Human Rights Watch has called on Vietnam to unconditionally release three democracy activists who disappeared in Cambodia before being detained by Vietnamese authorities.
In a statement on October 14, 2026, the rights group said the case reflected repression reaching across national borders.
The three are Norwegian citizen Nguyen Duc Thuan, Australian citizen Tran Hiep, also known as Ho Pham Hiep Huy, and Thai Cong Truong.
Vietnamese authorities accuse the three of belonging to Viet Tan, an opposition movement banned by Hanoi, and using forged documents in an attempt to enter Vietnam. Their families deny that the men intended to cross the border.
The three disappeared on September 18, 2026, after travelling to Cambodia from Thailand. According to Human Rights Watch, Nguyen Duc Thuan and Tran Hiep had planned to fly back to their countries of residence the following day.
Vietnamese authorities subsequently announced charges involving terrorism and document forgery.
There are particular concerns about Nguyen Duc Thuan’s health. Nguyen Duc Thuan has diabetes and requires daily insulin injections.
Cambodia’s interior ministry has confirmed that Nguyen Duc Thuan and Tran Hiep entered the country, but says it has no record of their departure. That leaves unanswered questions about how the two came to be in Vietnamese custody.
The case has drawn comparisons with the treatment of Tim Sakhorn, a former Buddhist monk who had lived in Cambodia since 1978.
Tim Sakhorn was stripped of monastic status on June 30, 2007, and taken to Vietnam, where he spent more than a year in prison.
Vietnamese authorities said Tim Sakhorn had entered illegally and later maintained that the return was voluntary.
Human Rights Watch also called for the release of other activists imprisoned in Vietnam. The article names Chau Van Kham, Nguyen Van Vien and Tran Van Quyen, who received sentences of 12, 11 and 10 years respectively in 2019.
The rights group also raised concerns about other arrests and the treatment of activists, including allegations of beatings during interrogation.
The article places the latest disappearances within a broader pattern of alleged Vietnamese operations against citizens abroad, citing cases in Germany and Thailand.
For the families of the three men, the central dispute remains unresolved: Vietnamese authorities say the activists were attempting to enter the country, while their relatives say they had no intention of doing so.