US calls Vietnam's blogger sentence harsh, deeply troubled by abduction reports

The United States said on Thursday it was concerned by Vietnam's conviction and "harsh" sentencing of blogger Duong Van Thai, and deeply troubled by reports he was abducted by Vietnamese authorities in Thailand.

The Committee to Protect Journalists cited media reports as saying that a Hanoi court sentenced Thai to 12 years in prison and three years of probation on Wednesday on charges of anti-state propaganda. It said he had gone missing in Thailand and was later taken into Vietnamese custody in April 2023.

"We are concerned by the conviction and harsh sentencing of Duong Van Thai," a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said. "We also remain deeply troubled by reports alleging Duong Van Thai was abducted by Vietnamese authorities in Thailand and forcibly returned to Vietnam."

Washington has sought to develop close ties with Vietnam, a Southeast Asian country that shares concerns about China's growing power, but Hanoi's treatment of dissidents remains an irritant.

Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative, called Thai's sentence "an outrage."

"Thai should be released immediately and allowed to leave Vietnam," he said in a statement.

Vietnam's Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The CPJ said Thai fled to Thailand in 2019, fearing persecution for his journalism, and was given refugee status by the United Nations refugee agency’s office in Bangkok. It cited multiple reports that he was interviewing for third-country resettlement at the time of his apparent abduction and deportation to Vietnam.