Nguyen Vu Binh

D.o.B: c. 1968

Profession: Writer and leading member of the Democracy Club for Vietnam.

Date of Arrest: 21 July 2002, re-arrested 25 September 2002

Sentence: Sentenced on 31 December 2003 to seven years of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of house arrest

Sentence Expires: 24 September 2009

Details of Trial: Sentenced by the Hanoi People's Court on 31 December 2003, in a three-hour trial on charges of espionage. The official news agency in Vietnam reported that he had been convicted on charges of having 'written and exchange, with various opportunist elements in the country, information and materials that distorted the party and state policies.' He has been held incommunicado since 25 September 2002. On 5 May 2004, Hanoi Supreme Court upheld his sentence.

Place of Detention: Ba Sao Prison, Ha Nam Province, North Vietnam.

Conditions of Detention: It is reported that Nguyen Vu Binh is held in extremely poor conditions, alongside common criminals in a labour camp. Despite physical problems, he is not receiving adequate medical care and nutrition.

Previous Imprisonment: Previously detained in July 2002 and under surveillance since April 2002.

Professional Details: Nguyen Vu Binh is a leading member of the Democracy Club for Vietnam. As a journalist, he worked for Tap Chi Cong ('Journal of Communism'), the official publication of the Communist Party of Vietnam, for ten years. However, he left this post in January 2001 and formed the independent Liberal Democratic Party. He has written several articles criticising governmental policy and calling for political reform. He is believed to have been targeted for one of his essays 'Some Thoughts on the China-Vietnam Border Agreement' that was published on the internet. Recipient of the Hellman/Hammett Award 2002

Health Concerns: On 7 January 2007, Nguyen Vu Binh's wife reported that his blood pressure was dangerously high. He has been ill for some time, suffering from an undiagnosed chronic gastrointestinal disease and high blood pressure. Despite appeals, he has repeatedly been refused medical treatment.

Honorary Member: English PEN, Suisse Romande PEN