Vietnam activists jailed for plot to ‘ overthrow state’

Hanoi, Oct. 5: A court on Friday sentenced five activists to hefty jail terms ranging from eight to 15 years for “attempting to overthrow the state”, the latest in a series of convictions signaling a tougher crackdown on critics by communist Vietnam.

Since a hardline government came into power in 2016, it has stepped up on detaining, charging and arresting anyone voicing dissent, with the offences ranging from posting an opinion on Facebook to attending a protest.

Affiliations with political groups outside of the communist party is also anathema to the ruling government, which labels such associations as “terrorists” or “reactionaries”.

On Friday, five defendants were found guilty in a Ho Chi Minh City court after a half- day trial for trying to form the “Vietnam National

Since a hardline government came into power in 2016, it has stepped up on detaining, charging and arresting anyone voicing dissent, with the offences ranging from posting an opinion on Facebook to attending a protest

Alliance”, a group allegedly aimed at eliminating the current communist regime, said lawyer Nguyen Van Mieng.

All five — Luu Van Vinh, Nguyen Van Duc Do, Phan Trung, Tu Cong Nghia and Nguyen Quoc Hoan — denied this.

“The unclear point of this trial was that the prosecutors charged the defendants for establishing a coalition that has never existed,” Mieng told AFP.