Phan Chí Dũng is a human rights defender and founder of the Independent Journalists’ Association of Vietnam (IJAVN). He was arrested by security forces on 21 November 2019 and sentenced to fifteen years under charges of making and disseminating propaganda against the state. Pham Chi Dung set up the organisation with a group of independent reporters to advocate for freedom of press, freedom of expression and democracy, and anti-corruption in the country. Pham Chi Dung has written for various international news outlets on the topics of corruption and government mismanagement. His arrest and criminalisation is apparently in connection to his opposition to the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement and his exposure of corruption. The defender declared that Vietnam has intensified crackdowns against rights activists and dissidents since the new Cyber Security Law came into effect in January 2019, imprisoning 18 dissidents because they criticized the government and its corrupt system. Pham also criticised Vietnam’s newly amended Labor Code stating that it is not a step forward for labor rights, because it does not allow free trade unions.