Lawyer Tran Dinh Trien went on trial in Hanoi on Thursday, accused of “infringing upon the interest of the state,” Vietnamese media reported. He faces a maximum seven years in prison under Article 331 of the criminal code.
Trien has a team of 12 lawyers defending him according to the Tuoi Tre news site. The verdict will be announced on Jan. 13.
Trien, 65, was arrested on June 1, 2024, for three posts on Facebook that prosecutors said criticised the actions of then-Chief Justice Nguyen Hoa Binh. The court said the posts “had untruthful and fabricated contents that aimed to seriously offend the dignity, honor and prestige of Chief Justice Nguyen Hoa Binh … and seriously affect the prestige of the People’s Court system.”
One of Trien’s posts criticized Binh for upholding a death sentence for Ho Duy Hai at his final appeal in May 2020. Hai had consistently proclaimed his innocence after being found guilty of murder and robbery in 2009.
Two months after Trien was arrested for insulting the former chief justice, Binh was appointed deputy prime minister during the August 2024 National Assembly session.
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Trien is the latest lawyer to be pursued by Vietnamese authorities for his social media posts. Four Vietnamese lawyers including Trinh Vinh Phuc, Dang Dinh Manh, Dao Kim Lan and Nguyen Van Mieng fled to the U.S. to seek asylum fearing arrest.
In a statement calling for Trien’s immediate release, Human Rights Watch pointed out that the U.N.’s Basic Principles on the Roles of Lawyers state that lawyers are entitled to freedom of expression, belief, association and assembly like any other citizen.
“In particular, they shall have the right to take part in public discussion of matters concerning the law, the administration of justice and the promotion and protection of human rights … without suffering professional restrictions by reason of their lawful action,” the U.N. said.
At least 24 people were convicted and sentenced under Article 331 last year, according to Human Rights Watch.
Edited by Mike Firn.