human rights defender
Can Thi Theu
Actions and Campaigns
Can Thi Theu
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER
Urgent support needed
Medical assistance
HRD's year of birth
1962
HRD's Gender
Woman
Type of HRD
- Other
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Land rights
HRD's geographical origin
Urban
Current Status
In prison (sentenced)
HRD's bio and work
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.
Detained since
Jun 24, 2020
Charge(s)
- Anti-government propaganda
Sentence
8 years in prison
Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
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
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Asia: South-eastern Asia
Location of detention - City/Town
Yen Dinh District, Thanh Hoa Province
Location of detention - Facility
Prison number 5
Recent case update / evolution
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).
Any other relevant documents
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
Attachments
Documented by
- Country(ies) of nationality
- HRD's year of birth
- 1962
- HRD's Gender
- Woman
- Type of HRD
- Other
- HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Land rights
- HRD's Picture
- HRD's bio and work
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.
- HRD's geographical origin
- Urban
- Country or area of detention
- Region of detention
- Asia: South-eastern Asia
- Location of detention - City/Town
- Yen Dinh District, Thanh Hoa Province
- Location of detention - Facility
- Prison number 5
- Geolocation of detention
Latitude: 20.03410027013791
Longitude: 105.51975058907048
- Geolocation of detention
- Detained since
- Jun 24, 2020
- Current Status
- In prison (sentenced)
- Charge(s)
- Anti-government propaganda
- Sentence
8 years in prison
- Recent case update / evolution
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).
- Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
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.
- Protection actions and campaigns
- Urgent support needed
Medical assistance
- Any other relevant documents
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
- Consent status
- Consent to register, store and publish the information
sorted by
Date added
4 relationships, 3 entities