U.S. Press Leaders Condemn Conviction of Vietnamese Journalist

News provided by

Dec 14, 2021, 19:38 ET

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Following is a statement by National Press Club President Lisa Nicole Matthews and National Press Club Journalism Institute President Angela Greiling Keane on Vietnam's sentencing of noted journalist and dissident Pham Doan Trang.

"The Vietnamese court system's conviction and sentencing to nine years behind bars of Pham Doan Trang on the spurious charge of spreading views critical of the government is outrageous and sends a worrying signal about Vietnam's priorities at a time when the United States is deepening its security and trade ties with the country. As the United Nations has found, Trang's detention is arbitrary and in violation of Vietnam's international commitments to respect fundamental human rights. Journalism is not a crime. Trang must be quickly released. Further, the Vietnamese government should learn to accept that a free and independent press is the necessary and worthwhile cost of doing business with the developed democracies of the world."

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. The Club has 3,000 members representing nearly every major news organization and is a leading voice for press freedom in the United States and around the world.

The National Press Club Journalism Institute, the Club's non-profit affiliate, promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire civic engagement.

Contact: Rachel Oswald, NPC Press Freedom Team, [email protected], 202-486-9173

SOURCE National Press Club