Truong Huy San, also known as Duc, is 63 years old and has a background in influential state-owned newspapers before launching one of the most popular blogs and Facebook pages in the country. On these platforms, he often criticized the leadership of the Vietnamese Communist Party regarding issues such as corruption, media censorship, and the nation’s relations with China.
A court in Hanoi found Duc guilty of “abusing democratic freedoms to harm the interests of the state” after he shared 13 articles on Facebook. These posts reportedly received considerable engagement, resulting in numerous comments and shares, which the prosecution claimed negatively affected public order and safety.
During the trial, Duc expressed remorse, acknowledging that some of his posts contravened state interests, but he insisted that he never aimed to oppose the Communist Party or the government. He accepted full responsibility for his actions and offered an apology for the content he shared.
The trial lasted only a few hours and occurred just months following his arrest in June 2024. Prior to his arrest, Duc had specifically criticized Vietnam’s highest officials, including Prime Minister To Lam and his predecessor, Nguyen Phu Trong. However, it remains uncertain if these specific criticisms played a role in the charges against him.
As a one-party state, Vietnam is notorious for its strict media regulations and severe punishments for dissent. It has been ranked among the leading nations globally for imprisoning journalists, according to the press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Huy Duc’s sentencing aligns with other recent incidents, including the 12-year imprisonment of blogger Duong Van Thai for anti-state content and a well-known former lawyer who was sentenced to three years in January for social media posts.
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Duc’s journalism career includes a position as a senior army lieutenant, from which he was dismissed in 2009 for critiquing the Soviet Union’s past actions. Additionally, he was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University for a year in 2012.
In May 2024, shortly before his arrest, Duc posted on Facebook, asserting that “No country can sustainably develop based on fear.”
