CPJ, partners condemn jailing of Vietnamese journalist Pham Doan Trang on sentencing anniversary

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined eight partner organizations in a joint advocacy statement calling on Vietnam’s government to release journalist Pham Doan Trang.

Trang, who is serving a nine-year prison sentence for her critical reporting, received CPJ’s 2022 International Press Freedom Award for her courage in the face of persecution.

The joint statement published on December 12 was timed to mark the fourth anniversary of Trang’s sentencing on December 14, 2021, on charges of disseminating anti-state propaganda under Article 117 of the penal code.

It also raises concerns about Trang’s prison conditions and deteriorating health after more than five years in prison, and calls on the international community to intensify pressure to secure her release.

Trang’s case is emblematic of the Vietnamese government’s campaign of repression against journalists and writers, as part of an escalating crackdown on the right to information.

Read the full joint statement here.