Vietnam: New Retaliatory Decree Targets Lawyers
Human Rights Watch reported on April 23, 2026 that Vietnam’s Decree 109/2026, which takes effect May 18, empowers police and commune-level officials to revoke lawyers’ licenses and impose heavy fines for vaguely defined offenses such as “insulting” officials or “obstructing” state agencies — frequently the same officials a defense lawyer would be challenging in court. …