On 15 June 2017, citizen journalist Nguyen Van Hoa, an activist known for filming protests against a polluting steel plant, had his charges formally changed from "taking advantage of democratic freedoms and rights to violate the interests of the state" to the potentially more severe "propaganda against the state" under Article 88 of the Vietnam Penal Code, his lawyer told RFA. "All I know right now is that his charge has been changed into Article 88. I still have not been granted legal documents to be able to defend him, nor have I been able to approach him," said lawyer Ha Huy Son. "Now that his charge has been changed, I don't know if his family still wants me to defend him. I don't know if Hoa has asked for a lawyer, either," added Son. Hoa, 22, who is also a digital security trainer and regular contributor to RFA, was the first person to broadcast live footage of protests outside Taiwan-owned Formosa's steel plant located at the deep-water port in Ha Tinh province using a flycam drone. Last October, his footage of more than 10,000 peaceful protesters went viral. Formosa has acknowledged that its steel plant caused a toxic waste spill last year that killed an estimated 115 tons of fish and left fishermen jobless in four coastal provinces. The company pledged U.S. $500 million to clean up and compensate people affected by the spill, but the government has faced protests over the amount of the settlement and the slow pace of payouts. Police arrested Hoa on Jan. 11 amid detentions of several activists in advance of the Tet holiday later that month