Vietnam Sentences Former Journalist To 30 Months In Prison Over Facebook Posts

Truong Huy San, a former journalist, was given a 30-month prison sentence by Vietnam for Facebook posts that were judged to be disruptive to public order.

Former novelist and journalist Truong Huy San was given a 30-month prison sentence by a Vietnamese court for allegedly “abusing democratic freedoms” through his social media statements. The state-run Vietnam News Agency announced the decision, which was handed down on Thursday.

According to authorities, San, 63, better known by his pen name Huy Duc, was found guilty of posting 13 posts on Facebook that had a “negative impact on social order and safety.” The article states that San entered a guilty plea during the trial.

The government of Vietnam, which is run by the Communist Party, strictly regulates the media and silences critics in spite of the country’s economic reforms and growing social openness. San has long been a well-known journalist in Vietnam before his imprisonment in June 2024. In addition, he wrote the postwar Vietnam novel The Winning Side, which is still illegal in the nation.

Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and PEN America were among the international organizations that demanded his release prior to his trial, claiming that his detention violated press freedom.

“When a journalist and writer like Truong Huy San is silenced, more than just his voice is suppressed. In a statement issued two weeks ago, Anh-Thu Vo, research and advocacy manager at PEN America, stated that “a whole society has the right to pursue truth and accountability.”

San’s conviction serves as a reminder of Vietnam’s ongoing limits on free expression, where authorities regularly target activists, bloggers, and journalists for posting opposing opinions online.