The Vietnamese authorities should give priority to releasing political prisoners with urgent health problems, Human Rights Watch said today.
Le Huu Minh Tuan, Can Thi Theu, and other unjustly imprisoned political activists should be urgently freed to obtain appropriate medical care in Vietnam or abroad. Le Huu Minh Tuan, a 37-year-old journalist who has been in prison since 2020, suffers from internal bleeding and other health issues, and has repeatedly been denied medical care. Can Thi Theu, 64, an activist imprisoned since 2020, has been suffering what her family says is "dizziness, tremors in hands and feet, lack of appetite, and unsteady gait" since early January 2026. The authorities have reportedly rejected her requests to be examined at a hospital.
"The Vietnamese authorities have compounded the wrongful imprisonment of Can Thi Theu and Le Huu Minh Tuan by denying them the medical care they urgently need," said Patricia Gossman, senior associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The government should immediately release them so they can get proper medical treatment."
Le Huu Minh Tuan is a member of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam and has written about the democracy protests in Hong Kong and politics in Vietnam. He has said that he writes "to campaign for a better society by contributing a critical voice on every front of life." Police arrested him in Quang Nam province in June 2020 and charged him with "anti-state propaganda" under article 117 of the penal code. In January 2021, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison, along with fellow journalists Pham Chi Dung and Nguyen Tuong Thuy.
Can Thi Theu is serving an eight-year prison sentence for participating in protests against land confiscation and environmental degradation, and for publicly supporting other human rights activists and political prisoners. This is the third time she has been imprisoned for her peaceful activism.
In separate arrests in June 2020, police detained Can Thi Theu and her sons Trinh Ba Tu and Trinh Ba Phuong. The three were convicted and imprisoned under article 117 of Vietnam's penal code, which prohibits "conducting propaganda against the state." In September 2025, Trinh Ba Phuong received an additional 11-year sentence for allegedly having material critical of the Communist Party of Vietnam in his prison cell.
Vietnam's prison system is notorious for abuses and poor conditions, Human Rights Watch said. In February 2026, Dinh Van Phu, an imprisoned political commentator on social media, died of an infection while serving an eight-year prison sentence for "anti-state propaganda." In September, the political prisoner Vuong Van Tha, a Hoa Hao Buddhist activist, died under unclear circumstances while serving a 12-year prison sentence for criticizing the authorities. In December 2025, Dao Ba Cuong, a former political prisoner whose son had earlier died in police custody, died 10 months after his release.
Families of political prisoners including Tran Duc Thach, Nguyen Nang Tinh, Phan Van Bach, Le Dinh Luong, Nguyen Trung Ton, and others have raised serious concerns about similar health problems. Two political prisoners who were diagnosed with cancer while incarcerated, Nguyen Thuy Hanh and Dinh Van Hai, were released and have been receiving medical treatment.
The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules) state that the "provision of health care for prisoners is a State responsibility. Prisoners should enjoy the same standards of health care that are available in the community." Furthermore, "[a]ll prisons shall ensure prompt access to medical attention in urgent cases. Prisoners who require specialized treatment or surgery shall be transferred to specialized institutions or to civil hospitals."
"Vietnam's trade partners and other governments should press the Vietnamese authorities to prioritize the release of Can Thi Theu and Le Huu Minh Tuan so they can get urgent medical care," Gossman said. "Governments shouldn't let up the pressure until Vietnam releases all those imprisoned for peaceful dissent."
