The following is based on a communication written by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and other UN experts to the Government of Viet Nam on 29 December 2025. The communication remained confidential for 60 days before being made public, giving the Government time to reply. The Government responded on 23 February 2026, requesting an extension until 1 May 2026. If more replies are received, they will be posted on the UN Special Procedures communications database.
Since the communication was sent, Cấn Thị Thêu’s health has reportedly deteriorated further in detention, with reports indicating that she was ill for at least 16 days at the beginning of January, with symptoms consistent with a stroke, but was nonetheless denied medical care.
This is a shorter version of the original communication.
BACKGROUND
Topic: the arbitrary arrest, detention, prosecution, repeated sentencing and ill-treatment of a woman human rights defender Ms. Cấn Thị Thêu and her sons Mr. Trịnh Bá Tư and Mr. Trịnh Bá Phương, as well as the prior conviction and continuing harassment and surveillance of their husband and father, Mr. Trịnh Bá Khiêm, their daughter and sister, Ms. Trịnh Thị Thảo, and the wife of Mr. Trịnh Bá Phương, Ms. Đỗ Thị Thu, in apparent retaliation for exercising their fundamental freedoms and for their peaceful land rights and human rights advocacy.
Ms. Cấn Thị Thêu is a woman human rights defender and land rights activist. She has been a central figure in mobilizing farmers in Dương Nội against land grabs, documenting evictions and land grabs, and advocating for accountability.
Mr. Trịnh Bá Tư is the son of Ms. Cấn Thị Thêu and a human rights defender and land rights activist. Before his arrest in 2020, he had been active in documenting human rights and land rights violations. He also used to be a book distributor for an underground publishing company.
Mr. Trịnh Bá Phương is the son of Ms. Cấn Thị Thêu and a human rights defender and land rights activist. Before his arrest in 2020, he had been active in documenting human rights and land rights violations and vocal on Facebook, sharing information and raising awareness on domestic issues.
Mr. Trịnh Bá Khiêm is the husband of Ms. Cấn Thị Thêu and father of Mr. Trịnh Bá Tư and Mr. Trịnh Bá Phương. He is a human rights defender and land rights activist. As farmer in Dương Nội Ward, Hà Đông District, Hà Nội, since 2014, Mr. Khiêm has strongly objected the Government’s use of coercive methods to seize farmers’ lands.
Ms. Trịnh Thị Thảo is the daughter of Ms. Cấn Thị Thêu and Mr. Trịnh Bá Khiêm, and sister of Mr. Trịnh Bá Tư and Mr. Trịnh Bá Phương. She has reportedly been subjected to sustained intimidation, surveillance, and harassment by security authorities in connection with the detention of her family members and her role in communicating information regarding their detention conditions.
Ms. Đỗ Thị Thu is the wife of Mr. Trịnh Bá Phương. Since her husband’s arrest, she has been subjected to intimidation and explicit threats of arrest in apparent retaliation for her advocacy on Mr. Trịnh Bá Phương’s case, as well as for publicly sharing information concerning his prison conditions.
This communication follows and updates previous correspondence sent by Special Procedures mandate holders to the Vietnamese Government, concerning the pattern of arrest, detention, prosecution, and ill-treatment of Mr. Trịnh Bá Phương, Mr. Trịnh Bá Tư, and Ms. Cấn Thị Thêu (see AL VNM 6/2016, VNM 7/2016, VNM 5/2020, VNM 6/2021, VNM 6/2022).
ALLEGATIONS
The Trịnh family originates from Dương Nội Ward, Hà Đông District, Hà Nội, where compulsory land acquisition began in 2007-2008 for urban development projects. Farmers, including the Trịnh family, protested compensation that reportedly fell far below market value. Between 2010 and 2014, multiple forced evictions allegedly involved beatings, intimidation and arrests of protesters.
Dương Nội land disputes
Dương Nội is a ward of Hà Đông district, on the outskirts of Hà Nội. In the 2000s, authorities planned to seize large areas of farmland there to make way for real estate projects, including urban development zones, industrial parks, and commercial housing. In 2007-2008, local authorities announced compulsory land acquisition, offering compensation far below market value. Many farmers rejected this, arguing it was unfair, non-transparent, and violated their rights to livelihood. Local farmers, including the family of Ms. Cấn Thị Thêu and Mr. Trịnh Bá Khiêm, refused to hand over their land and organized sit-ins, banners, and demonstrations. They also documented forced evictions and posted photos and videos online.
Between 2010 and 2014, a series of violent confrontations between the authorities and the farmers took place during forced evictions in Dương Nội. Farmers alleged beatings and harassment by security forces. Dương Nội became emblematic of Viet Nam’s land rights crisis, where farmers hold only land-use rights (not ownership), and compulsory acquisition for “economic development” often leads to dispossession. The dispute attracted wide attention, linking local villagers’ grievances with the broader human rights movement.
Đồng Tâm land dispute and violent clash
Đồng Tâm is a commune in Mỹ Đức district of Hà Nội. The long-standing dispute between village residents and authorities involved the status of certain parcels of land, which villagers reclaimed for civilian use, while authorities intended to use for military purposes.
In the early hours of 9 January 2020, authorities deployed thousands of security forces to raid Đồng Tâm commune, resulting in a violent clash with local villagers. The clash resulted in at least three police officers killed and the death of the 84-year-old village leader. Mobile networks and internet services were reportedly disrupted during the raid. In the days following the raid, some human rights defenders reported receiving a message that access to their Facebook profile had been restricted due to “legal requirements” in their country, allegedly due to violations of the Law on Cybersecurity (2018).
In the months that followed, 29 villagers were arrested and prosecuted for various charges connected to the incident. Trials began on 7 September 2020. On 14 September 2020, two of the defendants were sentenced to death for murder, while the others were handed down sentences varying from 15 months suspended sentences to life imprisonment. According to information received, the trial was marred by a number of violations of fair trial rights, such as the alleged denial of access to lawyers to meet with their clients privately or at all, to access their clients’ case files as well as denying the lawyers the chance to confer with one another on the first day of the trial. The death of the village leader was not investigated.
Mr. Trịnh Bá Phương, Mr. Trịnh Bá Tư and Ms. Cấn Thị Thêu were not present in Đồng Tâm at the time of the incident. However, prior and after the incident, they had been actively documenting the land dispute and calling for accountability for the death of the village leader.
Ms. Cấn Thị Thêu
Ms. Cấn Thị Thêu has engaged in land rights advocacy since 2007. In April 2014, she was arrested while filming a land seizure in Dương Nội Ward and was sentenced to fifteen months’ imprisonment for “resisting public officials”, under article 257 the 1999 Penal Code. After her release, Ms. Cấn Thị Thêu continued to participate in peaceful protests against land grabs.
On 10 June 2016, she was again arrested following peaceful protests and was later sentenced by the People’s Court of Đống Đa District to twenty months’ imprisonment for “causing public disorder”, under article 245 of the 1999 Penal Code. She was released on 10 February 2018 after completing her sentence. The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found her detention to be arbitrary (A/HRC/WGAD/2017/79).
On 12 July 2019, she was reportedly beaten by plainclothes police outside Prison No. 6 (Thanh Chương District, Thanh Hóa Province) while attempting to visit prisoners on hunger strike.
On 25 June 2020, Ms. Cấn Thị Thêu was apprehended by a group of police officers, without a warrant, as she was leaving a relative’s house. On 29 June 2020, state-owned media reported that Ms. Cấn Thị Thêu had been charged under article 117 of the 2015 Penal Code for “making, storing, spreading information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the State”.
On 5 May 2021, the People’s Court of Hòa Bình sentenced her to eight years’ imprisonment followed by three years’ probation. Her sentence was upheld on appeal on 24 December 2021. On 22 February 2022, she was transferred to camp 5, Thanh Hóa Province.
Ms. Cấn Thị Thêu, currently detained at prison No. 5 in Thanh Hóa Province, continues to be subjected to degrading detention conditions that have reportedly had a serious impact on her physical health and dignity. Between 28 July and August 2025, Ms. Thêu reportedly suffered a serious medical episode, during which she experienced alarming symptoms, including fingernails turning dark purple to black. She was briefly transferred to Ngọc Lặc hospital but was returned to detention after two days. Prison authorities reportedly refused to provide her or her family with a copy of the medical diagnosis, citing “operational necessity,” despite repeated requests.
According to information received, Ms. Thêu has stated that prison authorities frequently harass and psychologically torment her, creating conditions she described as unbearable. During a family visit on 5 December 2025, prison authorities has reportedly confiscated all her bowls and food containers, forcing her to store food in nylon bags. Her sleeping mat has been removed despite the cell floor reportedly being wet and damp, and her plastic hand fan, used to repel flies and mosquitoes, was also confiscated. These measures appear punitive in nature and raise serious concerns regarding medical neglect, inhuman and degrading treatment, and violations of the State’s heightened duty of care toward detainees.
Mr. Trịnh Bá Tư
In June 2015, Mr. Trịnh Bá Tư was reportedly beaten by plainclothes police while collecting his father, Mr. Trịnh Bá Khiêm, from detention near Thanh Chương District, Nghệ An Province. He sustained a serious injury to his left eye, later requiring two surgical operations and resulting in permanent vision impairment. On 20 September 2016, he was arrested and beaten while livestreaming outside the People’s Court of Đống Đa District, Hà Nội, and reportedly received death threats during overnight detention.
On 24 June 2020, he was arrested in Hòa Bình Province following coordinated police raids in connection with his publishing activities and documentation of the Đồng Tâm incident. He was charged under article 117 of the 2015 Penal Code, “making, storing, spreading information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the State.”
On 5 May 2021, the People’s Court of Hòa Bình sentenced him to eight years’ imprisonment and three years’ probation. His sentence was upheld on appeal on 24 December 2021. On 22 February 2022, he was transferred to prison No. 6 in Nghệ An Province, hundreds of kilometres away from his family. He reportedly suffers from [redacted] caused by beatings during his arrest.
On 6 September 2022, after submitting denunciation letters regarding prison conditions, Mr. Trịnh Bá Tư was reportedly taken to a room inside prison No. 6 and beaten by prison guards for four to six hours. He was then shackled and placed in solitary confinement for ten days, after which he was transferred to the criminal detention area. Following these events, he allegedly went on hunger strike. On 5 October and 15 October 2022, his father travelled over 300 kilometres to visit him but was denied access both times.
Mr. Trịnh Bá Tư is currently detained at prison No. 6 in Nghệ An Province. He has reportedly been held in prolonged solitary confinement since 31 October 2025. According to the information received, he is confined alone in a sealed, dark cell for twenty-four hours a day, with the door only briefly opened twice a day to deliver meals. He is reportedly denied meaningful human contact, visitors, and adequate lighting.
This punitive isolation was allegedly imposed in direct retaliation for Mr. Trịnh Bá Tư’s complaints regarding the provision of mouldy and spoiled rice to prisoners, a matter affecting basic health and hygiene. In light of Mr. Trịnh Bá Tư’s previously reported health vulnerabilities, including [redacted] sustained during earlier beatings, the continuation of these conditions raises serious concerns of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and the risk of irreversible physical and psychological harm.
Mr. Trịnh Bá Phương
Mr. Trịnh Bá Phương documented land rights abuses and the Đồng Tâm village raid of 9 January 2020 and reportedly had approximately 50,000 followers on Facebook. On 1 March 2020, he was summoned by Hòa Bình Police regarding his social media posts on the Dương Nội land dispute. Following the summon, Hòa Bình Police continued to closely monitor Mr. Trịnh Bá Phương and his family.
On 24 June 2020, he was arrested at his home in Hà Nội during a violent police raid conducted without warrant. Electronic devices and documents were confiscated. On 29 June 2020, he was formally charged under article 117 of the 2015 Penal Code, “making, storing, spreading information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the State”.
During pre-trial detention, he was reportedly held incommunicado, denied access to legal counsel and family members, and subjected to a forced psychiatric examination without notification to his family. On 15 December 2021, the People’s Court of Hà Nội sentenced him to ten years’ imprisonment and five years’ probation. On 17 August 2022, the appellate court upheld the sentence. His family was barred from entering the courtroom and was reportedly assaulted by security officials outside. In August 2022, he was transferred to An Điềm Prison, Quảng Nam Province, more than 1,000 kilometres from his family. It is reported that he spent almost two years in solitary confinement with no family visits.
While serving this sentence, on 18 November 2024, prison authorities at An Điềm Prison allegedly discovered a handwritten note and slogans deemed “anti-State propaganda” under his bedding. In April 2025, he was charged again under article 117 of the 2015 Penal Code. On 27 September 2025, the People’s Court of Đà Nẵng convicted him for a second time under the same provision. He was sentenced to an additional eleven years’ imprisonment, bringing his total cumulative sentence to twenty-one years’ imprisonment and five years’ probation.
It was reported that the trial lasted just over three hours, that defence lawyers were obstructed, that family members and foreign diplomats were barred from attending despite prior assurances, and that police forcibly covered his mouth when he attempted to deliver a final statement.
This appears to be the first documented case in Viet Nam in which a political prisoner has been sentenced twice under article 117 of the 2015 Penal Code, while already serving a sentence.
On 9 December 2025, the High People’s Court of the Supreme People’s Court in Đà Nẵng issued a formal decision to bring the criminal case of Mr. Trịnh Bá Phương to appellate review. According to the decision, the appeal hearing is scheduled for on 27 December 2025 at the High People’s Court in Đà Nẵng.
Mr. Trịnh Bá Khiêm
Mr. Trịnh Bá Khiêm has been active in the Dương Nội land protests since 2007. On 25 April 2014, together with his wife, he was arrested for “resisting public officials”, under article 257 the 1999 Penal Code. On 19 August 2014, he was sentenced to one year and six months’ imprisonment. He was released on 25 June 2015.
On 12 July 2019, while attempting to visit prisoners on hunger strike at prison No. 6 in Thanh Chương District, Nghệ An Province, he was allegedly attacked by plainclothes officers, beaten and had money, phone and documents confiscated. On 21 March 2021, he was reportedly summoned by police in Hà Nội for interrogation regarding a livestream in which he criticized the detention of his wife and sons. Since the 2020 arrests of his family members, he has remained under constant surveillance and repeated harassment.
Ms. Trịnh Thị Thảo
Ms. Trịnh Thị Thảo has reportedly been subjected to sustained intimidation, surveillance, and harassment by security authorities in connection with her family relationship to imprisoned land rights activists and her role in communicating information regarding their detention conditions. She has been repeatedly monitored and questioned about her contacts, online activities, and communications with civil society actors, creating a climate of fear and psychological pressure.
These actions appear to be aimed at deterring her from disseminating information, engaging with international mechanisms, or advocating on behalf of her detained family members. The reported conduct raises concerns of collective punishment and reprisals against family members of human rights defenders, contrary to Viet Nam’s obligations to ensure that individuals may seek, receive, and impart information.
Ms. Đỗ Thị Thu
On 5 December 2025, officers from the Immigration Department (PA08) contacted Ms. Đỗ Thị Thu regarding an alleged decision to suspend her right to leave the country. When she appeared at PA08 premises on 9 December 2025, she was informed orally that she was subject to an exit ban on vague grounds of “national security,” yet no written decision, legal basis, duration, or information on appeal mechanisms was provided.
Ms. Thu was reportedly escorted into a room where at least seven officers from multiple security units interrogated her for approximately three hours. During this time, she was reportedly closely monitored, denied access to pen and paper, and questioned about her social media posts exposing the provision of mouldy food to detainees, as well as her contacts with relatives of political prisoners. Officers reportedly warned her that the exit ban, initially indicated to last until 26 March 2026, would be extended indefinitely should she continue her online activities, and explicitly threatened that she would be arrested “one day” if she persisted.
Ms. Thu refused to sign the meeting record due to the absence of a mutually acknowledged written account. At the time of writing, no written decision has been issued, raising serious concerns regarding arbitrariness of the exit ban and lack of due process.
CONCERNS
In the communication, we express grave concern that the information received indicates a sustained and systematic pattern of repression by the authorities against the Trịnh family for their peaceful land rights activism and exercise of their right to freedom of expression. Collectively, family members have been subjected to six criminal convictions, resulting in more than forty years of cumulative imprisonment and extended probation, primarily under articles 257 of the 1999 Penal Code and 117 of the 2015 Penal Code. The reported use of incommunicado detention, serious fair-trial violations, forced psychiatric examination, denial of family access, beatings, shackling, medical neglect, prolonged solitary confinement, harassment, surveillance and transfers to distant prisons raises serious concerns of collective punishment and reprisals against a family of human rights defenders, amounting in some instances to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
We respectfully remind the Government of Viet Nam of its obligations under international human rights law, in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to respect, protect and fulfil the rights to liberty and security of person, to a fair trial, to freedom of expression, and to be free from torture and ill-treatment. We further urge the Government to take all necessary measures to ensure the physical and psychological integrity of all persons concerned.
We also wish to express serious concern about the apparent broader pattern in Viet Nam of detaining human rights defenders for their peaceful and legitimate work in defence of human rights. The imposition of heavy sentences in such cases sends a clear and chilling message that suppresses legitimate dissent, with severe consequences not only for defenders themselves but also for their families, resulting in a serious shrinking of civic space in the country.
We are further concerned by the widespread use of long-term pre-trial detention and vague charges to penalize and prosecute human rights defenders for their work. We are troubled by the recurring pattern of closed trials, frequently conducted without access to a lawyer of choice and without full respect for due process guarantees. We also remain deeply concerned by persistent reports of inadequate provision of medical care in detention and the lack of, or severely restricted, access to detainees and their related medical information by their families and legal counsel.
We express serious concern regarding the application of national security and public order provisions of the Penal Code of Viet Nam. The vague and overly broad formulation of these offences enables their use against individuals who have merely exercised their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Such provisions fail to clearly distinguish between violent acts that may legitimately threaten national security and the peaceful exercise of fundamental freedoms.
We respectfully recall that the criminalization of the legitimate defense of human rights of others is incompatible with international human rights law. We are concerned that the cases of the abovementioned defenders, including women human rights defender, appear to reflect a broader pattern of restrictions on space for dissent and debate in Viet Nam, whereby critical or dissenting opinions are systematically characterized as threats to national security.
