Profile: Nguyen Thanh Nha – The 88 Project

In December 2020, Truong Chau Huu Danh was the first member of Bao Sach to be arrested, signaling the coming risks of arrest and harassment for the team members. The Bao Sach fan page disappeared, and other members also deactivated their Facebook accounts. On April 20, 2021, other remaining members were arrested, with the exception of journalist Le The Thang, who worked mainly as a photographer for Bao Sach. 

Nha was arrested and his house was searched by the Public Security of Can Tho Province. 

The reasons for the arrest were not revealed by the police.  In May 2021, several newspapers mentioned that Bao Sach had been involved in defaming the Can Tho provincial leadership, distorting their economic policies and law enforcement practices.

However, the only active case that Bao Sach followed under the jurisdiction of Can Tho Province authorities is the case of the Can Tho Development Investment Fund (CADIF), a fund under the auspices of the People’s Committee of Can Tho City. But it is uncertain as to whether this led to the arrest of these journalists, as most state-owned media outlets have reported about this CADIF’s wrongdoings in land development.

August 2021:

Can Tho provincial police finished their investigation of four members of the group Clean News and have charged them with “abusing democratic freedoms which violate the interests of the state.” The men are: Truong Chau Huu Danh, 39, Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao, 39, Doan Kien Giang, 36, and Nguyen Thanh Nha, 41. Additionally, before the investigation was completed a fifth man from Hanoi also was similarly charged, but was only placed under house arrest: Le The Thang,39. A trial date has not been set.