Kim Som Rinh
Current Status: Sentenced to prison
Date of Birth: 1979
Gender: M
Religion: Buddhist
Ethnicity: Khmer Krom
Occupation: Religious leader
Citizen: Y
Human Rights Defender: Y
Activist Focus:
- Indigenous rights
- Religious freedom
Details
Kim Som Rinh is a Buddhist monk and outspoken advocate for the rights of the Khmer Krom people. Private sources confirmed to Project88 that he, Thach Nga, and Thach Xuan Dong worked closely with each other and advocated for freedom of religion, the right to education, land rights, indigenous rights, and womens rights. They organized workshops and meetings where people could meet and discuss these topics. They also documented violations of human rights against the community and disseminated information about these violations online and in partnership with civil society groups.
The Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) reported that Rinh has organized and participated in human rights events commemorating the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), International, Human Rights Day, and International Women’s Day. They also reported that he was defrocked by the state-sanctioned Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in 2024.
The arrests are part of a pattern of repression against the Khmer Krom people specifically and ethnic minorities in Vietnam broadly.
Sentenced to 3 years 6 months in prison under Art. 331 (2015 Code). Expected Release is September 27, 2028.
judicial/legal
November 18, 2025 - Date of trial
3 years 6 months in prison
September 27, 2028
According to State media, on January 14 and 15, 2025, the Security Investigation Agency received reports about criminal activities linked to Facebook accounts posting and sharing illegal content. After gathering evidence, the agency identified four individuals—Dang Ngoc Thanh, Thach Nga, Kim Som Rinh, and Thach Xuan Dong—as responsible for using their personal accounts to spread this content. The police alleged the four used social media to defame national achievements and falsely accuse local authorities of violating democracy and human rights, negatively affecting public perception, state interests, and local security. Despite multiple attempts reported by the authorities to "educate" them, the four continued their actions.
Project88 reviewed of the accounts of Thach Nga (2.2K friends), Kim Som Rinh (50K followers), and Thach Xuan Dong (8.4K followers). They posted about freedom of religion and the human rights of the Khmer Krom community. For example, on March 27 in his last post prior to arrest, Kim Som Rinh had reposted content from the Voice of Kampuchea Krom page addressing human rights concerns for the Khmer community in Vietnam.
Resources
Công an tỉnh Trà Vinh khởi tố, bắt tạm giam 04 bị can lợi dụng các quyền tự do, dân chủ xâm phạm lợi ích của Nhà nước, quyền, lợi ích hợp pháp của tổ chức, cá nhân, Trang Thông Tin Điện Tử Công An Tỉnh Trà Vinh, March 27, 2025. Archived version.
Công an tỉnh Trà Vinh: Khởi tố, bắt tạm giam 04 đối tượng về hành vi can tội lợi dụng các quyền tự do, dân chủ xâm phạm lợi ích của Nhà nước, quyền, lợi ích hợp pháp của tổ chức, cá nhân, Trang Thông Tin Điện Tử Công An Tỉnh Trà Vinh, March 27, 2025. Archived version.
Khởi tố, bắt tạm giam 4 đối tượng lợi dụng quyền tự do, dân chủ xâm phạm lợi ích của Nhà nước, Báo Nhân Dân, March 27, 2025. Archived version.
Trà Vinh: Khởi tố 4 người dùng mạng xã hội xuyên tạc chế độ, Báo Thanh Niên, March 27, 2025. Archived version.
Công an Trà Vinh bắt 4 đối tượng nói xấu, xuyên tạc, vu cáo chính quyền, Báo VietnamNet, March 27, 2025. Archived version.
Bốn người ở Trà Vinh bị bắt vì tố chính quyền địa phương vi phạm nhân quyền, RFA Tiếng Việt, March 27, 2025.Archived version.
Profile last updated: 2025-12-19 03:40:41