human rights defender
Can Thi Theu
Actions and Campaigns
human rights defender
Actions and Campaigns
Medical assistance
1962
Woman
Urban
In prison (sentenced)
Can Thi Theu is a human rights defender and land rights activist who - along with her husband, Mr Trinh Ba Khiem, and sons, Mr Trinh Ba Phuong and Mr Trinh Ba Tu - has campaigned against land grabbing in the region of Dong Tam, Vietnam, to highlight its impact on small-scale farmers across the country.
Because of her activism, Can Thi Theu has been detained three times by Vietnamese authorities.
Jun 24, 2020
8 years in prison
Can Thi Theu has been tortured and detained in inhumane conditions. She has been harassed and beaten by prison guards, held in a cell with extreme heat without ventilation, denied access to food and water as well as to medical care, and detained in a location far away from her family. Her healh has severely deteriorated as a result of the ill-treatment.
At a recent family visit, Can Thi Theu was unable to walk unsupported. Her family fears she may have suffered a stroke and denied adequate medical care.
Latitude: 20.03410027013791
Longitude: 105.51975058907048
Yen Dinh District, Thanh Hoa Province
Prison number 5
On 5 May 2021, the Hanoi People’s Court sentenced Can Thi Theu to 8 years in prison on the charge of “preparing, publishing and disseminating video clips and writing distorted contents that sow confusion among the people in order to oppose the state” (Article 117 of the Criminal Code of Vietnam).
Joint communication, UN special procedures, AL VNM 6/2021: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=26765
Joint communication, UN special procedures, AL VNM 6/2022: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=27619
Joint communication, UN special procedures, AL VNM 8/2025: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=30638
Documented by

Can Thi Theu is a human rights defender and land rights activist who - along with her husband, Mr Trinh Ba Khiem, and sons, Mr Trinh Ba Phuong and Mr Trinh Ba Tu - has campaigned against land grabbing in the region of Dong Tam, Vietnam, to highlight its impact on small-scale farmers across the country.
Because of her activism, Can Thi Theu has been detained three times by Vietnamese authorities.
Latitude: 20.03410027013791
Longitude: 105.51975058907048
8 years in prison
On 5 May 2021, the Hanoi People’s Court sentenced Can Thi Theu to 8 years in prison on the charge of “preparing, publishing and disseminating video clips and writing distorted contents that sow confusion among the people in order to oppose the state” (Article 117 of the Criminal Code of Vietnam).
Can Thi Theu has been tortured and detained in inhumane conditions. She has been harassed and beaten by prison guards, held in a cell with extreme heat without ventilation, denied access to food and water as well as to medical care, and detained in a location far away from her family. Her healh has severely deteriorated as a result of the ill-treatment.
At a recent family visit, Can Thi Theu was unable to walk unsupported. Her family fears she may have suffered a stroke and denied adequate medical care.
Medical assistance
Joint communication, UN special procedures, AL VNM 6/2021: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=26765
Joint communication, UN special procedures, AL VNM 6/2022: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=27619
Joint communication, UN special procedures, AL VNM 8/2025: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=30638