Nghe An: 12 years in prison for the man who plotted to overthrow the government

Defendant Tran Duc Thach. Photo: Duc Vu

According to the indictment of the People's Procuracy of Nghe An province, from March 2013 to July 2017, defendant Tran Duc Thach and a number of other subjectsreactionary, other opposition initiated and established the organization "Brotherhood for Democracy", set up a representative office, website address to operate and build a brief platform, with a tight organizational structure, domestic and foreign strategies, taking advantage of the struggle for "democracy, human rights", "civil society" to conceal the purpose of anti-government activities.

In addition, they also cooperate with illegal organizations at home and abroad, seek support and financial sponsorship from abroad, and conduct propaganda against the State with the aim of publicly operating when their forces are strong enough, waiting for the right time to confront the government, change the political system in Vietnam to build a "pluralistic, multi-party" regime, and move towards...overthrow the governmentpeople.

In December 2015, the Security Investigation Agency - Ministry of Public Security initiated a case, prosecuted the defendants participating in the "Brotherhood for Democracy" for the crime of "Activities aimed at overthrowing the people's government". Although during the working process with the Security Investigation Agency of the Ministry of Public Security and Nghe An Provincial Police, Tran Duc Thach wrote a commitment to abandon the "Brotherhood for Democracy" and not continue to carry out activities opposing the Vietnamese State, he still continued to carry out criminal activities to sabotage the government.

From May 2019 to March 2020, defendant Tran Duc Thach also drafted and posted many articles with content distorting economic, political and social events; defaming and insulting Party and State leaders on the Facebook page "Tran Duc Thach". On April 23, 2020, the Investigation Security Agency of Nghe An Provincial Police coordinated with professional units to execute the Arrest Warrant and temporarily detain Tran Duc Thach for the act of Activities aimed at overthrowing the people's government.
At the first instance trial, defendant Tran Duc Thach admitted to the crime as charged by the Procuracy. In the indictment, the representative of the Procuracy said that defendant Tran Duc Thach had a bad personal history. In 2008, defendant Tran Duc Thach was sentenced by the Supreme People's Court to 3 years in prison for "Propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam", and was placed under local probation for 3 years after completing the prison sentence. However, in 2011, defendant Tran Duc Thach was released from prison, and while serving the additional probation sentence, he continued to commit a new crime.

At the trial, the presiding judge considered mitigating circumstances for the defendant, namely that he had confessed honestly, repented, and his father was awarded the First Class Resistance Medal by the State. The trial panel sentenced defendant Tran Duc Thach to 12 years in prison for the crime of "Activities aimed at overthrowing the people's government" as stipulated in Clause 1, Article 109 of the Penal Code, and 03 years of local probation upon completion of the prison sentence.