Vietnam: Prominent journalist arrested for social media posts

The Vietnamese authorities announced on June 7 that journalist and writer Huy Duc had been arrested a week earlier for “abusing democratic freedoms.” The charge was related to several critical articles by the journalist. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the arrest of the journalist and calls for his immediate release.

On June 1, Truong Huy San, widely known as Huy Duc, failed to show up for a scheduled keynote speech at a seminar, sparking concern among colleagues and supporters. On June 7, the Ministry of Public Security confirmed that Duc and lawyer Tran Dinh Trien had been arrested under Article 331 of Vietnam’s Criminal Code, which relates to alleged abuse of “democratic freedoms to undermine the interests of the state.” Duc could face up to seven years in prison if found guilty.

A few days before his disappearance, San had posted comments by newly inaugurated President To Lam and Nguyen Phu Trong, the general secretary of the ruling Communist Party, questioning the role of police and public security forces in Vietnamese politics and other political developments, and pointing to Lam’s role as public security minister. The journalist’s Facebook page was made inaccessible on June 3.

Speaking to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Vietnam service, an unnamed friend of San claimed that police had searched the journalist’s homes in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and that his family had been unable to contact him.

In April 2022, Ho Chi Minh City journalist Nguyen Hoai Nam was sentenced to over three years in prison under Article 331 for publishing critical social media posts related to an anti-corruption investigation. Five journalists from the independent news channel Bao Sach were sentenced under the same provisions in 2021.

San, a veteran journalist who works for several publications, is an acclaimed author and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University from 2012 to 2013. The arrest sparked strong criticism from various human rights and media rights groups.

TThe IFJ said:“The IFJ condemns the arrest of journalist and author Truong Huy San and calls on the authorities to drop all charges against him and secure his immediate release. The media must be able to work freely without fear of arrest and legal prosecution.”