Vietnamese Activist and YouTuber Nguyen Chi Tuyen was sentenced to five years in prison by a court in Hanoi on Thursday for “anti-state propaganda,” according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Tuyen—also known as Anh Chi—was prosecuted under Article 117 of the Penal Code, which prohibits the “making, storing, spreading information, materials, or items for the purpose of opposing the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.”
The NGO heavily condemned the YouTuber’s sentencing, pleading for his “immediate and unconditional release” and calling on the Vietnamese government to stop its “unrelenting campaign to silence journalists.” According to Radio Free Asia, although Tuyen did not receive the maximum sentence of 12 years, his lawyers remained adamant that they had presented sufficient evidence proving his innocence and that the sentence imposed on him was inappropriate.
Tuyen was arrested on February 29, 2024, for criticizing the government on social media. In particular, he was active on YouTube, Facebook and other social media platforms, where he was outspoken on sensitive social and political issues in Vietnam. His two YouTube channels, “Anh Chí Râu Đen” and “AC Media,” currently have over 97,000 and 56,000 subscribers, respectively. In the past two years, Tuyen had significantly reduced his activities and primarily focused on providing commentary on international situations on the AC Media channel, in particular Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Human Rights Watch also had previously appealed to the Vietnamese authorities to drop all charges and release the activist prior to his trial.
Tuyen’s trial comes just one month after Facebook user Pham Van Cho was sentenced to seven years in prison, also under Article 117 of the Penal Code, for allegedly “undermining the Vietnamese Socialist Republic and former President Ho Chi Minh.” Vietnam has repeatedly been criticized for its increasing government crackdown on journalists and the freedom of speech and press. According to Reporters without Borders, Vietnam is among the third worst jailers of journalists, being ranked 174 out of 180 countries with 36 journalists detained as of today.
