Phan Van Thu, also known as Tran Cong, is the founder of the religious environmental organization, “Councils for the Laws and the Public Affairs of Bia Son”. Based in Phu Yen province, the group organized conferences and produced leaflets to disseminate their beliefs. Vietnamese authorities arrested 22 members of the group in 2012 before sentencing them in January 2013 over a five day trial.

More information:

• http://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/appeals-12082015152646.html
• https://www.rfa.org/vietnamese/news/vietnamnews/no-date-set-for-another-dissident-s-trial-12182017085142.html

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Note on Penal Code provisions:

A revised and expanded penal code took effect January 1, 2018 (known as the “Amended 2015 Penal Code”). While the previous provisions criminalizing political expression remained unchanged, they were renumbered. For instance, Article 79 (attempting to overthrow the government), Article 88 (anti-state propaganda), and Article 258 (abusing democratic rights) were renumbered as Article 109, Article 117, and Article 331, respectively.

For consistency with past media coverage, our database records the Article(s) that the prisoner was charged with (i.e., based on the version of the penal code applicable at the time of the sentencing).

Activists