Key events:

• Vietnam Releases Multiple Prisoners of Conscience Ahead of To Lam’s Trip to the U.S.
• General Secretary To Lam Attends UN Summit in New York, Pays State Visit to Cuba
• PEN International Features Pham Doan Trang as Empty Chair Honoree
• Police Arrest Several People Allegedly Linked to Outlawed ‘Provisional Government of Vietnam’

Vietnam Releases Multiple Prisoners of Conscience Ahead of To Lam’s U.S. Trip

The Vietnamese authorities have released several political prisoners just before General Secretary of Communist Party and President To Lam begins his trip to the United States on Sept. 21. Among them is prisoner of conscience Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, 57, a businessman who received a 16-year sentence and five years of probation in 2010 after he was convicted of “organizing activities to overthrow the people’s administration.” Thuc was freed in the early morning of Sept. 20 after spending 15 years behind bars. His release came eight months before his sentence was due to expire.

Other individuals freed that same day include climate activist Hoang Thi Minh Hong, who was sentenced to three years on charges of “tax evasion” under Article 200 of the Penal Code in September 2023. Hong founded the nonprofit organization CHANGE, which advocates for environmental protection and the fight against climate change. Still, she closed it after several civil society leaders were implicated due to “tax evasion” allegations. Meanwhile, the authorities reportedly released Hoang Ngoc Giao, 68, a policy expert and director of the Institute for Research on Policy, Law and Development (PLD). He has been detained for nearly 21 months for investigations into his alleged “tax evasion.”