(NEW YORK)—Journalist and writer Pham Doan Trang – who is today marking yet another birthday in prison in Vietnam – should be released immediately.
PEN America, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Legal Initiatives for Vietnam (LIV), and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) call on the Vietnamese government to immediately drop all charges against Trang and release her from prison. They also call on the Vietnamese government to free all writers and journalists jailed for their free expression in the country.
“Today, on Pham Doan Trang’s birthday, we are reminded of her extraordinary courage and the sacrifices she has made for the principles of freedom and justice. In the darkest circumstances, Trang’s writings shine as a beacon of hope and resistance,” said Anh-Thu Vo, PEN America’s research and advocacy manager. “Authorities in Vietnam must end Trang’s unjust imprisonment and restore her freedom, allowing her to continue her vital work unencumbered by threats to her safety and security.”
According to PEN America’s Freedom to Write Index 2024, Vietnam was the world’s third-largest jailer of writers, following China and Iran and tied with Saudi Arabia. In 2024, Vietnam jailed 23 writers, including Trang – who was also the 2024 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Awardee.
Earlier this month, on Vietnam Human Rights Day, PEN America led a coalition of human rights organizations calling on Secretary Marco Rubio to take decisive action against Vietnam’s escalating repression of free expression.
The coalition urged the U.S. State Department in its discussions with the Vietnamese government, to call for the immediate release of unjustly jailed Vietnamese journalists and writers including: Pham Doan Trang, Le Huu Minh Tuan, Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, Nguyen Vu Binh. The group also called for an end to harassment and threats of journalists and writers; and the repeal of Vietnamese legislation that violates free press and expression.
More about PEN America’s work on Vietnam can be found here.