International PEN is seriously concerned about the detention of lawyer and dissident writer Le Cong Dinh who was arrested on June 13, 2009. The authorities have charged him with “spreading propaganda against the state,” which carries a 20-year prison term. PEN fears that Le Cong Dinh may be held for his legitimate reporting, and if so, it calls for his immediate and unconditional release in accordance with Article 19 of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, to which Vietnam is a signatory.

Background Information

According to PEN’s information, Le Cong Dinh was arrested by the security police in Ho Chi Minh City at 11 a.m. on June 13, 2009. His home and his office were searched and his documents were seized. According to press reports, the head of the Investigation Agency of the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security stated that Le Cong Dinh was arrested for allegedly reporting “distorted” facts to foreign media and offending the country’s prime minister. Le Cong Dinh has been charged under Article 88 of the Penal Code for “spreading propaganda against the state,’’ and could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty. 

Born on October 1, 1968, Le Cong Dinh has been working as a lawyer defending journalists, human rights activists, and Internet writers prosecuted in Vietnam for their reporting, including lawyers and dissident writers Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong Nhan, and the renowned blogger Dieu Cay. Le Cong Dinh has also written for various international media outlets, including the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Radio Free Asia (RFA), as well as banned overseas Vietnamese web sites such as “The Vietnam Democracy Movement,” “Vietnam Reform,” “New Horizon,” “Thorough Discussion,” and “Democratic Freedom,” which Vietnamese authorities view as “subversive.”  

According to Reporters Without Borders, sources said that Le Cong Dinh’s arrest might be related to a libel case brought by several lawyers against the Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Write A Letter

  • Expressing serious concern about the detention of lawyer and dissident writer Le Cong Dinh;
  • Calling for his immediate and unconditional release, as well as the release of all those detained for the peaceful exercise of their right to free expression in Vietnam, in accordance with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Vietnam is a signatory.

Send Your Letter To

His Excellency Nguyên Minh Triêt
President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
C/O Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Hanoi
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Nguyên Tân Dung
Prime Minister
1 Hoang Hoa Tham Street
Hanoi
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Lê Doan Hop
Minister of Culture and Information
1 Hoang Hoa Tham Street
Hanoi
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Please note that there are no fax numbers available for the Vietnamese authorities, so you may wish to ask the diplomatic representative for Vietnam in your country to forward your appeals. It would also be advantageous to ask your country’s diplomatic representatives in Vietnam to intervene in the case.

Please send appeals immediately. Check with PEN if sending appeals after July 30, 2009: ftw[at]pen.org