Process against lawyer: Cold of the judgment of the judgment in Vietnam

Tran Dinh Trien, a prominent Vietnamese lawyer, has been on trial since Thursday. He was arrested in June 2022 because he criticized the actions of the former chief judge Nguyen Hoa Binh in three Facebook posts. Among other things, these posts addressed that courts excluded family members of the accused of processes and that journalists and lawyers prohibit video records in public processes. Trien is charged under Article 331 of the Vietnamese Criminal Code, which punishes "the abuse of democratic freedoms to violate the interests of the state". In the event of a conviction, he threatens up to seven years in prison.

The process is expected to take two days, with trien defending twelve lawyers. His case has caused a sensation internationally because human rights groups warn that the process could threaten freedom of expression in Vietnam. Human Rights Watch has reported that Trien is the last in a series of prominent lawyers who have been targeted due to their social media posts.

repression against government critics

According to the report of ABC News have the binh and the legal system damaged. Binh was appointed deputy prime minister two months after Trien's arrest. Project 88 explained that Triene's persecution violates the international law that guarantees open political debates and the right of criticism of public officials. At least four Vietnamese lawyers have applied for asylum in the United States for fear of arrest.

The Vietnamese authorities have increasingly used Article 331 to silence government critics. At least 24 people were convicted under this article last year. The World Press Freedom Index 2024 from Reporter Without Borders in 174 out of 180 countries, while the Committee to Protect Journalists Vietnam sees the “five -worst detention of journalists worldwide”, with at least 19 arrested reporters in December, such as Devdiscourse reported.