Vietnam releases thousands of prisoners, but no dissidents

 To mark Vietnam’s National Day, the communist regime in Hanoi has decided to release nearly 3,800 common prisoners before the end of their sentences, including 20 foreigners. However, no political prisoners were granted amnesty in this annual clemency, which took effect October 1.

 

La Croix | October 3rd, 2024 

Each year, on the occasion of Vietnam's National Independence Day September 2, the Hanoi government pardons a select group of common criminals. This year, authorities agreed to an early release of nearly 3,800 prisoners, including around 20 foreigners from Laos, Thailand, China, Iceland, and the United States. However, no one convicted of “propaganda” against the state or attempting to overthrow the communist regime—a charge often levied against social and rights activists—was included in the amnesty.

These releases, which took effect October 1, came just days after the slightly early release of two prominent environmental activists, Hoang Thi Minh Hong and Tran Huynh Duy Thuc. In September 2023, Minh Hong was sentenced to three years in prison for “tax evasion.” She founded the NGO Change, which urged Vietnamese citizens, especially young people, to address urgent environmental issues such as climate change, illegal wildlife trade, and pollution.

Duy Thuc, convicted in 2010 for attempting to overthrow the regime, had been serving a 16-year sentence. Their releases coincided with a visit by To Lam, president and general secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party, to the United States for the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Widespread anti-corruption campaign

In recent years, the regime has launched a massive anti-corruption campaign across the country, modeled after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s efforts since 2013. The second trial of Truong My Lan, the head of the real estate conglomerate Van Thinh Phat, began on September 19 in Ho Chi Minh City. Already sentenced to death for orchestrating Vietnam’s largest financial scandal, My Lan was found guilty in April of embezzling nearly $27 billion over a decade through a bond scheme, with the complicity of officials overseeing the banking sector.

The case, which shocked the public and sparked protests—rarely tolerated by the communist regime—exposed the deep connections between Vietnam’s economic and political elites, often bound by corrupt dealings. Thousands of individuals, including former business stars and government ministers, have been caught in the regime’s anti-corruption dragnet.

Meanwhile, the single-party government has intensified its crackdown on political dissidents in recent years, particularly targeting those who express dissent on social media. As of 2024, more than 160 political prisoners were in detention, according to Human Rights Watch. Other sources widely consider this number an underestimate, but it remains impossible to verify due to the lack of official statistics. Independent media are banned in the country, which ranks 174th out of 180 nations in the 2023 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index.

To Lam, who was elected head of the Vietnamese Communist Party in August, was the former head of Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, the agency that oversaw crackdowns on human rights activists and minority religions, including Christianity. Although about 7% of Vietnamese are Catholic and fewer than 3% are evangelical Christians, churches face harassment under communism. Authorities view them as a threat, especially when evangelizing, and require them to report their activities. Some imprisoned Christians remain missing.

 

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