Vietnam jails dissident journalist Pham Doan Trang for 9 years over ‘anti-state’ acts

She published material on human rights and alleged police brutality in Vietnam, and was convicted of ‘conducting propaganda against the state’

Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party retains tight media censorship and tolerates little criticism

Reading Time:2 minutes

Vietnam’s National Assembly building in Hanoi. A court in the city jailed a prominent dissident for nine years for anti-state activities. Photo: AP

Published: 1:45pm, 15 Dec 2021Updated: 1:48pm, 15 Dec 2021

A court in Vietnam has jailed a journalist and prominent dissident for nine years for anti-state activities, her lawyers and state media said, in a case that attracted the attention of international human rights groups.

Pham Doan Trang, who published material widely on human rights and alleged police brutality in Vietnam, was convicted of “conducting propaganda against the state” by a Hanoi court on Tuesday, according to her legal team and state-controlled media.

Despite sweeping economic reform and increasing openness to social change, Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party retains tight media censorship and tolerates little criticism.

Calls to the court seeking confirmation of the verdict went unanswered.

“It was such a long sentence, close to the maximum term for such activities,” said one of her lawyers, Nguyen Van Mieng, adding that Trang had not pleaded guilty at the trial and they would meet later to discuss a possible appeal.

Trang, 43, was detained hours after an annual US-Vietnam human rights dialogue in October last year, an arrest the US embassy said could impact freedom of expression.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x