Six Vietnamese activists and bloggers face prolonged jail sentences for their peaceful opposition to the Communist government, in line with the lobby organization Human Rights Watch (HRW). The six are allegedly being prosecuted for peaceful political activities, including forming a company, speaking out on social media, and attending public gatherings. Five of them were tried in October last year for playing a seasoned democracy group and given prison terms of 8 to 15 years. A high courtroom is scheduled to listen to the appeal of Luu Van Vinh, Nguyen Van Duc Do, Nguyen Quoc Hoan, Phan Trung, and Tu Cong Nghia in Ho Chi Minh City on March 18.
The five were arrested in November 2016 for alleged association with the Vietnam National Self-Determination Coalition, a political institution. Police charged them with “carrying out sports that purpose to overthrow the human beings administration.” Le Minh The is due to face trial on March 20 over his Facebook posts within the Binh Thuy district courtroom in Can Tho. The 56-year-old is Hien Phap, a pro-democracy organization promoting rights enshrined in Vietnam’s constitution.
China’s Xinhua mouthpiece said Laos and Vietnam had agreed to continue cooperation in developing cybersecurity, e-government, and postal offerings. The move could permit the two repressive governments to proportion statistics greater efficiently. “Vietnam’s deepening rights crackdown is targeting independent political associations and individual activists who dare to call for the government to respect rights and repair democracy,” said Phil Robertson of HRW. “International donors and exchange partners must inform Vietnam that continuing this crackdown will motive issues for the resource and exchange offer that Hanoi desires to finish with North America and the European Union.”
The US-primarily based rights group stated that at least 142 people were convicted on fees associated with protests in the last year over laws on individual economic zones and cybersecurity. Many had been sentenced to numerous years in jail for “disrupting public order.” Vietnam’s Cyber Security Law has become dominant in January, and the government was due to the fact arrested at least three people – Duong Thi Lanh, Huynh Dac Tuy, and Nguyen Van Cong Em – over alleged Facebook posts, HRW stated.
“The authorities are the use of draconian provisions of Vietnam’s crooked code to suppress nonviolent dissent, growing the hastily developing populace of peaceful dissenters behind bars,” Robertson, HRW’s regional expert, said. “International donors and alternate companions need to press Hanoi’s leaders to speak with dissidents, not turn the United States of America into a massive jail.”
