On July 30, 2024, Vietnamese engineer Pham Van Troi was released from Nam Ha prison after serving a seven-year prison sentence in connection with his human rights work. For a year, he will be subjected to house arrest and will be forced to report once a month to the government.

In addition to his work as an engineer, Pham Van Troi is a well-known advocate for human rights and multi-party democracy in Vietnam. In July 2017, he was arrested and charged with “carrying out activities that aim to overthrow the people’s administration.” The charge stemmed from his activities as a member of the Brotherhood for Democracy, an organization founded by human rights defenders and former prisoners of conscience to defend human rights and promote a just and democratic society in Vietnam. The organization’s activities include providing human rights training and education to Vietnamese citizens and assisting victims of rights abuse. In April 2018, following a trial that failed to meet international fair trial standards, the People’s Court of Hanoi convicted Pham Van Troi, along with five other human rights activists facing the same charge. He was sentenced to seven years in prison to be followed by one year of house arrest. No evidence was presented to support the charge brought against him. Throughout his imprisonment, Pham Van Troi was held under harsh conditions of confinement.