Vietnam ramps up crackdown on dissent ahead of Communist Party congress

The harsh jail terms given to Pham Chi Dung and two other prominent journalists are just the latest in a string of sentences handed out to critics

Analysts and rights groups say Hanoi is stifling opposition before the January 25 congress, with many arrests taking place under a controversial cybersecurity law

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Vietnamese journalists Pham Chi Dung, right, Le Huu Minh Tuan, centre back, and Nguyen Tuong Thuy, left, stand between police during their trial in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: EPA

Published: 8:02pm, 7 Jan 2021Updated: 10:59pm, 7 Jan 2021

Authorities in Vietnam are ramping up their crackdown on dissent just weeks before the Communist Party’s national congress, with the jailing of prominent journalist Pham Chi Dung on Tuesday just the latest in a string of sentences handed down to critics of the state.

Before his arrest, Dung was chairman of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam, a group he founded that has advocated for press freedom in the country since 2014 yet is considered an illegal organisation by Hanoi.

Dung, a former member of the Communist Party, was for two decades part of the state department of internal affairs and security in Ho Chi Minh City. When he resigned from the party in 2013, he said it “no longer serves and represents the interests of the majority of the people”.

Seven years later, following years of outspoken criticism of the Vietnamese state, he and two other independent journalists have been handed severe jail terms. After a brief trial, Dung was given a 15-year sentence, while Nguyen Tuong Thuy and Le Huu Minh Tuan were each jailed for 11 years by a court in Ho Chi Minh City for spreading anti-state propaganda.

The court said the trio were trying to “fight and change the current political institutions of Vietnam”, and accused Dung in particular of writing for foreign media outlets with the intention of “fighting the political regime”.

The United States and the European Union have added their voices to a chorus of condemnation over the rulings, which were among a series of jail terms handed down to journalists and activists for information shared online. The country’s controversial cybersecurity law, which went into effect in January 2019, criminalises criticism of the government online and has led to a steep rise in arrests linked to social media posts, as well as lengthier sentences.

Nguyen Tuong Thuy stands in the dock during his trial. He received an 11-year prison sentence. Photo: Reuters

“They have arrested not only individuals with a big influence on society but also Facebook users who just expressed their dissatisfaction with the state’s sociopolitical policies,” said Vu Quoc Ngu, director of NGO Defend the Defenders.