Vietnam jails five activists on anti-state charge
HANOI: 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 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.
Most prominent was Luu Van Vinh, a 51-year-old electrician and plumber who received a jail term of 15 years – while the other four were handed sentences of eight to 13 years.
Before his arrest in 2016, Vinh and the four defendants were a part of the Coalition of Self-Determined Vietnamese People, which was believed to have organised dozens of activists advocating for a multi-party system.
He had also participated in peaceful pro-environment protests against Taiwanese steel giant Fomosa, and rallied against Chinese interests in the controversial South China Sea dispute.
“The judge concluded the behavior of the defendants were all very dangerous to society,” lawyer Mieng said. “Therefore, they must be seriously punished and separated from the community.”
Vinh’s wife Le Thi Thap told AFP that she knew nothing about her husband’s political leanings, and that she was not allowed into the court.
“The trial was so unfair because the judge interrupted my husband’s argument in court,” Thap said.
Vietnam’s conservative leadership is currently led by hardline party head Nguyen Phu Trong, who was recently nominated to become the president after the death of Tran Dai Quang last month.
He is believed to be behind an unprecedented crackdown on dissent since 2016.
At least 50 people have been convicted since January, while around 100 activists, lawyers and bloggers remain behind bars.