Pham Doan Trang

Cases
Case status
Unknown
Location of case in SG report
2022-082-001
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2022
Country Geolocation

Latitude: 14.058324

Longitude: 108.277199

Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
Vietnam
From Region
UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
  • UN Special Procedures: Thematic
Dates of prior UN action
29 October 2021, 22 November 2021, 23 December 2021
Type of record
Named individual
Gender
Female
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Individual's/organization's activity

Ms. Trang is a blogger, journalist and democracy activist.

Type of rights defended
  • Civil/political rights
Was the victim a civil servant, member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Reported trigger of reprisal

sharing reports on the human rights situation in the country with the UN and other international actors (VNM 6/2021).

Engagement with UN body
  • UN Special Procedures: thematic
  • Unclear
Type of attempted engagement
  • Submission of information to UN
Dates of mentioned reprisals
February 2018, 6 October 2020,
Location of mentioned reprisals
Vietnam
Reprisal information
  1. On 22 November 2021, mandate holders addressed allegations of long-term arbitrary detention and sentencing of several human rights defenders, including that of Ms. Pham Doan Trang for sharing reports on the human rights situation in the country with the UN and other international actors (VNM 6/2021). Ms. Trang is a blogger, journalist and democracy activist. In September 2021, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention deemed her detention arbitrary (Opinion 40/2021).
  2. Ms. Trang was reportedly placed under de facto house arrest in February 2018 and formally arrested on 6 October 2020. She was prosecuted for her articles and reports on the human rights situation in Viet Nam, including an analysis of a 2016 report on the Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Plant environmental disaster that was shared with the UN. Ms. Trang is being held in Hoa Lo Prison.
  3. On 29 October and 23 December 2021 mandate holders addressed Ms. Trang’s detention and charges, where reports shared with the UN were allegedly used as evidence against her. They noted that the sharing of testimonies and reports is a common way of communicating with the UN, and its criminalization ultimately undermines the UN human rights system as a whole. The Formosa disaster was extensively addressed by UN mandate-holders at the time. On 14 December 2021, Ms. Trang was sentenced to nine years imprisonment.
  4. According to information received by OHCHR, on 14 December 2021, Ms. Trang was sentenced by Hanoi People’s Court to 9 years in prison for allegedly conducting anti-State propaganda. She has reportedly been denied family visits since her trial in December 2021, and there are serious concerns about her deteriorating physical condition. On 27 January 2022, Ms. Trang’s request for appeal was reportedly accepted, and the appeal trial is expected to take place after May 2022.
Types of reprisals suffered
  • Charge/Investigation/Prosecution: Charge/Investigation/Prosecution - General
  • Charge/Investigation/Prosecution: Conviction
  • Charge/Investigation/Prosecution: Trial
  • Detention/Imprisonment: Detention/Imprisonment - General
Alleged/likely perpetrators
State actors
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
No
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
Yes
Was the case raised by a State at the UN?
No
Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
No
Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
No
Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
No