Three Vietnamese Journalists Jailed For ‘Anti-State Propaganda’
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”.