Vietnam convicts 3 bloggers for anti-government posts

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam issued jail sentences ranging from four to 12 years on Monday to three bloggers who wrote about human rights abuses, corruption and foreign policy, intensifying a crackdown on its citizens' use of Internet to criticize the government.

bloggers AnhBaSG (left) received 4 years sentence while blogger Dieu Cay (center) got 12 year sentence and Ta Phong Tan (right) received 10 year sentence for exercising their freedom of expression

The cases are particularly high-profile examples of the Communist government's attempts to stifle challenges to its authority on the Internet, which has emerged as the major avenue for dissent in the Communist-ruled country of 87 million people. U.S. President Barack Obama has mentioned one of the defendants, and the mother of another died after setting herself on fire to protest her daughter's plight.

The defendants, two men and one woman, are founding members of the "Free Journalists Club", a group of citizen journalists who posted their work on the Internet. They were found guilty of spreading "propaganda against the state."

Nguyen Van Hai, who has written under the pen name Dieu Cay or "Tobacco Pipe," got 12 years, Ta Phong Tan received 10 and Phan Thanh Hai got four years, according to defense lawyer Ha Huy Son.

The trial in Ho Chi Minh City lasted less than 6 hours. The country regularly convicts dissidents, but sentences have generally been around 5 years.

The United States, which is seeking closer economic ties with Vietnam but also pressing it on human rights, quickly criticized the sentences. Obama mentioned Nguyen Van Hai's case in a May speech that called for greater freedom for media around the world.

"The government's treatment of Dieu Cay appears to be inconsistent with Vietnam's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights relating to freedom of expression and due process," it said in a statement.

Nguyen Van Hai criticized the government for its handling of tensions with neighboring China over disputed islands in the South China Sea.

Tan, a former police officer, wrote a blog called "Justice and Truth" that criticized police abuse of power. Her mother self-immolated in protest of the case against her in late July.

International rights groups have condemned the trial and called for the release of the defendants.

"Vietnam's arbitrary use of vaguely worded national security laws to imprison critics of the government means bloggers are bearing the brunt of this assault on freedom of expression," Brad Adams, Asia director at the New York-based Human Rights Watch, said in a statement last week.

Associated Press

Vietnam Convicts 3 Bloggers Over Posts

A Vietnamese court convicted three prominent bloggers and sentenced them to between four and 12 years in prison, the latest step in a crackdown against online dissent in the tightly policed communist state.

One of the defendants’ lawyers, Ha Huy Son, said the three bloggers were found guilty of writing articles that opposed the government, diplomats said. Monday’s verdict came after a one-day trial in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam’s government has stepped up its campaign against cyber-dissidents recently, ordering police to take action against three websites this month in what analysts and diplomats say is a bid to inculcate a sense of fear among the growing numbers of Vietnamese who are going online to obtain news and exchange opinions on events in the country.

“This is designed to create a chilling effect,” said a Western diplomat. “The government doesn’t want criticism to snowball.” The U.S. Embassy issued a statement saying it was “deeply concerned” and urged the government to free all three dissidents.

The Vietnamese government said it had no comment.

Internet penetration rates are growing faster in Vietnam than in many other emerging nations. Around 34% of the country’s 90 million people are online, a larger proportion than in neighbors such as Thailand and Indonesia.

But as Vietnam’s booming economy slows and its debt problems worsen, the government is increasingly eager to rein in criticism and prevent online dissidents from attracting a larger following.

The crackdown is attracting world-wide attention, with the plight of the three prisoners convicted Monday gaining particular traction. U.S. President Barack Obama cited one of the bloggers, Nguyen Van Hai, this year in a speech urging more Internet freedoms around the world. The mother of one of the other detainees, meanwhile, burned herself to death in July in a protest against the charges filed against her daughter, Ta Phong Tan.

All three bloggers, including Phan Thanh Hai, belonged to the “Free Journalists Club,” which writes prolifically about political, economic and social issues in Vietnam.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hai, alias Dieu Cay, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Ms. Tan was handed a 10-year sentence. Mr. Phan Thanh Hai, the only one of the trio who pleaded guilty, was given a four-year sentence. The heavy sentences could herald more arrests and convictions.

Vietnam’s leaders are particularly wary of any accusations of corruption and malpractice as the country’s economy continues to struggle, said Carlyle Thayer, a Vietnam expert at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra. In addition, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung is also anxious to suppress reports about infighting in the ruling politburo that have circulated online in recent months.

Human-rights groups sharply criticized the lengthy prison sentences. Phil Robertson, deputy director of the Asian division at New York-based Human Rights Watch, said “these harsh sentences against bloggers are absolutely outrageous, and show the depth of the Vietnam government’s intolerance of views that oppose its own.”

WSJ