The Security Investigation Agency of Dak Lak Province, Vietnam, issued a formal decision on 30 January to prosecute and arrest a human rights activist on false terroristm charges.
The president of Vietnamese-American human rights organisation Boat People SOS (BPSOS), Dr Nguyễn Đình Thắng, faces charges of ‘terrorism’ under Article 299(2) of Vietnam’s Penal Code.
According to the authorities, investigators have gathered sufficient evidence alleging that Thắng directed, incited and facilitated actions carried out by one of the co- founders of the human rights organisation Montagnards Stand for Justice, Y Quynh Bdap, and other individuals inside Vietnam, in connection with a violent attack in Đắk Lắk on 11 June 2023. The provincial People’s Procuracy has approved the arrest warrant.
The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) claims that Dr Thắng, born in Ho Chi Minh City, played a key role in supporting individuals accused of orchestrating the 2023 incident. Authorities state that Thắng assisted and encouraged the planning and execution of the attack by coordinating with actors both inside and outside the country. Dr Thắng strongly denies the accusations.
Dr Thắng told CSW: ‘Vietnamese authorities are escalating transnational attacks on religious freedom advocates outside of Vietnam to intimidate persecuted religious and indigenous communities inside Vietnam, discouraging them from reporting gross, systematic ongoing violations in the country.’
The case unfolds against a broader backdrop of escalating pressure on overseas Vietnamese human rights advocates. In February 2025, Vietnamese state media declared BPSOS a ‘terrorist organisation’, accusing it of assisting groups and individuals seen as hostile to the government, publicly labelling its leadership as terrorists, and disclosing Dr. Thắng’s home address.
On 28 November 2025 Thai authorities handed Y Quynh Bdap, a UN-recognised refugee, to Vietnamese officials after a prolonged campaign of transnational repression during which Bdap was charged in absentia along with nearly 100 other members of the Montagnard ethnic group in connection with various terrorism-related charges.
Shortly after the handover, Bdap was flown to Vietnam, where he faces ten years in prison on spurious terrorism charges. Bdap’s current whereabouts are unknown; his lawyers, family and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) have not received any updates since he was handed to Vietnamese officials.
Human rights advocates argue that the terrorism designation and now the criminal charges reflect an escalating effort by the Vietnamese government to silence dissent and intimidate civil society leaders abroad abusing international systems like Interpol and their red flag warning system. They warn that these actions risk further undermining freedoms of expression, association, and belief.
CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘Vietnam continues to bring the UN Human Rights Council into disrepute through its ongoing repression of human rights defenders at home and abroad. We call on the government to dismiss the completely unfounded terrorism charges levelled against Dr Nguyễn Đình Thắng and Y Quynh Bdap, and to release the latter and all others detained or imprisoned in connection with their work to defend human rights, immediately and without condition.’