vietnamese Dream” (uocmoviet.net) and “Party and Union” (dangdoan.org), to share his political views and advocate for a multi-party system.