By 
Animesh Srivastava, June 6th, 2021
Quach Gia Khang was arrested for expressing his support for democracy and pluralism through social media and articles after several warnings. He was accused of being involved in activities aimed at overthrowing the Vietnamese government.
Multiple actions have been taken against activists, influencers, and rights campaigners in Vietnam, resulting in arrests, imprisonment, and various warnings. Quach Gia Khang was arrested for using articles and social media, such as Facebook and Viber, to voice his support for democracy and pluralism. The 28-year-old man was accused of “stubbornly expressing ideological and opposing attitudes”, as declared by the police.
Khang is the second member of his association, Assembly for Democracy and Pluralism, to be arrested – Tran Khac Duc was seized in September 2024 for propaganda against the state as per Article 117 of the Criminal Code. The group’s founder, Nguyen Gia Kieng, now residing in France, emphasised the group’s non-violent commitment to advocating for democracy: “Khang is a very gentle person by nature. An intellectual who studies ideology, political regimes, the country’s future and geography”.
Khang was detained under Article 109 of the Criminal Code after several warnings – accused of being involved in activities aimed at overthrowing the Vietnamese government and may face a sentence ranging between 12 years of imprisonment to the death penalty. The founder, Kieng, contrarily stated, “There is no such thing as a plot to overthrow the government”. Rather, he argued, “Demanding pluralistic democracy and ending the communist party’s monopoly is the demand of all Vietnamese people”.
Sources and Further Readings:
Human Rights Watch. (2024, March 5). Vietnam: New Wave of Arrests of Critics. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/03/05/vietnam-new-wave-arrests-critics
RFA Vietnamese. (2025, March 20). Vietnam police arrest democracy activist for alleged anti-government plot. Radio Free Asia. https://www.rfa.org/english/vietnam/2025/03/20/vietnam-arrest/
Vietnam+. (2025, March 18). Dong Nai man arrested for anti-state activities. Vietnam+ (VietnamPlus). https://en.vietnamplus.vn/dong-nai-man-arrested-for-anti-state-activities-post311804.vnp
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