A Vietnamese court sentenced three freelance journalists known for their criticisms of the government to between 11 and 15 years in prison, after finding them guilty of spreading anti-state propaganda.
Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy and Le Huu Minh Tuan were convicted of “manufacturing, storing, disseminating information, materials and items for the purpose of opposing the state” in a one-day trial in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday fair, the Ministry of Public Security said.
Dung created the Association of Independent Vietnamese Journalists in 2014, which the police said had sought regime change.
Under the leadership of 76-year-old Nguyen Phu Trong, the ruling Communist party in Vietnam stepped up crackdown on dissidents ahead of its five-year congress, to be held later this month.
Dung was imprisoned for 15 years and Thuy and Tuan 11 years each.
Radio Free Asia, of Washington, said Thuy contributed comments to the Vietnamese service from the FRG and condemned the convictions.
“The harsh condemnation of Thuy and two other independent journalists is a flagrant attack on basic freedoms and attacks the freedom of expression enshrined in the Vietnam constitution,” FRG President Stephen Yates said in a statement.
The FRG said that two other Vietnamese FRG contributors were already serving prison sentences in Vietnam: Truong Duy Nhat, a blogger who was sentenced last March to 10 years, and Nguyen Van Hoa, a cameraman who was sentenced in November 2017 to seven. years.
The US State Department, which has developed close ties to Hanoi, while remaining concerned about its human rights record, said it was disappointed with the latest sentences, calling them “harsh” and “the latest in a worrying trend”.
“We urge the Vietnamese government to ensure that its actions are consistent with the human rights provisions of its constitution and its international obligations and commitments,” said a spokesman.
Amnesty International said the sentences underline Hanoi’s contempt for the free press, especially before the congress.
“Even according to their own deeply repressive standards, the severity of the sentences shows the depths being reached by censors in Vietnam,” said his deputy regional director, Emerlynne Gil.
Human Rights Watch called the charges “false”. “If the ruling party is so sure of its leadership, it must demonstrate its confidence in respecting civil and political rights,” said its deputy director for Asia, Phil Robertson.