Vietnam: Jailed environmental activist wins international human rights award for his activism; more pressure needed for his release
"Jailed Vietnamese civil society leader wins award, boosting calls for his release", 1 August 2025
On the fourth anniversary of his imprisonment, Vietnamese environmentalist Dang Dinh Bach, who was sentenced to five years on tax evasion charges, has been recognized with a prestigious international award…
The prize, which honors those who “champion human rights despite immense personal risk,” was accepted by Bach’s wife on his behalf in an online ceremony.
The distinguished public interest lawyer had been chosen by an independent jury “in recognition of his lifetime commitment to protecting communities in Vietnam from the harmful effects of pollution and the climate crisis,” Human Rights First president Uzra Zeya said.
According to Zeya, Bach’s detention has been marked by “rampant human rights violations,” including reports he had been beaten and mistreated. Bach has also undertaken several hunger strikes.
… The four-year anniversary of Bach’s arrest sparked renewed calls from organizations around the world for his urgent and unconditional release, with Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Asia Pacific Network of Environmental Defenders and Vietnam Climate Defenders Coalition among those issuing statements…
“In recent years, Vietnam has seen a wave of such arrests and prosecutions against environmental advocates,” she said…
…, when the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) was signed, four of the activists who helped pave the way for it were in jail…
Through his softly spoken wife, Tran Phuong Thao, Bach accepted the Baldwin medal “with a profound sense of humility” and “on behalf of all the voices that were not heard, all the faces that were not seen, who left this world without seeing our rights restored.”
In her own speech for the occasion, Thao pointed to the need for international pressure on Vietnamese authorities.
“We need to call on global leaders to give serious consideration to transparency, accountability and access to justice as essential to the success of all projects to help the people of Vietnam,” she said.