Vietnam : Prominent journalist sentenced to 30 months on anti-State charges
In a trial lasting only a few hours, the People’s Court of Hanoi sentenced journalist and writer Huy Duc to thirty months in prison on February 27, over social media commentary posts in June 2024 that “abused democratic freedoms that infringed upon the interests of the State”. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the journalist’s sentencing and urges Vietnamese authorities to withdraw all charges and ensure his immediate release.
Truong Huy San, widely known under the name Huy Duc, was sentenced to thirty months imprisonment by the People’s Court of Hanoi on February 27, for allegedly publishing thirteen Facebook posts in June 2024 that incited ‘anti-State’ commentary.
According to the official indictment report reported by state-run Vietnam News Agency, the journalist’s posts had garnered a “large number of interactions, comments and shares, causing negative impacts on social order and safety.”
San was arrested by the Ministry of Public Security on June 7, 2024 under Article 331 of the Vietnamese Penal Code. On June 1, 2024, the journalist failed to attend a scheduled keynote speech at a seminar, causing concern from colleagues and supporters.
Days prior to his disappearance, San had posted commentary of newly elected President To Lam and General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party Nguyen Phu Trong, questioning the role and influence of public security forces within Vietnamese politics.
In a similar case in April 2022, Ho Chi Minh City Law newspaper reporter Nguyen Hoai Nam was sentenced to over three years in prison for publishing Facebook posts related to an anti-corruption investigation, also under Article 331.
San, a celebrated journalist of influential state-run publications, had authored Vietnam’s most popular blogs and Facebook accounts, often discussing topics of corruption and media control.
The IFJ said:“The IFJ condemns the sentences of journalist and author Truong Huy San and urges authorities to ensure his immediate and unconditional release. By handing down this sentence, Vietnamese authorities remain blatant in their intolerance of critical or independent media voices.”
International Federation of Journalists – March 11, 2025