Vietnamese pastor arrested for criticizing government online

Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City earlier this month arrested Pastor Nguyen Manh Hung for writing a Facebook post critical of the country’s communist government, according to the nonprofit International Christian Concern. Officials charged the 71-year-old pastor with promoting anti-state propaganda, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. At the time of his arrest, officials also seized electronic devices and documents, according to the nonprofit Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

Who is Pastor Nguyen? The pastor is a member of the Interfaith Council of Vietnam and the Pastor’s Fellowship of the Vietnam Evangelical Fellowship, according to The Asian Religions Council for Justice and Peace. He served as a soldier of the North Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War, according to the council, and in 2011 became pastor of a Mennonite house church.

He appeared in 2015 before a U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs subcommittee investigating violations of religious freedom in Vietnam. He has regularly challenged corruption and human rights abuses by the communist government.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report about Open Doors’ annual persecution report released this month.