Prominent Vietnamese Environmental Activist, Hoang Thi Minh Hong, Jailed Over Tax Fraud Claims

A prominent Vietnamese environmental activist has been sentenced to three years in jail over tax fraud allegations. The sentencing of Hoang Thi Minh Hong continues a trend in the Communist-run, Southeast Asian country of jailing environmental activists for tax evasion-related claims. At least five other environmental activists have been sentenced over similar charges in the last two years. 

Source: NowThis News/YouTube

Hoang Thi Minh Hong founded the environmental group CHANGE VN in 2013. The activist hoped to spur Vietnamese people, particularly youth, to mobilize against the ramifications of climate change. The organization directed focus towards three main issues: protection of endangered species, climate change awareness, and reduction of pollution. The organization, and its founder, rose to prominence within the international environmental activism community. According to Human Rights Watch’s website, CHANGE VN was a key part of over 200 environmental projects and campaigns. However, in October 2022, Hoang Thi Minh Hong shut down the organization and removed CHANGE VN’s website. This followed the arrest and sentencing of four other Vietnamese environmental activists. 

Vietnam is especially vulnerable to the threats of Climate change. Indeed, the United States Agency for International Development lists Vietnam as one of the five countries that may be most impacted by Climate change. Since much of the country’s population and infrastructure lies along its coastline, severe weather events and other natural disasters pose a strong threat to the country. However, the single-party, Communist-led state has one of the quickest-growing economies in Southeast Asia. Over the past two decades, Vietnam’s greenhouse gas emissions have increased fivefold. 

The past two years have seen the Vietnamese government crack down on environmental activists. Other environmental activists arrested for tax fraud-related charges include Dang Dinh Bach, Mai Phan Loi, Bach Hung Duong, Nguy Thi Khanh, and Hoang Ngoc Giao.

Despite shuttering CHANGE VN, Hoang Thi Minh Hong was detained in May of 2023. On September 28, 2023, she was sentenced to three years in jail by a Ho Chi Minh City court. The trial lasted only one day. Several prominent human rights organizations, including the United Nations Human Rights Council, have expressed concern about both Hoang Thi Minh Hong’s detention and the Vietnamese government’s use of tax fraud cases to jail activists. 

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