Washington, DC—Freedom House announced today that the Fred Hiatt Program to Free Political Prisoners has adopted the cases of imprisoned Vietnamese journalists Le Anh Hung and Pham Chi Dung, both of whom were formerly affiliated with the international multimedia broadcaster Voice of America.
“Freedom House is proud to stand with Le Anh Hung and Pham Chi Dung and fight for their release,” said Jamie Fly, CEO of Freedom House. “Vietnam has one of the most restrictive media environments in the world, with independent journalists routinely detained, prosecuted, and imprisoned. We call for Le Anh Hung and Pham Chi Dung to be immediately and unconditionally released.”
Le Anh Hung is an independent journalist who published articles on a range of topics, including politics and corruption, for a variety of independent media outlets, including Voice of America. He was arrested by Vietnamese authorities on March 9, 2026, and has been detained since. He is charged with "propaganda against the state," which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. He was previously imprisoned from 2018 to 2023 for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state.”
Pham Chi Dung is a freelance journalist who frequently reported for Voice of America and other independent media websites. He is also the founding chairman of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam. On November 21, 2019, he was arrested in Vietnam and later charged with conducting antistate propaganda. He was convicted in January 2021 in a one-day trial and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Freedom House is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to create a world where all are free. We inform the world about threats to freedom, mobilize global action, and support democracy's defenders.