The parents of a prominent political activist and blogger who is expected to go on trial on Wednesday have asked the Hanoi People’s Court for a fair and transparent trial that will result in their son’s release.
Nguyen Lan Thang “has never done anything wrong to his family, country and his own conscience,” his parents told Radio Free Asia. They added that he “always lives a life of a patriotic and responsible citizen” by speaking up against wrongdoings and shortcomings across the country.
Thang, a long-time contributor of blog posts on politics and society to RFA’s Vietnamese service, was arrested in July 2022 and charged with spreading anti-state propaganda.
His trial is the latest in a continuing crack down on dissenting voices in the one-party communist country.
He is accused of “making, storing, spreading or propagating anti-state information, documents, items and publications opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.” The charge against him comes under Article 117 of Vietnam’s criminal code, which is often used by authorities to suppress free speech on social media.
His parents, Prof. Nguyen Lan Trang and Dr. Tran Thao Nguyen, are unlikely to be allowed to attend the closed trial. Only his wife has received an invitation to attend in person.
Thang’s parents told RFA that speaking up about wrongdoings and standing up for society’s disadvantaged shouldn’t be seen as “anti-state crime.” Additionally, keeping books given to him by friends as gifts also shouldn’t be viewed as a crime.
The charges could send Thang in prison for between five and 12 years.
The 48-year-old has written several articles on freedom, democracy and human rights on the RFA Vietnamese blog since late 2013. He has also taken part in protests defending Vietnam’s sovereignty in disputed areas of the South China Sea and worked to help people affected by floods and storms in the country’s Central Highlands.
In April 2022, he wrote for RFA about news reports that Russian ships had been turning off their locator systems to evade being tracked for illegal oil sales. He recalled that during the Iraq War, tycoons from a certain “socialist-oriented market economy” had repainted oil ships to buy sanctioned Iraqi oil at a discount and “became very very rich.”
Closed trial could set precedent
Last month, Thang submitted a petition requesting that the court hold an open trial, arguing that the charges didn’t merit a closed trial. An activist from Hanoi who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons said Thang’s closed trial could set a precedent for future trials of dissidents.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists have issued statements calling on the Vietnamese government to drop the charges and immediately release Thang.
“For more than a decade, Nguyen Lan Thang has carried out crucial work documenting protests and human rights abuses in Vietnam despite a worsening climate of retribution aimed at those who criticize the state,” said Ming Yu Hah, the deputy regional director for campaigns at Amnesty International.
“His peaceful activism and reporting should be welcomed as part of legitimate public debate, but instead, he is facing years in prison.”
Thang’s wife, Le Bich Vuong, expressed her gratitude to the organizations for their statements.
“Facing the accusations, Mr. Nguyen Lan Thang has said that he only exercised a citizen’s freedom of expression, press freedom, and responsibilities for protecting national sovereignty, environment, and human rights and fighting against injustice in society,” she told RFA on Tuesday.
“My family doesn’t have any wishes greater than having him released tomorrow,” she said.
Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.