Born: 1977
Activity: Democracy activist
Location: Prison camp Tran Phu, tinh Hai Phong, Viet Nam
Sentence: 4 years imprisonment and 3 years house arrest
In Spring 2008, Pham Thanh Nghien was along with several other activists arrested in Hanoi while peacefully protesting the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay. She was detained for several days without charges. On June 17, 2008, she wrote an official request to organize a protest which was rejected by the Vietnamese government. In response to her request, the public security police harassed Pham Thanh Nghien and her family. Disappointed by this action, Pham Thanh Nghien decided to have a sit-in protest in her own house. This led to her arrest on September 18, 2009. In a closed trial in Hai Phong on January 29, 2010 Ms. Nghien was sentenced to 4 years in prison, followed by 3 years house arrest. She is the recipient of the Hellman/Hammett award 2009.
