Vietnamese YouTuber and activist sentenced to five years in prison for “anti-state propaganda” – JURIST

Vietnamese activist and YouTuber Nguyen Chi Tuyen was sentenced to five years in prison by a Hanoi court on Thursday for “anti-state propaganda,” according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Tuyen—also known as Anh Chi –was charged under Article 117 of the Criminal Code, which prohibits the “creation, storage and dissemination of information, materials or objects for the purpose of opposition to the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”.

The NGO strongly condemned the YouTuber's conviction, demanded his “immediate and unconditional release” and called on the Vietnamese government to end its “relentless campaign to silence journalists”. Radio Free Asia, Although Tuyen did not receive the maximum sentence of 12 years, his lawyers insisted that they had presented sufficient evidence of his innocence and that the sentence imposed on him was inappropriate.

Tuyen was arrested on February 29, 2024, for criticizing the government on social media. In particular, he was active on YouTube, Facebook and other social media platforms, where he openly commented on sensitive social and political issues in Vietnam. His two YouTube channels, “Anh Chí Râu Đen” and “AC Media”, currently have over 97,000 and 56,000 subscribers, respectively. Over the past two years, Tuyen had significantly reduced his activities and focused mainly on commenting on the international situation, especially the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on the AC Media channel.

Human Rights Watch had previously called on the Vietnamese authorities to drop all charges and release the activist before his trial.

Tuyen's trial comes just a month after Facebook user Pham Van Cho was sentenced to seven years in prison, also under Article 117 of the Penal Code, for allegedly “undermining the Vietnamese Socialist Republic and former President Ho Chi Minh.” Vietnam has been repeatedly criticized for its increasing crackdown on journalists and freedom of expression and the press. According to Reporters Without Borders, Vietnam is among the countries with the third largest prisons for journalists, ranking 174th out of 180. To date, 36 journalists have been imprisoned.