Three Vietnamese journalists jailed for ‘anti-state propaganda’

[ToddBing]

Three Vietnamese journalists jailed for ‘anti-state propaganda’

The verdicts are the latest in a continuing crackdown on dissent ahead of a key ruling party meeting this month.

www.aljazeera.com

A court in Vietnam has found three journalists guilty of charges of spreading propaganda against the state, handing them jail sentences of between 11 and 15 years.

Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy and Le Huu Minh Tuan – all prominent members of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam (IJAVN) – were sentenced by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court on Tuesday.

A lawyer for Dung and Tuan told DPA news agency that Dung was given a 15-year sentence, while Thuy and Tuan were each sentenced to 11 years in prison.

“The court did not accept any of my arguments,” Dang Dinh Manh told DPA. “The sentences are too hard, especially for Le Huu Minh Tuan, as the court only found six of his articles violating the government’s regulations.”

The three were charged with “making, storing, spreading information, materials, items that contain distorted information about the people’s government”.

The verdicts on Tuesday are the latest in a continuing crackdown against political dissidents, activists and other independent voices as the ruling Communist Party prepares for its national congress this month. The high-level meeting takes place every five years and dozens of people have been detained in its lead up, according to human rights groups.

Pham Chi Dung, 54, who has taken part in anti-China demonstrations and led campaigns in support of human rights, was arrested in November 2019 shortly after signing a joint letter urging the European Union to delay the approval of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement until Vietnam improved its human rights record. The letter was published on the Voice of America website.

A 69-year-old former army veteran, Nguyen Tuong Thuy was known for his work to help political prisoners and land rights defenders. He was arrested in May 2020 and his family say that during interrogation he smashed his mobile phone on the floor rather than reveal its password to police.

Le Huu Minh Tuan, 31, wrote under the pen name of Le Tuan on topics including the Hong Kong protests and civil society in Russia and was arrested in June 2020.

Prior to the journalists’ sentencing, the representatives of Luat Khoa magazine and The Vietnamese magazine said “these journalists are being persecuted and brought to trial because they have exercised their rights of free speech, free press and freedom of assembly”.

“The Vietnamese government claims to respect democracy, but that’s a lie,” Human Rights Watch’s deputy Asia Director Phil Robertson said in a statement.

“Democracy dies without freedom of expression and the press, and the work of independent journalists like these three who dare expose malfeasance and demand reforms to end abuse of power.”
In general, Asian countries have much mercy with those CIA agents.
If we look back how US treat different voices,we always saw suicide, murder, traffic incident , or even bomb theirown city.

 

[Song Hong]

HCMC is quite uncontrollable from Hanoi. Many CIA funded NGO. The elite there is pro US while Hanoi elites are pro China. So Chinese member please be gentler with VN members.

 

[TaiShang]

HCMC is quite uncontrollable from Hanoi. Many CIA funded NGO. The elite there is pro US while Hanoi elites are pro China. So Chinese member please be gentler with VN members.

China will never let VCP fall.

 

[ToddBing]

HCMC is quite uncontrollable from Hanoi. Many CIA funded NGO. The elite there is pro US while Hanoi elites are pro China. So Chinese member please be gentler with VN members.

In fact, many Chinese here has no such intrest in Ideology, but really hate western's hypocritical.
CIA need to change Asia into another Middle East, That's why Asians need to be United.

 

[Beast]

HCMC is quite uncontrollable from Hanoi. Many CIA funded NGO. The elite there is pro US while Hanoi elites are pro China. So Chinese member please be gentler with VN members.

We do understand. Like @Viet @Viva_Viet , all foreign South Vietnam regime reside in German and US. Try all means to destabilize Vietnam.

 

[vi-va]

Where there is US embassy, there are traitors.

 

[vi-va]

**** you. From Hanoi.

immature.

 

[AViet]

HCMC is quite uncontrollable from Hanoi. Many CIA funded NGO. The elite there is pro US while Hanoi elites are pro China. So Chinese member please be gentler with VN members.

I think not only the elite. Common people in the North have more shared values with Chinese, and therefore, even though many people may dislike China for his actions in East Sea, but they are mostly not pro-West (of course, partly thanks to the wars against the US and French)

The South Vietnamese people (not all, but majority, who are Vieticized but have more Cham and Khmer than Viet blood in their vain), thank to their India-influenced Chamic culture, tend to be fragmented, disunited and disorganized (similar to other South East Asian). One phenomenon of this cultural difference, i.e. fragmented housing construction, can be seen easily from bird view of Mekong delta. both in countryside and cities.

The South Vietnamese people, in general, value individual freedom more than community common good, compared with the North Vietnamese. Even the currrent leaders and former guerilla who fought the US are no different.

As China has to live with the Uighurs, we North Vietnamese has to live with these people. We are trying to civilize them, but it would take time.

 

[FairAndUnbiased]

I think not only the elite. Common people in the North have more shared values with Chinese, and therefore, even though many people may dislike China for his actions in East Sea, but they are mostly not pro-West (of course, partly thanks to the wars against the US and French)

North Vietnam was unfortunately unable to fully remove the insidious southern influence. now it is crawling back to try and restore their southern dictatorship.

 

[Viet]

We do understand. Like @Viet @Viva_Viet , all foreign South Vietnam regime reside in German and US. Try all means to destabilize Vietnam.

Nonsense
It’s not about north and south.
It’s about young and old.
Young Vietnamese are progressive unlike the older generations.
Such people colluding with foreigners to harm Vietnam interests are stupid. How dumb is that to demand the trade pact to be stopped because of poor human rights?
Sure, you can be critical of the government because of many reasons but in no way you resort to harm own country and own people.

 

[Viet]

I think not only the elite. Common people in the North have more shared values with Chinese, and therefore, even though many people may dislike China for his actions in East Sea, but they are mostly not pro-West (of course, partly thanks to the wars against the US and French)

The South Vietnamese people (not all, but majority, who are Vieticized but have more Cham and Khmer than Viet blood in their vain), thank to their India-influenced Chamic culture, tend to be fragmented, disunited and disorganized (similar to other South East Asian). One phenomenon of this cultural difference, i.e. fragmented housing construction, can be seen easily from bird view of Mekong delta. both in countryside and cities.

The South Vietnamese people, in general, value individual freedom more than community common good, compared with the North Vietnamese. Even the currrent leaders and former guerilla who fought the US are no different.

As China has to live with the Uighurs, we North Vietnamese has to live with these people. We are trying to civilize them, but it would take time.

You originated from China hence you talk shit on Viet people all the time.

 

[Song Hong]

Vietnam elites in the North and pro China but the people do not like China, even in the North. However, I think my province Quang Ninh is more ok to China, because there are relative both side.

Quang Ninh stand to prosper from business with China as well.

I cannot speak on other border province.

Important province in the North such as Hanoi, Nam Dinh, Thai nguyen, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa are no fan of China.

You originated from China hence you talk shit on Viet people all the time.

 

[vi-va]

I think not only the elite. Common people in the North have more shared values with Chinese, and therefore, even though many people may dislike China for his actions in East Sea, but they are mostly not pro-West (of course, partly thanks to the wars against the US and French)

The South Vietnamese people (not all, but majority, who are Vieticized but have more Cham and Khmer than Viet blood in their vain), thank to their India-influenced Chamic culture, tend to be fragmented, disunited and disorganized (similar to other South East Asian). One phenomenon of this cultural difference, i.e. fragmented housing construction, can be seen easily from bird view of Mekong delta. both in countryside and cities.

The South Vietnamese people, in general, value individual freedom more than community common good, compared with the North Vietnamese. Even the currrent leaders and former guerilla who fought the US are no different.

As China has to live with the Uighurs, we North Vietnamese has to live with these people. We are trying to civilize them, but it would take time.

India culture is chaotic, disordered, I would like to say it's second/third class culture, but I will be banned because of discrimination.

 

[AViet]

You originated from China hence you talk shit on Viet people all the time.

Cool down. Is it not fact? Even a foreigner can easily see this after living for a couple of months.

 

[Beast]

**** you. From Hanoi.

@The Eagle @waz @LeGenD

Pls take action. Thank you.