Vietnamese journalist Nguyen Chi Tuyen is serving a five-year prison sentence on a conviction of propagandizing against the state, a charge the ruling Communist Party frequently uses to stifle independent news reporting.
On August 15, 2024, a court in Hanoi convicted and sentenced Tuyen to five years in prison for violating Article 117 of the penal code, a broad provision that prohibits making, storing, or disseminating information against the state.
Tuyen was arrested on February 29, 2024, at his house in the capital Hanoi, and held in pre-trial detention until his trial and conviction. Tuyen’s lawyer, Nguyen Ha Luan, said at the time he would consider appealing the conviction but no challenge to the ruling was filed as of late 2024.
Tuyen, also known as Anh Chi, uses social media to report and comment on political and social issues. His AC Media YouTube channel, which focuses on the Ukraine war, has some 57,000 followers, while his Anh Chi Rau Den YouTube channel has 98,000 subscribers, according to CPJ’s review.
He was being held at Hanoi Detention Center No. 2 and allowed regular family visits in late 2024, a source in frequent contact with his family told CPJ on condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisals. Tuyen was not suffering from any health issues, the same source said.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, which oversees the country’s prison system, did not respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment on Tuyen’s conviction, legal status, detention and health in late 2024.