Arrests of Nguyen Huu Vinh and Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy were the first reported since last June
The Associated Press Posted: May 06, 2014 1:09 AM ET Last Updated: May 06, 2014 1:09 AM ET
Vietnam has arrested two democracy activists for posting articles critical of the government on the Internet, signalling a continued crackdown on dissent despite the early release of three dissidents last month.
Authorities said the pair were arrested Monday in the capital, Hanoi.
Nguyen Huu Vinh and Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy are accused of violating Article 258, which carries a maximum seven-year jail sentence.
Vinh is the founder of the widely read Basam blog, which publishes highlights of local press as well as dissident tracts critical of the government.
Basam and its U.S-based managing editor Ngoc Thu have been repeatedly targeted by hackers with suspected links to the Vietnam state over the last 18 months. She said the arrests were “groundless” and insisted that the struggle for basic democratic freedoms in the country would continue.
“Dissident bloggers can be arrested, blogs can be shut down, but they are like wild grass with deep roots that can’t be dug up,” she wrote in a posting on the blog on Tuesday. “The government cannot control information on the Internet, because no one can control the thoughts of other people.”
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/vietnam-arrests-2-dissident-bloggers-for-criticizing-government-1.2633132
