Council for a Community of Democracies

Four Democracy Activists Jailed in Vietnam
January 22, 2010
By: Benjamin Russell

A Vietnamese court has convicted four democracy and human-rights activists on charges of subversion, sentencing them to between 5-16 years in prison. Le Cong Dinh, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Nguyen Tien Trung and Le Thang Long were arrested in June on the relatively mild charge of spreading anti-government propaganda, but prosecutors decided last month to try the four men on more serious charges.

The one-day trial of the activists has sparked harsh criticism from the international community, particularly the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR). VCHR president Vo Van Ai has strongly condemned the conviction, saying in a statement that it “affirms Hanoi’s determination to muzzle free speech and stifle civil society” and represents a “terrible admission of Vietnam’s illegitimacy and weakness.”

Ai also drew attention to deficiencies in Vietnamese law, noting that there is “no distinction between violent activities such as terrorism and peaceful and legitimate participation in the nation’s political life.”

According to a release from the VCHR, the few diplomats that were allowed to view a broadcast of the trial said that it was unfair and its outcome predetermined. Subversion is one of the most serious offences under Vietnamese law, according to the BBC, and three of the four accused were potentially facing the death penalty.

Sources:
VHCR – Democracy on Trial in Vietnam
http://www.queme.net/eng/news_detail.php?numb=1287

BBC News – Vietnam jails democracy activists for subversion
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8470110.stm