A Vietnamese court has sentenced Truong Huy San, a former journalist and author, to 30 months in prison for allegedly “abusing democratic freedoms” through his social media posts. The ruling, delivered on Thursday, was reported by state-run Vietnam News Agency.
San, 63, who is better known by his pen name Huy Duc, was convicted for posting 13 articles on Facebook, which authorities claimed had a “negative impact on social order and safety”. According to the report, San pleaded guilty at the trial.
Despite Vietnam’s economic reforms and increasing social openness, its Communist Party-led government maintains strict control over the media and suppresses dissenting voices. San, who was arrested in June 2024, has long been a prominent figure in Vietnamese journalism. He is also the author of The Winning Side, a book about postwar Vietnam, which remains banned in the country.
Ahead of his trial, several international organisations, including Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and PEN America, had called for his release, arguing that his imprisonment was a violation of press freedom.
“When an author and journalist like Truong Huy San is silenced, it’s not just his voice that is stifled. It’s the right of an entire society to seek truth and accountability,” said Anh-Thu Vo, research and advocacy manager at PEN America, in a statement released two weeks ago.
San’s conviction highlights the continuing restrictions on free speech in Vietnam, where authorities frequently target journalists, bloggers, and activists for expressing dissenting views online.
Melissa Enoch
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