HANOI (Reuters) – A Vietnamese court on Thursday sentenced an environmental activist to three years in prison on charges of tax fraud, state media reported.
Hoang Thi Minh Hong, director of an environmental advocacy group that she started in 2013 and ran until 2022, was convicted of tax evasion in a one-day trial in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s business hub, according to Thanh Nien newspaper.
The conviction came just two weeks after a visit by U.S. President Joe Biden during which multiple joint initiatives were announced, including on protecting human rights.
Hong was accused of dodging tax payments worth 6.7 billion dong ($274,488) during the 2012-2022 period, the newspaper cited the indictment as saying.
“This conviction is a total fraud, nobody should be fooled by it,” said Ben Swanton, co-director of The 88 Project charity.
“This is yet another example of the law being weaponised to persecute climate activists who are fighting to save the planet,” he added.
Hong’s lawyers could not be reached for comment.
($1 = 24,409 dong)
(Reporting by Francesco and Khanh Vu; Editing by Martin Petty)
