Four Years After Her Sentencing, Global Rights Groups Renew Call for Pham Doan Trang’s Release

Today marks the fourth anniversary of Pham Doan Trang’s sentencing. On Dec. 12, as the anniversary approaches, an international coalition of human rights and press freedom organizations has once again called on the Vietnamese government to release the imprisoned journalist and writer, urging the international community to step up diplomatic pressure.

Pham Doan Trang, one of Việt Nam’s most prominent independent journalists and public intellectuals, was sentenced on Dec. 14, 2021, to nine years in prison on charges of “anti-state propaganda.” Her conviction came after more than a year of incommunicado detention that began with her arrest in 2020, widely seen as retaliation for her journalism and publishing work, including her role in founding Luật Khoa and The Vietnamese.

Vietnam has long used vaguely worded national security offenses such as “anti-state propaganda” or “abusing democratic freedoms” to silence critics of the government. These charges carry potential prison sentences of up to 20 years and have become central tools in the country’s expanding crackdown on independent media and dissent.

In a joint statement released on Dec. 12, the coalition described Trang’s case as emblematic of this repression. Việt Nam currently ranks 173rd out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and it remains among the world’s leading jailers of journalists and writers, according to RSF, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and PEN America.

The conditions of her detention have worsened significantly since Trang’s conviction. In October 2022, she was transferred to a prison nearly 1,000 miles from her family home, effectively cutting her off from regular contact with her 85-year-old mother. The prolonged isolation, the coalition warned, has taken a serious toll on her mental health.

Her physical health has also been a longstanding concern. Trang continues to live with a disability caused by a 2015 police assault that left her with broken legs. While incarcerated, she contracted COVID-19 and still suffers from lingering complications, along with chronic sinusitis, arthritis, and multiple gynaecological conditions.

Despite years behind bars, Pham Doan Trang’s voice continues to resonate far beyond prison walls. She has become a symbol of resistance and moral clarity for a younger generation of Vietnamese seeking greater freedom of expression. As she once wrote, “I don’t want freedom for myself — that’s too easy. I want something greater: freedom for Vietnam.”

The coalition emphasized that Trang’s case should remain at the forefront of diplomatic engagement with Hà Nội. Calling her “a symbol of press freedom and resilience,” the groups urged governments and international institutions to place her release high on their political agendas.

The statement is endorsed by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), PEN International, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), PEN America, Legal Initiatives for Vietnam, Asia Human Rights & Labour Advocates (AHRLA), Amnesty International, Free Press Unlimited, and Vietnamese Advocates for Change.