(opinion, pay-wall)

Vietnam’s leading climate activist, Hoang Thi Minh Hong, has been arrested and jailed for “tax evasion”. She, her husband, and 15 staffers of the Center of Hands-on Action and Networking for Growth and Environment (CHANGE) were detained on May 31. On June 1, she was formally charged and imprisoned while the others were released.

With this arrest, Ms Hoang joins 5 other climate activists in detention, all charged under vague laws governing corporate taxation.

Consequentially, Vietnam risks losing $15.5 billion of funding from EU and G7 countries to assist them in achieving net-zero carbon status by 2050.