Published on Monday 24 September 2012
Reporters Without Borders is outraged by the harsh and unjust jail sentences that a court imposed today on three bloggers on charges of anti-state propaganda at the end of a summary trial in southern Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City.
Nguyen Van Hai (who used the blog name of Dieu Cay) was sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by five years of house arrest. Ta Phong Tan, a female blogger, was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by five years of house arrest. And Phan Thanh Hai (known by the blog name of Anhbasg), the only one to plead guilty, got 4 years in prison followed by three years of house arrest.
“I was never against the state, I was just frustrated by injustice, corruption and dictatorship, which does not represent the state but some individuals,” Dieu Cay said. “Citizens have the right to freedom of speech,” he added before the sound being transmitted to journalists and diplomats in a neighbouring room was cut.
Read more: http://en.rsf.org/vietnam-heavy-jail-sentences-for-three-24-09-2012,43438.html
