‘We have nothing except our hearts, and our minds': Vietnamese activist sentenced to five years in prison
Anh Chi's YouTube videos denounced abuse of power
Originally published on Global Voices
Nguyen Chi Tuyen, also known as Anh Chi, speaking in an interview with civil society group The 88 Project, a content partner of Global Voices. Screenshot from video “Vietnam’s Message Rings Clear with the Arrest of Nguyen Chi Tuyen – We Will Arrest Whoever We Want, Whenever We Want” on The 88 Project. Fair use.
Vietnamese activist and prominent YouTuber Nguyen Chi Tuyen, also known as Anh Chi, was sentenced to five years in prison after a five-hour trial found him guilty of “propaganda against the state.”
Anh Chi was arrested on February 29, 2024, and charged with Article 117 of the penal code that prohibits making, storing, or disseminating information against the state.
Anh Chi is known for his YouTube videos espousing land rights and environmental protection. His AC Media YouTube channel has 1,000 videos with 60,000 subscribers. His second YouTube channel, Anh Chi Rau Den, has 1,600 videos with 98,000 subscribers. His Facebook page has more than 40,000 followers.
Anh Chi joined demonstrations in 2015 that successfully forced the government to scrap its plan of cutting down 7,000 trees in Hanoi. The following year he joined protests condemning the impact of a fish kill caused by the dumping of waste from a steel company.
He became active in the movement denouncing China’s nine-dash line policy which covers almost the entire South China Sea, including the waters inside Vietnam’s maritime territory. Since the government has banned the assembly of more than two people, Anh Chi and his colleagues established a football club named No-U FC which refers to the U-shaped demarcation line unveiled by China.
Anh Chi supported political prisoners and advocated for freedom of expression. He once posted an open letter defending the right of citizens to criticize abuse of power. “The only thing we did was to act in accordance with our conscience, speak up our thoughts, our desire, our longing.”
In an interview with Mekong Review in 2017, Anh Chi underscored the role of social media in amplifying the message of activists within and outside Vietnam.
Social media is a very important tool for us. We have only that tool to express our opinions, to exchange ideas, to connect each other … without social media it would be a big challenge for us.
Now we have a live stream on Facebook, [which] can bring the news to everyone, not only in Vietnam but the world. This prevents [the authorities] from abusing their power. With live stream, we can keep a record [of] their crimes. So they’re scared.
The old generation of activists didn’t have social media, so they were killed easily without any notice or attention. But now … Vietnam is not an isolated island any more.
He also spoke out against the crackdown on dissent in the country.
[The Communist Party] have all the power in their hands. They have prisons, they have guns, policemen, army force, the court: they have everything. They have media. We have nothing except our hearts, and our minds. And we think it’s the right thing to do … that’s all.
Little by little, though, [my family members] get more and more information. They recognise that I am not alone. I am just in front, but there are many behind me. They can secretly support me. And little by little they understand what I am doing … and now I think they are more confident than some years ago.
Journalist Bennett Murray, former bureau chief for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (German Press Agency) in Hanoi, noted the effectivity of Anh Chi’s YouTube videos in an interview with civil society group The 88 Project in August 2024:
I think he spoke to people on a very individual level, not just sort of trading stories and ideas with fellow travelers, but actually reaching out to people on social media and really talking to the people who …. people who have a need to hear sort of alternative takes on the way things are in Vietnam and of the Communist Party.
Anh Chi was no longer active in protests for many years but this didn’t prevent his arrest in February. The 88 Project said the arrest marked an escalation of the government crackdown targeting dissenters.
The timing of his arrest has baffled many and is the latest confirmation that no one is safe from Vietnam’s rolling crackdown on dissent. This latest crackdown is hallmarked by not only the persecution of anti-state dissidents, but also by the criminalization of policy activism and accompanying restrictions on civil society and foreign funding.
The group pointed out that from 2018-2023, authorities arrested at least 330 people on political charges.
After the conviction of Anh Chi, former prisoner of conscience Le Anh Hung warned against its chilling effect. He said this in an interview with Radio Free Asia Vietnamese, a media outlet partly funded by the United States government.
This is clearly an unjust sentence for someone who peacefully speaks out for the country’s progress.
Arrests and sentences like this will make people hesitant and afraid to speak up. No country or nation can grow or develop when its people have to live in fear.
Anh Chi’s lawyer insisted that his client is innocent and that the sentencing is “inappropriate.” His legal team is deliberating their next step which includes the possibility of filing an appeal.