Đặng Thị Huệ, also known as Huệ Như, is a Vietnamese democracy and anti-corruption activist. After being a public school teacher for sixteen years, she began her activism in 2018 when she joined the nationwide movement against Build–Operate–Transfer (BOT) projects, denouncing corruption and the illegal placement of toll stations. Her peaceful activism led to harassment, arrests, and violent repression by Vietnamese authorities.
In 2019, she was repeatedly abducted, interrogated, and assaulted by security forces—including a brutal attack while livestreaming a protest that caused a miscarriage—before being arrested on charges of “disturbing public order” and sentenced to 39 months in prison. During her detention, she endured physical and psychological abuse and spoke out against inhumane prison conditions, contributing to reforms for female prisoners.
Released in January 2023, she resumed her activism by documenting prison abuses, supporting families of prisoners of conscience, and cooperating with independent media and NGOs. Her renewed efforts led to intensified repression.
On May 13, 2024, she was abducted and coerced into signing confessions, and later that month, after narrowly escaping another attempted abduction, she fled the country.
Since June 2025, she has lived in Germany as a political refugee. From exile, she continues to advocate for imprisoned activists in Vietnam at international forums—including most recently at the European Parliament—calling for human rights and accountability in Vietnam.
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