Phan Kim Khanh
| Status: | In Jail |
| Days In Jail: | 2202 days |
| Activity: | Blogger |
| Birth date: | 1993 |
| Arrest Date: | March 21, 2017 |
| Trial Date: | October 25, 2017 |
| Sentence: | 8 years in prison follow by 4 years house arrest |
| Charge: | Article 88 (Propaganda against the socialist state) |
| Location: | Nam Ha Prison Camp |
Phan Kim Khanh was a senior in college majoring in International Studies at Thai Nguyen University in northern Vietnam. Khanh established and moderated two blogs, Báo Tham Nhũng, an anti-corruption newspaper and Tuần Việt Nam (Vietnam Weekly), along with three Facebook pages — “Báo Tham Nhũng”, “Tuần Báo Việt Nam” and “‘Dân chủ TV” (Democracy TV) as well as two YouTube channels — Việt Báo TV and Vietnam Online. During a visit, Khanh told his lawyer, attorney Ha Huy Son, the he was suffering from bleeding due to hemorrhoids, a condition he did not have prior to his detention. His father was denied to visitation rights and authorities refused to accept the clothes he was brought. Since Khanh’s arrest, his father still has not been able to see Khanh. Khanh was arrested a few days before blogger Bui Hieu Vo who was also charged for subversion. Khanh was sentenced to 6 years in prison and 4 years of house arrest after a one-day trial on 25 October 2017.
Note on Penal Code provisions:
A revised and expanded penal code took effect January 1, 2018 (known as the “Amended 2015 Penal Code”). While the previous provisions criminalizing political expression remained unchanged, they were renumbered. For instance, Article 79 (attempting to overthrow the government), Article 88 (anti-state propaganda), and Article 258 (abusing democratic rights) were renumbered as Article 109, Article 117, and Article 331, respectively.
For consistency with past media coverage, our database records the Article(s) that the prisoner was charged with (i.e., based on the version of the penal code applicable at the time of the sentencing).