A veteran of the 1983 during Sino-Vietnamese conflicts, 1979–1991, he was arrested in Vietnam on 24 July 2017 and charged for "activities attempting to overthrow the state" under Article 79 of 1999 Penal Code.
[2] Lượng is a citizen journalist for Good News for the Poor and Catholic Youth, reporting on the movement for environmental justice following the 2016 Vietnam marine life disaster.
[3] He was physically attacked by policemen in Lâm Đồng Province following a celebration to mark the release of human rights activist and journalist Tran Minh Nhat.
[4] Lượng was arrested while on his way home after visiting the wife of Nguyễn Văn Oai, a human rights defender who has been imprisoned since January 2017.
Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director of Human Rights Watch said it was "absolutely outrageous" and that "speaking out and peacefully demonstrating should not be a crime".