The United States said it was “
deeply concerned
” on Sunday June 19 by the two-year prison sentence in Vietnam on Friday of a famous environmental activist in the fight against polluting energies, accused of “
tax evasion
”.
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"
The United States calls on the Government of Vietnam to release (Nguy Thi) Khanh, who has been internationally recognized for her work on climate change and renewable energy issues in Vietnam, and (to release) other activists environmental detainees, working for the benefit of Vietnam and its people
”.
Nguy Thi Khanh, 46, was arrested in February and "
charged with tax evasion
", according to state media.
The activist is one of the few voices in this communist country to speak out against the ever-increasing use of coal-fired power plants.
His organization GreenID, Vietnam's best-known environmental NGO, convinced the government to remove 20,000 megawatts of coal capacity from the national energy plan by 2030. His work won him the 2018 Goldman Prize for the Environment, the “
Green Nobel
”.
But while the activist has received international praise, she has been the target at home of smear campaigns in state media and on the internet.
The communist regime does not tolerate any dissent and several dozen activists are in prison for speaking out against the authorities.