{"items":[{"item":{"name":"Bui Thanh Hieu","portrait":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/sites\/default\/files\/Bui_Thanh_Hieu.jpg","status":"Released","date_from":"2009-08-27","date_to":"2009-09-06","blog_url":"http:\/\/nguoibuongio.multiply.com\/","background":"

On August 27, 2009, police in Vietnam arrested political blogger Bui Thanh Hieu, also known by his blogger name, Nguoi Buon Gio<\/a>, which means \"Wind Trader.\"  The blogger's writings criticized territorial claims within China, as well as Vietnam's handling of land disputes with the Catholic church.  Hieu's house was searched following his arrest, and his computers and other personal belongings confiscated.<\/p>\n

Vietnamese authorities have released blogger Bui Thanh Hieu more than a week after detaining him for questioning about postings critical of the Communist government\u2019s handling of relations with China. He said that police told him they had evidence that he had violated Article 258 of Vietnam\u2019s penal code, which prohibits \u201cabusing freedom and democracy to infringe on the interests of the state.\u201d<\/p>","permalink":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/blogger\/bui-thanh-hieu","country":"Vietnam","lat":"14.460214","lon":"108.391113"}},{"item":{"name":"Dieu Cay","portrait":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/sites\/default\/files\/Dieu_Cay.jpg","status":"Under Arrest","date_from":"2008-04-21","date_to":"2008-04-21","blog_url":"http:\/\/blog.360.yahoo.com\/blog-Fqy69mcyequwJv.MxrhJO_sXCZbkCw--?cq=1","campaign_url":"http:\/\/freethemnow.net\/-English-.html","background":"

Under his pen name \u201cDieu Cay,\u201d Nguyen Van Hai blogged about China\u2019s encroachment on Vietnamese islands and criticized the Vietnamese government\u2019s kowtowing to its northern neighbor. For blogging about the repression of peaceful activists and calling for a boycott of the Olympic Torch Relay, he was arrested days before the torch arrived in Saigon. Before his arrest, he was placed under close surveillance and at one point, the police threatened to let Chinese agents kill him. Arbitrarily charged with tax fraud, he was sentenced to 2 \u00bd years in prison in a trial condemned by the international community.<\/p>","permalink":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/blogger\/dieu-cay","city":"Saigon","country":"Vietnam","lat":"14.434680","lon":"107.929688"}},{"item":{"name":"Huynh\u00a0Nguyen\u00a0Dao","portrait":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/sites\/default\/files\/huynh_nguyen_dao.jpg","status":"Released","date_from":"2006-08-15","date_to":"2009-02-25","background":"

A former journalist, Huynh Nguyen Dao,who writes under the pen name Huynh Viet Long, was arrested on August 15, 2006 for distributing pamphlets and posting political documents online, the government charged him with \u2018terrorism.\u2019 His detention was only acknowledged 36 days after the actual arrest. Huynh Nguyen Dao was sentenced to three years imprisonment, the sentence was reduced later to two and half a year. He was released on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2009 after serving a two and half year prison sentence.<\/p>","permalink":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/blogger\/huynh%C2%A0nguyen%C2%A0dao","country":"Vietnam","lat":"13.325485","lon":"108.237305"}},{"item":{"name":"Le Nguyen Sang","portrait":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/sites\/default\/files\/LeNguyenSang.jpg","status":"Under Arrest","date_from":"2006-08-15","date_to":"2006-08-15","background":"

A medical doctor, Le Nguyen Sang was arrested on August 15, 2006 with 3 other leaders (American citizen Do Thanh Cong, Nguyen Bac Truyen and Huynh Nguyen Dao) of the People\u2019s Democratic Party. He was accused of committing acts of \u2018terrorism\u2019 for publishing articles \u2018hostile to the regime\u2019 on the Internet. The Vietnamese authorities first acknowledged his detention 36 days after the actual arrest.\nAccording to RSF, on 16 August 2007, a Ho Chi Minh City court reduced Le Nguyen Sang\u2019s five-year prison sentence to four years on appeal.<\/p>","permalink":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/blogger\/le-nguyen-sang","city":"Saigon","country":"Vietnam","lat":"10.763159","lon":"106.655273"}},{"item":{"name":"Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh","portrait":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/sites\/default\/files\/nguyen_ngoc.jpg","status":"Under Arrest","date_from":"2009-09-03","date_to":"2009-09-03","blog_url":"http:\/\/menam0.multiply.com\/","background":"

Blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh was arrested on August 28, 2009. Quynh, who blogs under the pseudonym \"Me Nam\" criticized the ruling Communist party in entries posted in her blog (http:\/\/menam0.multiply.com\/<\/a>) on August 26, and criticized a mine project being managed by a Chinese company. Like Bui Thanh Hieu and Pham Doan Trang, Quynh's arrest was due to her writings criticizing China. The Vietnamese authorities announced at the start of the year that bloggers would henceforth be restricted to blogging about personal matters.<\/p>","permalink":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/blogger\/nguyen-ngoc-nhu-quynh","country":"Vietnam","lat":"14.145099","lon":"108.325195"}},{"item":{"name":"Nguyen Tien Trung","portrait":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/sites\/default\/files\/Nguyen_Tien_Trung.jpg","status":"Under Arrest","date_from":"2009-07-07","date_to":"2009-07-07","blog_url":"http:\/\/ 360.yahoo.com\/blog-i3Ms.X8lfKiENe1VLHg8","background":"

Nguyen Tien Trung, an active member of the Vietnam Democratic Party, was arrested on 7 July, just a few hours after being discharged from the army for refusing to take an oath. The Vietnam Democratic Party was revived in 2006, after being disbanded for 20 years. The policemen who took him away from his home in Ho Chi Minh City were led by the same officer who arrested dissident lawyer Le Cong Dinh last month.<\/p>\n

Aged 25, Nguyen Tien Trung could be charged under article 88 of the criminal code although relatives and friends insisted to Reporters Without Borders that he has never been involved in any anti-Vietnamese activity. (RSF<\/a>)<\/p>","permalink":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/blogger\/nguyen-tien-trung","country":"Vietnam","lat":"14.604847","lon":"108.193359"}},{"item":{"name":"Paulus Le Son","portrait":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/sites\/default\/files\/paulus_le_son_1.jpg","status":"Under Arrest","date_from":"2011-08-03","date_to":"2011-08-03","blog_url":"paulusleson.wordpress.com","campaign_url":"http:\/\/viettan.org\/Paulus-Le-Son.html","background":"

Paulus Le Son<\/a> is a 26-year-old Vietnamese blogger arrested on <\/a>August 3, 2011 and charged with \"subversion\" and \u201cactivities aimed at overthrowing the people\u2019s administration.\u201d  The arrest was his second. His popular personal blog (paulusleson.wordpress.com) covers issues of \nsocial justice, human rights and sovereignty. According to Viettan.org, he was arrested as part of\n a larger crackdown currently totaling 17 human rights defenders (mostly\n from Vinh Province).<\/p>","permalink":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/blogger\/paulus-le-son","city":"Hanoi","country":"Vietnam","lat":"21.033333","lon":"105.850000"}},{"item":{"name":"Pham Doan Trang","portrait":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/sites\/default\/files\/phamdoantrang.jpg","status":"Released","date_from":"2009-08-28","date_to":"2009-09-06","blog_url":"http:\/\/trangridiculous.blogspot.com\/","campaign_url":"http:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommitteetoprotectbloggers.org%2Ftag%2Fpham-doan-trang%2F&ei=9kmhSo_RCM2d8Qb8o8zdDw&usg=AFQjCNH-hDIvFaSI-SgB9Jm1zi2Ss4lMuw&sig2=FhcEJ4T20vnmf2i2kPztqw","background":"

Pham Doan Trang, a journalist and a blogger in Vietnam, was arrested on August 28, 2009.  Trang's blog, Trang the Ridiculous<\/a>, covers a range of sensitive topics, including the relationship between Vietnam and China and the dispute between the two countries over territorial claims on the South China Sea.  Most entries on Trang's blog are political.  Trang is also the editor of Tuan Vietnam<\/a>, an online weekly that is a component of VietnamNet, the country\u2019s most popular news website.<\/p>","permalink":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/blogger\/pham-doan-trang","country":"Vietnam","lat":"14.375091","lon":"108.654785"}},{"item":{"name":"Pham Minh Hoang","portrait":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/sites\/default\/files\/pham_minh_hoang.jpg","status":"Under Arrest","date_from":"2010-08-13","date_to":"2010-08-13","blog_url":"http:\/\/pkquoc.multiply.com\/","campaign_url":"http:\/\/tudophamminhhoang.wordpress.com\/","background":"

Pham Minh Hoang, a blogger<\/a> and lecturer at the Ho Chi Minh City Polytechnic Institute was arrested on August 13, 2010 for his blogging on democracy and social justice in Vietnam.Initially, the Vietnamese government detained him quietly but later acknowledged his arrest together with his three other colleagues: Pastor Duong Kim Khai, Ms Tran Thi Thuy and Mr Nguyen Thanh Tam. This was only after these arbitrary arrests were brought to the international attention by their colleagues from Viet Tan, a Vietnamese pro-democracy group.<\/p>\n

Currently detained at the Ministry of Public Security Detainment Center at 238 Nguyen Van Cu, District 1, Saigon, Hoang was officially charged on September 29, 2010 under Article 79 of the penal code, which bans \u201ccarrying out activities with intent to overthrow the socialist government.\u201d This charge of subversion carries a maximum penalty of capital punishment.<\/p>\n

Pham Minh Hoang is a scholar and a patriot concerned for the future of Vietnam\u2019s youths. In addition to his technical expertise, he taught students leadership skills and civic responsibility. He blogs on issues related to environment, corruption and human rights under the penname Phan Kien Quoc. Many of his writings are posted on his personal blog<\/a>.Currently, he is detained at Ministry of Public Security Detainment Center at 238 Nguyen Van Cu, District 1, Saigon. He is charged with article 79 \u201cattempt to overthrow the socialist government\u201d which can lead to death penalty.<\/p>\n

You can help Pham Minh Hoang by signing a petition calling for his and other activists\u2019 release<\/a>. You can also contact your embassy\/consulate in Vietnam asking them to intervene and demand the release of these peaceful activists. For more information, you can visit the Free Pham Minh Ho\u00e0ng<\/a> campaign blog or Free Them Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On 10 August 2011, Hoang was sentenced to three years in prison, with three additional years of house arrest. He is appealing the decision. On 4 October 2011, a joint statement<\/a> was issued in his support by ten organizations.<\/p>","permalink":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/blogger\/pham-minh-hoang","city":"Hanoi","country":"Vietnam","lat":"21.033333","lon":"105.850000"}},{"item":{"name":"Sphinx","portrait":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/sites\/default\/files\/Blogger_Sphinx.jpg","status":"Released","date_from":"2009-08-27","date_to":"2009-09-06","background":"

Blogger Sphinx was detained for posting on his blog a picture of himself wearing a T-shirt saying \u201cParacel and Spratly islands belong to Vietnam. \u201d<\/p>","permalink":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/blogger\/sphinx","country":"Vietnam","lat":"12.176818","lon":"108.325195"}},{"item":{"name":"Tran Khai Thanh Thuy","portrait":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/sites\/default\/files\/tran_khai_thanh_thuy1.jpg","status":"Under Arrest","date_from":"2009-10-08","date_to":"2009-10-08","blog_url":"http:\/\/trankhaithanhthuy.blogspot.com\/","campaign_url":"http:\/\/freetrankhaithanhthuy.wordpress.com\/","background":"

Tran Khai Thanh Thuy was arrested on the evening of October 8, 2009, after police sent plainclothes officers to her house to harass her, her husband, and their 13-year-old daughter. The officers hit Thuy with bricks, resulting in injury to her head. Thuy and her husband were then taken away by the police, leaving their daughter at home alone. <\/p>\n

Earlier that day, Thuy had traveled to Hai Phong to support six fellow activists who were on trial. She was stopped by the police and held incommunicado for several hours before being released, then arrested again the same evening. <\/p>\n

After her release in February 2008, Tran Khai Thanh Thuy and her family were under constant police surveillance and endured considerable harassment, including having their home vandalized with human feces. <\/p>\n

The charge laid against Tran Khai Thanh Thuy in her latest arrest was assault. Vietnamese state-controlled media reported that she and her husband beat and injured another man. A photograph of a man bleeding was posted on the state media's website as evidence.<\/p>\n

While the photo on the website bore the timestamp \"October 9, 2009, Vietnamese bloggers who analyzed the photo  concluded, on the basis of digital data encoded in the image, that it was in fact taken on February 28, 2005. Many Vietnamese bloggers believe the picture was part of a plot orchestrated by the police to frame Thuy. <\/p>\n

Tran Khai Thanh Thuy is an Honorary Member of English PEN, an NGO working to promote literature and human rights, and the 2007 recipient of Human Rights Watch\u2019s Hellman\/Hammett Award.<\/p>","permalink":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/blogger\/tran-khai-thanh-thuy","city":"Hanoi","country":"Vietnam","lat":"21.029648","lon":"105.849152"}},{"item":{"name":"Tran Khai Thanh Thuy","portrait":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/sites\/default\/files\/Tran_Khai_Thanh_Thuy.jpg","status":"Under Arrest","date_from":"2010-02-05","date_to":"2010-02-05","blog_url":"http:\/\/trankhaithanhthuy.blogspot.com\/","campaign_url":"http:\/\/www.viettan.org\/spip.php?rubrique532","background":"

A prolific novelist and journalist, Tran Khai Thanh Thuy is a recipient of Human Rights Watch\u2019s Hellman\/Hammett Award and an Honorary Member of English PEN. A member of Bloc 8406, Vietnam\u2019s pro-democracy movement, she is also an editor of the underground magazine To Quoc (Fatherland). Since September 2006, she has been repeatedly harassed and interrogated for writings published online critical of the government.<\/p>","permalink":"http:\/\/threatened.globalvoicesonline.org\/blogger\/tran-khai-thanh-thuy-0","city":"Ha Noi","country":"Vietnam","lat":"21.028110","lon":"105.847778"}}]}