Professional Background
Age 39, Nguyen Vu Binh is a former journalist who worked for 10 years for Tap Chi Cong (Journal of Communism), the official publication of the Communist Party of Vietnam. In January 2001, he left his post to form the independent Liberal Democratic Party. He has since written several articles calling for political reform and criticizing government policy and is a leading member of the Democracy Club for Vietnam. Nguyen is thought to have been targeted for the online publication of one of his critical essays, "Some Thoughts on the China-Vietnam Border Agreement."

Case History
According to PEN’s information, Nguyen has been held incommunicado since September 25, 2002. Following a three-hour trial of the Hanoi People's Court held on December 31, 2003, Nguyen was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for his critical writings, to be followed by three years' house arrest on charges of espionage. Following the proceedings, the official Vietnam news agency reported that Nguyen had been convicted of having "written and exchanged, with various opportunist elements in the country, information and materials that distorted the party and state policies." He is also accused of communicating with "reactionary" organizations abroad. His sentence was upheld on appeal on May 5, 2004.

Current Status
Vu Binh was released on June 9, 2007 from Nam Ha prison under presidential amnesty. Though released from the forced labor camp, Vu Binh will remain under a three-year probationary detention and under strict house arrest. PEN welcomes the news but calls on the Vietnamese government to release other Vietnamese writers and dissidents who have been imprisoned in violation of their right to freedom of expression as guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Vietnam is a signatory.

Vu Binh is also an Honorary Member of PEN Canada, Sydney PEN, and Swiss PEN.


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June 22, 2007: PEN Honorary Member Nguyen Vu Binh Released in Vietnam