Dr. Pham Hong Son

Dr. Pham Hong Son is a Vietnamese physician and businessman who was arrested on March 27, 2002, after translating an article into Vietnamese titled, “What is Democracy?” from the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam’s website and sending it to friends and senior party officials. Dr. Son was freed on August 30, 2006.
After a 15 month pre-trial detention, Dr. Son was tried and sentenced to 13 years in prison and three years of house arrest. Upon appeal, Vietnam’s Supreme Court reduced Dr. Son’s sentence to five years in prison and three years of house arrest. While imprisoned, Dr. Son suffered from poor health and an untreated inguinal hernia.
Freedom Now filed a petition in August 2006 with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on Dr. Son’s behalf.
International institutions condemned Dr. Son’s imprisonment. In April 2006, the U.S. Congress passed a concurrent resolution calling for his immediate release.
Dr. Son was released on August 30, 2006, in a government amnesty.
Related News Posts
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Dr. Pham Hong Son Released from Prison
August 30, 2006 -
U.S. House of Representatives Resolution 320
April 6, 2006
Enforcing the Rule of Law
Petition to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
August 2, 2006
Donate Today and Help Free a Prisoner of Conscience
Can you imagine a doctor being imprisoned just for treating a patient, or a journalist detained simply for publishing an article critical of his government?