On 31/12, the Hanoi People's Court will hold a first-instance trial for Nguyen Van Dai, 56, from Hung Yen province. He is charged with making, storing, distributing, and disseminating information and materials aimed at opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, under Clause 2, Article 117 of the Criminal Code, which carries a prison sentence of 10 to 20 years. Dai is currently abroad and has been subject to a wanted notice since 5/12.
The People's Procuracy urges Dai to surrender to a public security agency, a People's Procuracy in Vietnam, or a Vietnamese representative office abroad. This would allow him to benefit from the leniency policy of the Vietnamese State and exercise his right to defense, as stipulated in Article 60 of the 2015 Criminal Procedure Code.
Also on 31/12, the Hanoi People's Court will try Le Trung Khoa and several others on similar charges in a separate case.
The indictment states that Dai has two prior convictions. In 2007, he received a sentence of 4 years in prison and 4 years of probation for "propagandizing against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam." In 2018, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison and 5 years of probation for "activities aimed at overthrowing the people's administration."
On 7/6/2018, Dai's prison sentence was temporarily suspended. On the same day, he was allowed to leave the country for Germany for medical treatment.
The Supreme People's Procuracy alleges that after leaving the country, Dai failed to recognize the humanitarianism of the law and continued to engage in anti-state activities.
Dai directly managed and used 9 accounts and channels on the Internet. These include Facebook accounts "Nguyen Van Dai (David Nguyen)," "Nguyen Van Dai," and "Dien dan tuoi tre Viet Nam"; Facebook groups "Luat su Nguyen Van Dai va Fans," "Luat su Nguyen Van Dai va Ban," and "Luat su Nguyen Van Dai va FANS"; the YouTube channel "D10TV - Luat su Nguyen Van Dai"; the X account "Luat su Nguyen Van Dai"; and the blog "nguyenvandai.blogspot.com."
The indictment further states that from early 2025 to the present, Dai used these accounts and channels to post "numerous articles and video clips containing content that distorts and slanders the people's administration, fabricates information, and causes public alarm, all aimed at opposing the state."
The Security Investigation Agency of the Ministry of Public Security collected and extracted 11 video clips and two articles from Nguyen Van Dai's aforementioned accounts and channels, posted between 21/7 and 7/11, as evidence for legal processing.
The forensic conclusion from the Institute of Criminal Science of the Ministry of Public Security indicates that the images and voice of the man in nine of the 11 video clips belong to Dai, with no signs of editing or manipulation of images or audio. The two remaining video clips were created using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
These video clips and articles are accused of "distorting and slandering the people's administration, fabricating information, causing public alarm, and waging psychological warfare."
"Nguyen Van Dai's criminal acts have undermined national security, caused public alarm, affected Vietnam's international reputation, and aimed to oppose the state," the indictment concludes.
Investigators identified five individuals who used their personal Facebook accounts to comment on and share Nguyen Van Dai's video clips. However, these individuals had no motivation or intention to oppose the people's administration. They acted out of curiosity and personal habit.
These individuals have acknowledged their wrongdoing and pledged not to re-offend. The Security Investigation Agency of the Ministry of Public Security has forwarded their cases to relevant authorities for administrative penalties as prescribed by law.
Hai Thu
