Vietnam: pro-democracy WHRD handed down 12-year jail term
Event- Country
- Viet Nam
- Initial Date
- Sep 30, 2022
- Event Description
On 30 Sept 2022, 46-year-old Ms Ngoc Tien of An Giang province was sentenced to 12 years jail plus 4 years probation for subversion, despite the fact that she had handed herself in, made sincere confession and asking for a lighter sentence - as reported by state media.
State media reported that in April 2017, she used Facebook “Van Nguyen” to join forums organised by US-based democracy advocacy group 'Vietnam Provisional Government' (VPG) headed by a Vietnamese American citizen named Mr Dao Minh Quan. This group is branded a terrorist group by the communist regime.
The indictment stated that Ms Ngoc Tien used her facebook page to mobilise many people to participate in an online referendum, to vote for Mr Dao Minh Quan as President of the 3rd Republic of Vietnam. [The fledgling democracy of South Vietnam was under the 2nd republic before it was taken over by the Northern communist force in April 1975, ending the Vietnam War.]
As at Feb 2022, she reportedly managed to recruit 225 people who lived in hardship, she then provided their information to VPG so VPG could consider giving them gifts, money, houses and jobs.
According to RFA, to date, at least 19 people had been sentenced for subversion, for having joined VPG.
RFA had tried to contact VPG many times but had been unsuccessful.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of expression
- Offline
- Right to liberty and security
- Freedom of expression
- HRD
- Pro-democracy defender
- WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
English summary of the case shared via email to FORUM-ASIA, a Vietnamese article of the case is available at RFA
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Event Location
Latitude: 10.386009957671742
Longitude: 105.43211329981861
- Event Location
- Summary for Publications
On 30 September 2022, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tien, pro-democracy WHRD, was handed down 12-year jail term on subversion charges for joining a US-based democracy advocacy group by the court of An Giang Province, Viet Nam.