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Vietnamese dissident gets 11 more years for criticizing Communist Party in prison (abcnews.go.com)
submitted 5 days ago by throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to c/world@lemmy.world
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[-] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 10 points 5 days ago

according to The 88 Project, a group focusing on human rights abuses in Vietnam.

About Us - Project 88

Crazy that these groups never seem to have any actual Vietnamese members in them.

Ella is a London-based executive producer.

Kaylee Uland serves as Co-Director of The 88 Project and has been involved with the Project since its founding in 2012. She has long been passionate about human rights, having joined The 88 Project while a member of Amnesty International at Indiana University.

Simone joined The 88 Project in 2018 and is responsible for the marketing, social, and communications strategy. She holds a Masters degree in Communication from VU University in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and has worked in finance, technology and lifestyle industries.

Aaron received his B.A. from Wabash College and his JD and PhD from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

Ben has a PhD in Policy Studies from The University of Sydney. His research explores the politics of framing in progressive policy initiatives that aim to promote human rights.

:-/

I had to dig in and find out what the impetus for this whole story was about. And the thing the original dissident - Trinh Ba Phuong - seems to be willing to feud with the government over is... property rights.

[-] eatCasserole@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Of course the US-based "human rights" project is interested in anyone defending property rights...

The 40-year-old is a campaigner in support of human rights, land rights and environmental protections, whose parents were imprisoned in 2014 for participating in protests themselves.

I'm familiar with the Vietnamese government redistributing land, giving plots to poor families for them to farm. Is this what he was protesting against?

[-] pandapoo@sh.itjust.works 8 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

I went to their about us page expecting to see at least one Vietnamese American.

Nope, all wealthy white people.

Maybe they are a group of well meaning individuals, I don't know, as I didn't look past that page.

But... If their entire purpose is advocacy for, and about, Vietnam, you would think they would want at least someone from the region on their core leadership team...

[-] Hackworth@sh.itjust.works 3 points 5 days ago

In 2021, Phương, his mother and his brother received prison terms for "anti-state propaganda" Wikipedia

[-] dogbert@lemmy.zip 8 points 5 days ago

Good, capitalists need to be locked away if they’re gonna sabotage the will of the people. Take notes America.

[-] DarkAri 10 points 5 days ago

If you don't believe in free speech and human rights. You are not a socialist, you are an authoritarian. It's not complicated. The DPRK is also not a democracy btw. It's almost like authoritarians (fascist) just pretend to be whatever is popular to keep power. One of the quintessential aspects of fascism.

[-] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 5 points 5 days ago

Small nitpicks: You can be socialist and authoritarian; it's just stupid. Also not all authoritarians are fascists. Fascism is specifically authoritarianism springing from far-right ultranationalism with a focus on the restoration of past glory and purging of undesirables from society.

[-] DarkAri 1 points 4 days ago

You can't be socialist and authoritarian. Socialism at its core is a form of radical democracy. Authoritarianism is the polar opposite of democracy. Fascism is total state power and far right nationalism, your definition is pretty close. Fascist also famously just do anything to get power. Everything is about power to them. This is why Hitler called himself a socialist even while purging socialists and communists from Germany. Stalin was also a fascist in many ways, absolute total state power and absolutely no human rights above the interests of the state, and I would would call him moderate, not really left or right. He had many right wing traits. Was an imperialist, heavily stamped down on human freedom and basic dignity under the state, and he made communism basically the state religion, where all children were taught political education at a young age. It is almost exactly like any other right wing authoritarian despot except for the fact he had some actual socialism, like government housing, breaking up corporations, even going so far as to basically abolish the free market and seizing all land from everyone to use for the states purposes. There isn't much difference. They are very vague terms. I argue with actual fascists sometimes who try to describe it as syndicalist nationalism but they always leave out the stuff about the state being total and absolute, and people losing all their rights, even the preferred ethnicity or whatever, and the worship of the state and divine leader like Hitler or Mussolini or Stalin. They also leave out facts like for some reason once every fascist society, the people there think they are both somehow the superior race and culture, but also victimized to no end. How they both think of themselves as Supermen and also as extremely weak. It's basically a schizo ideology. Hitler was on meth and stuff, everyone knows this. Something he shares in common with 25% of Americans.

That's where I think fascism really comes from, Adderall btw. It is well understood that amphetamine abuse causes schizophrenic like symptoms. One thing many people in Germany had in common in the 1930s was a very high level of amphetamine abuse.

[-] dogbert@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 days ago

These people do not read. They get by on vibes and buzzwords.

[-] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 10 points 5 days ago

You are a very confused person.

Trinh Ba Phuong, who was already serving a 10-year sentence on charges of spreading anti-state propaganda, was convicted Friday by the People's Court of Da Nang for writing “down with the Communist Party of Vietnam for violating human rights, down with the Communist court for wrongfully convicting me” on a piece of paper found in his cell, according to The 88 Project, a group focusing on human rights abuses in Vietnam.

[...]

His most recent conviction is "the first instance of a Vietnamese political prisoner being prosecuted for their speech while already imprisoned," according to The 88 Project.

[-] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 11 points 5 days ago

You are a very confused person.

Nah they're just a tankie.

[-] dogbert@lemmy.zip 3 points 5 days ago

Ah yes, ABC news, totally not imperialist propaganda lol. They totally have no vested interest in criticizing Vietnam.

[-] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 9 points 5 days ago

This guy was convicted for writing "down with the Communist Party of Vietnam" on a piece of paper. That is the entirety of this incident.

If you support this action you are an authoritarian.

Every other argument you might try to make is just an attempt to distract from the core issue, which is oppression.

[-] dogbert@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Oppressing capitalists is morally just, and necessary. I will always choose to live under the authority of the working class, than authority of greedy pigs. You choose the latter, which is pathetic.

[-] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 6 points 5 days ago

Er, so your view of the world is pro-bootlicking then?

And also, which of the Vietnamese government's officials are "the working class"?

Tô Lâm, the cop?

A graduate of the Central Police School and the Vietnam People's Security Academy, his entire career has been in the police forces.

Lương Cường, the army general?

Cường was previously vice director of the People's Army of Vietnam General Political Department from 2011 to 2016 where he became the director, and was promoted to the rank of four-star General in 2019.

Phạm Minh Chính, the intelligence/security officer?

In January 1985, Phạm Minh Chính became an Intelligence officer within the Department of Intelligence within the Ministry of Public Security. Among other roles, he served as an intelligence officer in the Department of Europe and America within the Department of Intelligence. In March 1991, Phạm Minh Chính became an officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, working at the Vietnamese Embassy in Romania.

Trần Thanh Mẫn, the business and economics doctorate?

He attended university majoring in Business Administration, was a graduate student in economics, successfully defended his PhD thesis in Economics and received his PhD in Economics in November 2009.

You believe these people are not greedy pigs? Hilarious. This is an oligarchy like any other, you're just choosing a different paint job.

[-] blackris@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 4 days ago

There never was and there never will be a sustainable dictatorship of the proletariat. The only ones that tried that really hard where the Khmer Rouge and those murderous fucks are an excellent example how to ruin a country as fast as possible.

[-] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 4 points 5 days ago

Take notes America.

Trump: Takes notes.

this post was submitted on 30 Sep 2025
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