Vietnam’s human rights activist and pro-democracy campaigner Nguyen Van Dung (aka Dung Aduku) was found dead on Hong River (Red River) a day ago, about two weeks after being detained and interrogated by police in his native province of Phu Tho.

In the morning of May 8, people in Ba Vi district, Hanoi, found a body of a man on Hong River’s bank and they informed the local authorities. Relatives of Dung, who went missing from April 27, came to see and recognized that the decomposing body belongs to him.

Dung, 47 years old, was reportedly chased by police since July last year on the same time that the police forces in Ho Chi Minh City detained local activist Phan Tat Thanh. Both were admins of the Facebook fanpage Nhật Ký Yêu Nước (Patriotic Diary) which has beeen advocating for multi-party democracy and human rights since 2010.

According to his family, he was detained by the security forces of the Phu Tho province’s Police Department on April 22 and held for interrogation until April 25.

After being released, he stayed at his mother’ house for one day, and on April 27, he took his mother’s motorbike and left without his ID nor money. He was said to leave a note for his mother and son containing a few words “Mamy, I am sorry! Son, I am sorry!” His son is just about one year old.

Dung’s death is unclear and the causes of his departure seem not to be unveiled as his family buried him on the same day.

Meanwhile, Phan Tat Thanh was convicted of “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 117 of the Criminal Code for seven posts on Patriotic Diary fanpage which was changed into Van Toan since 2021.

In a short trial in the morning of May 8, the 38-year-old activist was sentenced to eight years in prison and three years of probation.

He was detained on July 5, 2023 and officially charged with the allegation on July 13. During the first-instance hearing, Thanh claimed his innocence and accused police investigators of conducting torture against him during the detention and pre-trial imprisonment.

Thanh is the second admin of the Patriotic Dairy being imprisoned within two months. On March 26, former admin Nguyen Van Lam was also sentenced to eight years in prison by a court in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang on the same allegation.