Human Rights Watch (HRW) has issued a strong demand for the immediate release of Trịnh Bá Phương, a leading human rights activist in Vietnam, who faces ongoing legal challenges and imprisonment under charges that have sparked international concern. Phương was arrested in June 2020 and later sentenced in December 2021 to a decade in prison followed by five years of probation, under the contentious Article 117 of Vietnam's Penal Code. This law criminalizes the production and distribution of material deemed to oppose the state.

The situation escalated when, in November 2024, Phương resorted to a hunger strike after prison authorities reportedly confiscated his personal reading and writing materials. Adding to his plight, in April 2025, he was accused by Quang Nam provincial authorities of creating anti-state propaganda from within his cell. Allegedly, Phương wrote slogans on his cell walls including phrases such as “down with the Communist [Party of] Vietnam for violating human rights, down with the Communist court for sentencing me unjustly.”

Patricia Gossman, Associate Asia Director at HRW, criticized the ongoing suppression, stating, “The new charges against Trịnh Bá Phương reveal that criticizing the Communist Party remains as unlawful inside as it is outside Vietnam’s prisons. The Vietnamese government should immediately cease its retaliation against Phương for his mere expression of protest.”

The charges against Phương are part of a broader pattern of stifling dissent in Vietnam. His mother, Cấn Thị Thêu, and brother, Trịnh Bá Tư, are also incarcerated under similar charges, each serving an eight-year sentence. International bodies, including Amnesty International, have echoed HRW’s calls for the release of these political detainees.

HRW had previously called for Phương’s release in May 2025, highlighting a persistent campaign for his freedom amidst a harsh crackdown on dissent across the nation. The case is drawing further attention as the Da Nang People’s Court is scheduled to review Phương’s case this coming Saturday. If convicted of the new charges, he faces the possibility of an additional 12 years in prison.

This ongoing legal battle underscores significant concerns about freedom of speech and human rights in Vietnam, as the international community watches closely. The outcomes of these cases could have profound implications for civil liberties in the country.