Teresa Tran thi Xuan – a Vietnamese human rights activist and blogger, whom we campaigned for on her arrest last year, was jailed last month after being convicted of subverting the communist state. An April 13 report in a state-run newspaper recounts that the People’s Court in Ha Tinh province had sentenced Teresa Tran Thi Xuan to nine years in prison on April 12 for “attempting to overthrow the people’s government.” Xuan, 42, also faces another five years under house arrest after finishing what observers called a very harsh sentence. The newspaper said Xuan shared articles and video clips on social media from “reactionary groups” to undermine the government. She also was accused of organizing protests at the local government headquarters against the Taiwanese steel firm Formosa, which was responsible for a massive toxic waste spill in the province. During the protests, in April 2017, she incited people to damage public property and cause social disorder, the court said. Xuan comes from Loc Ha, a local district badly affected by the toxic spill. The court was told the activist was a member the Brotherhood for Democracy, a domestic civil society organization that the government sees as a reactionary group trying to overthrow the communist state.

Please contact your local Vietnamese diplomatic representatives asking them to forward your concerns or write directly to the President of Vietnam.

The Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Nguyen Xuan Phuc
35 Ngo Quyen Hoang Hoa Tham
Hanoi, Viet Nam

Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in United States of America
1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 861 0737
Fax: (202) 861 0917
Email: [email protected]

Dear Prime Minister,

I respectfully raise my concerns about the recent jailing of Teresa Tran Thi Xuan in Ha Tinh province. The exercise of free and critical speech is fundamental to respect for human rights in any society. Activists writing about democracy, corruption and the environment should not be silenced by lengthy sentences. Please intervene on their behalf.

At a time when Vietnam has a growing reputation as an economic power and tourist location, we join other human rights bodies in calling on your Government to end the government’s systematic persecution of peaceful critics and ensure the basic rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly, and religion for its citizens. We ask that you look into the sentence of 9 years imposed on Teresa Tran Thi Xuan.

Yours sincerely,