Reporters Without Borders demands immediate release of Vietnam journalist amid crackdown on press News
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Reporters Without Borders demands immediate release of Vietnam journalist amid crackdown on press

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Friday issued a call for the immediate release of Vietnamese independent journalist and political commentator Truong Huy San, commonly known as Huy Duc.

RSF Asia-Pacific Bureau Director Cédric Alviani emphasized the importance of Huy Duc’s work in providing the Vietnamese public with access to censored information and stated that Huy Duc’s articles are crucial for enabling Vietnamese citizens to access information otherwise censored by the government. Alviani called on the authorities to release Huy Duc immediately and restore his Facebook page.

Huy Duc’s recent Facebook posts have focused on critical issues such as the concentration of power within Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security and the shortcomings of the government’s anti-corruption campaign. In response, Vietnamese authorities arrested and charged Huy Duc under Clause 2, Article 331 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to “[a]busing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals.”

The arrest of Huy Duc has also drawn concern from international human rights organizations. Associate Asia Director at Human Rights Watch Patricia Gossman condemned the arrest, describing it as an assault on free expression. Gossman called on international donors and Vietnam’s trade partners to denounce Huy Duc’s arrest and advocate for his immediate release.

Since 2016, the government has intensified its crackdown on the freedom of expression under the leadership of Nguyen Phu Trong, the Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Journalists critical of the regime often face charges such as “propaganda against the state” or “abusing democratic freedoms,” which can result in prison sentences of up to 20 years. In 2021, journalist Pham Doan Trang was sentenced to nine years in prison for “anti-state propaganda.”

Currently, more than 160 political prisoners are detained in Vietnam, making it one of the countries with the highest number of jailed journalists.

 

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