Can Thi Theu
| Status: | Released |
| Activity: | Land rights activist |
| Birth date: | 1962 |
| Arrest Date: | June 11, 2016 |
| Trial Date: | September 20, 2016 |
| Appeal Date: | November 30, 2016 |
| Sentence: | 1 year and 8 months in prison |
| Charge: | Article 245 (Causing public disorder) |
| Location: | Hanoi |
Can Thi Theu is a lands rights activist who has been active in campaigning against and documenting land confiscations in Hanoi and surrounding provinces since her family farm was confiscated in 2007. Theu helps others defend their land and highlight government expropriation of land at unfair prices. Theu was previously arrested in April 2014 for filming land confiscations and police brutality in Ha Dong district, Hanoi. Theu was beaten by police and charged with “resisting police orders” under Article 257. In September, 2014, Theu and her husband were sentenced to 15 months in prison. After her release in July 2015, she continued to engage in peaceful demonstrations against land seizures by the local authorities. Prior to her arrest in 2016, Theu was briefly detained in Hanoi for protesting against attempts to confiscate family farms by local authorities. Following her arrest, Theu launched a 13 day hunger strike to protest against her treatment in prison, which led to serious deterioration in her health. Theu told her lawyer, Ha Huy Son, that she saw blood in her urine and vomit. Son advised Theu to stop the hunger strike. Theu has been released.