Do Van Nga, a contributor to the Germany-based Thoibao.de, went missing on November 8, soon after landing at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport, according to Le Trung Khoa, the editor of the independent Vietnamese-language publication, who communicated with CPJ via messaging app.
Nga had traveled from Thailand, where he has lived in exile for several years, to renew his passport, said Khoa. He never emerged from immigration control after texting with his family upon arriving at the airport, the editor said.
Nga’s family contacted Vietnamese authorities and had not received any information about his location and detention status, said Khoa.
On November 17, the Ministry of Public Security began prosecution proceedings against Nga and Khoa on charges of disseminating anti-state propaganda, a criminal offense under Section 117 of the Penal Code, according to news reports and Khoa, who is based in Germany. Convictions under the law carry a maximum 20-year prison sentence.
Khoa said the charges are likely in retaliation for a German court’s dismissal of all but one defamation complaint filed by Vingroup, one of Vietnam’s largest business conglomerates, over his site’s critical reporting on its Vinfast car maker.
The Ministry of Public Security did not immediately reply to CPJ’s emailed request for comment.