Vietnamese journalist Huynh Ngoc Tuan is serving an eight-year and six-month prison sentence on a conviction of propagandizing against the state, a charge the ruling Communist Party frequently uses to stifle independent news reporting.
On April 2, 2026, the People’s Court of Dak Lak Province ruled under Article 117 of the penal code that 11 of Tuan’s live videos and 21 of his Facebook posts were defamatory, spread false information, and undermined trust in the ruling Communist Party, state media reported.
Tuan was arrested on October 7, 2025, at his home in Buon Ho town, Dak Lak province, according to news reports and CPJ’s email communication with his daughter, journalist Huynh Thuc Vy. He was held incommunicado without access to lawyers or outside visitors until his closed one-day trial, which his family was not informed about in advance, Vy told CPJ. His sentence includes five years of probation, she said.
Tuan was previously imprisoned for 10 years followed by five years of house arrest for his critical writings under Article 88 of the penal code, which has since been replaced by Article 117.
He regularly posts commentary on Vietnamese politics, human rights, and international affairs on his personal Facebook page. In 2012, Tuan received Human Rights Watch’s Hellman/Hammett award, which recognizes persecuted writers and bloggers.
Tuan and his family have long faced government harassment, including home raids, surveillance, confiscation of computers and documents, and travel restrictions, Vy said.
In 2013, Tuan was arrested and beaten by Hanoi police, resulting in a broken sternum, while traveling to a meeting to form an Association of Former Political Prisoners of Conscience, Vy told CPJ.
Tuan suffers from severe diabetes and requires daily insulin shots, according to Vy, who said she is concerned about his health in detention. He is being held at the Dak Lak Provincial Police Detention Center, she said.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security did not reply to CPJ’s emailed requests for comment.