Luu Van Vinh

Vinh was arrested on November 6, 2016, after police came into his home, beat him, and took him away without presenting official documents. Nguyen Van Duc Do was also arrested after meeting with Vinh.

March 2018:

The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City returned Luu Van Vinh's case to the authorities for further investigation, refusing to prosecute him at that time.

October 2018:

Luu Van Vinh (L) and co-defendants at trial on October 5, Source: AFP

Luu Van Vinh was sentenced to 15 years in prison on October 5, almost two years after his initial arrest.

His wife, Le Thi Thap, was not allowed to attend the public trial. Only after the help of two lawyers and a secretary, was she able to watch her husband’s trial through a screen outside the room. However, the film and the sound failed sometimes, which made it difficult to follow the trial.

When the court started, Luu Vinh raised his hand up and said that he did not agree with this trial and questioned why his relatives weren't present if it was a public trial. However, the judge interrupted and did not allow him to speak further.
During the court, the representatives of Procuracy kept emphasizing the accusations towards Vinh that he “took advantage of the development of the information, accessed the social media to read anti-government articles then posted on Facebook those information, which was harmful to the national security." They also asked others defendants many pointed questions, which were to blame Vinh for tempting them to commit the crimes alleged in thier indictments. However, none of the defendants agreed with the accusation. Only the prosecutor and judge could speak. Vinh and others were interrupted even when they were supposed to answer the questions of the representatives of the Procuracy. The judge ignored the defense from the lawyers and sentenced Vinh and the others heavily.

Luu Van Vinh was sentenced to 15 years in prison. His co-defendants were also sentenced to prison terms: Nguyen Quoc Hoan, 13 years; Nguyen Van Duc Do, 11 years; Tu Cong Nghia, 10 years; and Phan Van Trung, 8 years. 

December 2018:

On December 19, Le Thi Thap visited her husband, Luu Van Vinh, at Chi Hoa Detention Center. Vinh said that his appeal petition, which he sent on October 10, had not yet been resolved.

January 2019:

At 9:00 am on January 21, the appeal trial against Luu Van Vinh (sentenced to 15 years) and his co-defendants Nguyen Quoc Hoan (13 years), Nguyen Van Duc Do (11 years), Tu Cong Nghia (10 years), and Phan Van Trung (also known as Thich Nhat Hue, 8 years) began. But since one defense counsel, who was appointed by the authorities for Phan Trung, did not show up, the trial was postponed. No new date was announced. 

February 2019:

On February 20, 2019, Luu Van Vinh’s family went with Nguyen Quoc Hoan’s family to meet with the two political prisoners at Chi Hoa Detention Center. Despite allowing the four other families of the defendants in Vinh's case to meet with the prisoners, police prevented Vinh's wife, Le Thi Thap, and his daughter from meeting Vinh. They explained that they could not arrange Vinh's family's meeting because normally it is at the end of the month. However, their last meeting with Vinh was on January 16, more than a month prior, and by law, prisoners are allotted one visit with family per month.

After their usual meeting was delayed in that incident (by one week), Le Thi Thap was finally able to meet her husband at Chi Hoa Detention Center on February 27. Vinh’s blood pressure had been high, causing recent dizziness. Vinh told her that his one-month detention order expired on February 12, 2019, which was issued after his original appeal trial on January 12 was postponed. The next morning, the court sent him and his four co-defendants an Indefinite Detention Order, and no new appeal date had yet been set. No matter how long the appeal trial is delayed, Vinh and his colleagues affirmed they would not cancel their appeal petition.

March 2019:

On March 18, five activists faced their appeal trial at the Higher People’s Court in Ho Chi Minh City. They are Luu Van Vinh (sentenced to 15 years) and his co-defendants Nguyen Quoc Hoan (13 years), Nguyen Van Duc Do (11 years), Tu Cong Nghia (10 years), and Phan Van Trung (also known as Thich Nhat Hue, 8 years). All five prisoners' sentences were upheld on appeal. The five maintained their innocence and protested the Court's decision. Only Vinh's wife was allowed inside the courtroom. The trial was originally set for January 21, 2019, but since one defense counsel, who was appointed by the authorities for Phan Trung, did not show up, the trial was postponed. 

Instead of informing Vinh’s and the others' families about their trials, a secretary from the court called their defense counsels, Nguyen Van Mieng and Dang Dinh Manh, on March 5, 2019. This was the third time that Le Thi Thap, Vinh’s wife, got the news on her husband’s trial from the lawyers.

May 2019:

On May 31, 2019, Luu Van Vinh called home for five minutes, during which he told his wife that he was transferred to Gia Trung prison in Gia Lai province. This is the fourth prison he has been sent to in the past 30 months. Vinh's wife took a 24-hour round trip to visit him in Gia Trung prison on June 3, but she was not allowed to see him. Vinh was refusing to wear the prison's uniform, so he has not been allowed to receive visitors. 

On May 21, 2019, Luu Van Vinh and his family met for only the third time since Vinh was detained in Bo La Center. Vinh was in good health and spirits. In this meeting, Vinh’s wife, Le Thi Thap, brought their daughter, who did not understand Vinh's sentence, but believed that Vinh was there pursuing a Ph.D. 

July 2019:

On July 20, 2019, Le Thi Thap, Vinh's wife, went to Gia Trung prison, Gia Lai province, to visit him. She brought their daughter as well. However, when they arrived, the prison guards didn’t allow Vinh to meet them. When she asked them why, they didn’t give her a straight answer. This was the third time prison officials prohibited Vinh from meeting with his family. 

February 2020:

On February 18, 2020, Luu Van Vinh's wife visited him in Gia Trung prison camp, Gia Lai, and was notified that Vinh was moved to another block, allegedly because he opposed the way they treated his daily diet and made it inedible. The new prison block is for prisoners convicted of economic crimes, and they seem to have alienated Vinh.