Dang Dinh Bach
Detained Since: June 24, 2021.
Charges: Article 200, Criminal Code 2015 (Tax Evasion), Article 52.1g Criminal Code
Sentence: 5 years in prison.
Biography: Dang Dinh Bach is one of several climate activists and energy experts imprisoned in Vietnam after advocating for the country’s transition away from coal-based energy. Bach is an environmental lawyer and the co-founder and former Executive Director of the Law and Policy of Sustainable Development Research Center (LPSD), a public interest law firm advising affected communities on cases of environmental harm, including for example, industrial pollution, involuntary displacement due to hydropower construction, and pollution from coal plants.
Bach was initially removed from his home and detained by police on 24 June 2021. On 2 July 2021, state media reported that Bach had been charged with ‘tax evasion’ under the Criminal Code. He was held in pretrial detention for seven months, with limited opportunities to communicate with family members or his lawyers. On 24th January 2022 he was tried and sentenced to five years in prison. He was given only one opportunity to meet with his lawyers ten days prior to the trial. Bach appealed his sentence and was again only allowed to meet his lawyers once before his appeal was rejected in a hearing on 11 August 2022. Bach’s organization, LPSD, was shut down by authorities following his arrest.
In May 2023, the UN Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued an Opinion finding Bach's imprisonment to be arbitrary and in "violation of international law". The Working Group called for his immediate release and expressed concerns about a "systemic problem with arbitrary detention" of environmental defenders in Vietnam.
Bach is one of six environmental defenders and energy experts working on climate and energy issues who have been imprisoned in Vietnam since 2021 on charges of “tax evasion” and most recently, “appropriation of information or documents”. The circumstances of their arrests and sentencing include multiple irregularities as compared to similar cases in the general population, indicating political persecution. Each was involved in advocacy or research and analysis aimed at supporting the country’s shift away from coal towards clean and renewable sources of energy. Their efforts paved the way for Vietnam’s commitment to net zero at COP26 in Glasgow and the US $15.5 billion Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) between Vietnam and the G7, the European Union (EU), and other governments, announced in December 2022. The United States State Department, together with other governments and United Nations agencies, have issued statements calling for the release of Bach and other wrongfully imprisoned climate advocates in Vietnam.
Bach has been subjected to harsh and inhumane treatment in prison and has undergone multiple hunger strikes to protest his prison conditions. A recent statement issued by several United Nations Special Procedures noted that, in prison, Bach has endured “deplorable conditions, discriminatory and differentiated treatment,” including being beaten and subjected to physical assault. Bach’s access to food and hot water have been restricted, including supplementary vegetarian food brought to the prison by family members to meet his dietary needs. For an extended period, he has been confined to a small cell with one other prisoner and granted only limited access to a small isolated yard, restricting fresh air and contact with other prisoners. During the summer months, he has been exposed to prolonged high temperatures and inadequate ventilation, producing severe health issues, including asthma attacks, heat exhaustion and psychological stress. The inhumane conditions appear deliberate, increasing Bach’s suffering. Serious and ongoing concerns persist over Bach’s physical and mental well-being and survival.
Bach was a recipient of the 2023 Paul K. Feyerabend Award.
Advocacy Partner: Freedom House
Advocate: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD)
Updates:
- In November 2024, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) announced that he would advocate for Dang Dinh Bach though the Defending Freedoms Project and called for his immediate release (November 27, 2024, Voice of America).
On January 24, 2025 International Rivers released a statement calling for Dang Dinh Bach’s immediate release in recognition of the third anniversary of his prison sentence and in recognition of Tet, Vietnam’s Lunar New Year. The organization also sent him a letter of support on the same day (January 23, 2025, International Rivers).
On January 24, 2025 Human Rights First announced that Dang Dinh Bach would be awarded the 2024 Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty (January 24, 2025, Human Rights First).
On April 7, 2025, Human Rights Watch submitted a letter to EU Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič calling on him to push for Dang Dinh Bach’s release while visiting Vietnam (April 7, 2025, Human Rights Watch).