#SetThemFree Campaign Updates

April 1, 2018
News

Vietnam: On April 5, 2018, the Supreme People’s Court in Hanoi sentenced six peaceful activists to sentences ranging from 7-15 years in prison, with additional years of probationary detention. They were all charged with “activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s government.” Two of the activists, Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thu Ha, were held in pre-trial detention for over two years before the one-day trial. The U.S. Department of State issued a statement calling on Vietnam “to release all prisoners of conscience immediately, and to allow all individuals in Vietnam to express their views freely and assemble peacefully without fear of retribution.” We join them in telling the government of Vietnam to #SetThemFree.

Ethiopia: We were glad to learn that Befeqadu Hailu and Mahlet Fantahun were freed on April 5, 2018, along with 9 other journalists. After 12 days in detention for violating vague State of Emergency laws which prohibit unauthorized gatherings, the journalists and bloggers were released without charge. Their release comes on the heels of the inauguration of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who gave a promising speech which addressed the violent crackdown on activists under the State of Emergency. While we were heartened to hear this, Ahmed must understand that the world will be watching to ensure his words become actions and policy. Join us in spreading this message to him.