The Vietnamese government is facing calls from Human Rights Watch to release human rights activist Trinh Ba Phuong and drop charges against him. Trinh, already serving a 10-year sentence for anti-state propaganda under article 117 of the penal code, was charged again in April 2025 for creating signs in prison criticizing the Communist Party of Vietnam. He remains held incommunicado.
Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch, criticized the additional charges as excessive. “Trinh Ba Phuong is already serving an outrageous prison sentence for expressing views the Vietnamese government doesn’t like,” she said. “By imposing yet another draconian charge against him, the Vietnamese authorities are demonstrating the absurd lengths to which they’ll go to trample on freedom of expression.”
Trinh comes from a family known for activism related to land rights and environmental protection. His involvement includes protests supporting farmers in Hanoi’s Dong Tam commune after a deadly police raid in January 2020. In December 2021, he was sentenced to prison but continued advocating for human rights through hunger strikes.
His family has faced ongoing harassment and legal actions. Both his mother Can Thi Theu and brother Trinh Ba Tu are serving eight-year sentences on similar charges. Can Thi Theu has been imprisoned three times for her advocacy work.
In April 2025, police interrogated Trinh’s father, Trinh Ba Khiem, and sister, Trinh Thi Thao, due to their continued activism. Meanwhile, his wife Do Thi Thu was placed under surveillance during significant national commemorations.
Gossman urged international partners to press Vietnam on these issues: “Vietnam’s international trade partners and donors should publicly urge the Vietnamese government to release Trinh Ba Phuong, Trinh Ba Tu, and Can Thi Theu, and immediately end its abusive campaign against this family of activists.”
