Vietnam: a famous environmental activist arrested and accused of tax evasion

Environmental activist, Nguy Thi Khanh, who heads the NGO Green ID Vietnam at the NGO's offices in Hanoi on February 6, 2020. Lillian SUWANRUMPHA AFP/File

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Accused of tax evasion by the Vietnamese authorities, a famous environmental activist, very involved in the fight against climate change, was arrested in Hanoi.

This was announced on Wednesday by state media without giving further details.

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According to British daily

, Nguy Thi Khanh's arrest actually dates back to last month, when police raided the environmental activist's office and home and seized documents and computer equipment.

His arrest was only confirmed on Wednesday by the press.

Officially, the 40-year-old who heads the NGO Green ID Vietnam, Nguy Thi Khanh, is being prosecuted for tax evasion.

A claim questioned by human rights defenders who point out that the leader of Vietnam's most notorious environmental organization is disturbing and has already been the target of smear campaigns in state media in the past and on the Internet.

An ever-stronger crackdown on the country's activists

Nguy Thi Khanh is one of the few voices in the country to speak out against the ever-increasing use of

.

His work in favor of the energy transition from coal to renewable energies also earned him the Goldman Prize for the Environment in 2018, a kind of Green Nobel.

This international recognition has only reinforced the regime's repression against him, as have dozens of other activists whose arrests have multiplied in recent years for dissent.

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• Vietnam

• Environment

• NGO