Activist prosecuted for free speech while already imprisoned in Viet Nam.
- the Observatory for Human Rights
- Oct 31
- 2 min read
The State of Viet Nam continues to suppress citizens’ fundamental rights of expression. At the end of September, an imprisoned citizen, Trịnh Bá Phương, was sentenced to another 11 years for criticizing the ruling Communist Party. The dissident was already serving a ten-year sentence, passed in December 2021, for “spreading anti-state propaganda”.
According to the prison officials, in Trịnh Bá Phương’s cell was found a banner denouncing the ruling government back in 2023; moreover, he had shouted slogans with other inmates; these acts were seen as “grave threats to political security”, leading to the launching of a new case against the citizen.
This, according to the 88 Project, a group exposing human rights violations in Viet Nam, represents the “first known instance of a Vietnamese political prisoner being prosecuted for their speech while already imprisoned” and appears to be of a political nature. Furthermore, Trịnh Bá Phương denied writing the banner: despite this, the Vietnamese media controlled by the ruling party did not communicate the news, and when asked for comment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not counter.
What is even more concerning is the treatment that the activist for land rights has received during his imprisonment: severe restrictions on family visits, lack of fair trial safeguards, and the allegation of torture suffered during the detention. However, this is not new to the State: there are currently more than 170 political activists imprisoned for “simply exercising their basic rights”, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Indeed, with the Communist Party’s monopoly on political power, dissent isn’t tolerated, and police forces patrol both online and offline actions of rights activists, who constantly face harassment and intimidation, not to mention arbitrary arrests and detention. In addition to this, HRW disclosed “the police regularly use torture and beatings to extract confessions”.
Trịnh Bá Phương, in a pre-recorded video released on Facebook on the day of his arrest, expressed the fear of being beaten and possibly killed by the police. Another crucial issue is the lack of independence of the judiciary system, with courts denying defendants fair trials. Moreover, within the State, “independent labor unions, human rights organizations, independent media, and political parties remain prohibited”, undermining crucial human rights.
Despite these serious violations, Viet Nam is currently a United Nations Human Rights Council member. Moreover, the State intends to seek another term despite rejecting the 49 recommendations made by HRW. To be more specific, the latter also regards the “release of human rights defenders imprisoned for exercising their fundamental rights.”
Official sources:
The Associated Press (AP, 2025), Vietnamese dissident gets 11 more years for criticizing Communist Party in prison. https://apnews.com/article/vietnam-communist-dissident-convicted-f45a4b12e68954590510bc8353a95378
Human Rights Watch (HRW), Vietnam profile. https://www.hrw.org/asia/vietnam
Human Rights Watch (HRW, 2025), Oral Statement - Vietnam: Pledges to Improve Human Rights Remain Empty Promises. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/09/27/vietnam-pledges-improve-human-rights-remain-empty-promises
Human Rights Watch (HRW,2025), World Report https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2025/country-chapters/vietnam
Human Rights Watch (HRW,2025), Free Vietnam’s political prisoners! https://www.hrw.org/video-photos/interactive/2025/07/23/free-vietnams-political-prisoners#popup-idx-28
The 88 Project,Trịnh Bá Phương Profile. https://the88project.org/profile/449/trinh-ba-phuong/
written by Alice Scotti
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