June 23, 2025
https://apned.net/free-bach-apned/
The Asia Pacific Network of Environmental Defenders (APNED) stands in solidarity with the family, friends, colleagues, and fellow environmental defenders to demand the immediate release of Dang Dinh Bach. Today marks the fourth year of his imprisonment. In 2021, authorities arrested Bach and later sentenced him to five years in prison on politically motivated charges of tax evasion.
Dang Dinh Bach [1] is a Vietnamese environmental defender who served as the director of the Law & Policy for Sustainable Development (LPSD), an independent non-profit organization dedicated to advancing sustainable development in Vietnam. The center launched grassroots initiatives like Green Sunday, which aims to educate the public about reducing plastic use and increasing tree planting. It has also joined various environmental coalitions, including the Mekong Legal Network, the Save the Mekong Coalition, the Vietnam Environmental Network, and the Vietnam Sustainable Energy Alliance.
According to the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, judicial harassment remains the most common attack against environmental defenders, with a staggering 3,311 cases as of 2024 [2]. Moreover, Asia remains the most dangerous region for environmental defenders.
States and businesses linked to environmentally harmful projects view resistance from defenders like Bach as a threat. As a result, environmental defenders face intimidation, trumped-up charges, and other forms of persecution.
In response, APNED calls for the urgent release of Dang Dinh Bach and other arrested environmental defenders facing fabricated charges. We stand with those demanding justice and urge reparations for the attacks and human rights violations committed against environmental defenders. Additionally, we demand an immediate end to Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP). Authorities must not use the law to target civilians, especially environmental defenders who protect ecosystems and uphold human rights.
We commit to advancing the advocacy of imprisoned environmental defenders while we continue to push for their release.
Free Bach! Free all environmental defenders!
#FreeBach #FreeAllEnvironmentalDefenders
Resources:
[1] Human Rights Watch. (2025, May 22). Free Vietnam’s political prisoners. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/video-photos/interactive/2025/05/22/free-vietnams-political-prisoners#popup-idx-10
[2] Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. (2025). Defending rights and realising just economies: Human rights defenders and business 2015-2024. https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/from-us/briefings/human-rights-defenders-and-business-10-year-analysis/defending-rights-and-realising-just-economies-human-rights-defenders-and-business-2015-2024
