China-critical activist and YouTuber arrested in Vietnam

Vietnam’s communist leaders continue to crack down on opposition figures and other critics. On Thursday, police arrested one of the country’s most prominent activists and bloggers: Nguyen Chi Tuyen, better known as Anh Chi.

The 50-year-old, whose YouTube channel has almost 100,000 followers, was taken from his home in Hanoi by security forces, his wife told the German Press Agency by phone on Friday. He is accused, among other things, of ‘spreading subversive information’.

The police also searched the activist’s home and seized, among other things, a mobile phone, a laptop and a manuscript. Anh Chi was considered one of the last prominent activists still free.

“I am shocked because he did nothing wrong, he only expressed his opinion as a citizen,” his wife emphasized. “He has no intention of fighting the state or overthrowing the leadership of the Communist Party.”

Prominent civil rights activist

Anh Chi is one of Vietnam’s most prominent civil rights activists and is known for his anti-China stance. He regularly posts critical videos on YouTube, for example about Beijing’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea. The Vietnamese government maintains good relations with its large communist neighbor.

In 2015, the activist was attacked by “a group of thugs” and beaten into hospital while taking his children to school, as the BBC reports.

During a visit to Vietnam in January, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed concern about the human rights situation, especially when it comes to freedom of the press and freedom of expression.

Human rights organizations have long accused the government in Hanoi of violating fundamental human rights. The organization Reporters Without Borders ranks the country 178th out of 180 in terms of press freedom.

(dsc/sda/dpa)