Again bloggers with critical voice imprisoned by the Vietnamese government. The victim this time is Truong Duy Nhat who writes critically about the Communist Party-led government. Three days ago, this blogger who writes on Nhin Khac Nhat Mot Goc (Another Point of View) is found guilty and sentenced to two years in prison.
The court in the city of Danang, Vietnam, state that Truong Duy Nhat is guilty of \”abusing democratic freedoms to infringe the interests of the state\”. Nhat was arrested on May 26, 2013 because of his critical writings in the blog.
Through his writings on his blog, this former journalist often criticize the government, including the Prime Minister, from the perspective of rights contained in the Vietnam Law as well as international treaties that has been agreed by that communist country.
The 50-year-old blogger was arrested by police a month after writing an article calling for the resignation of Communist Party Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. According to Nhat, both should be responsible for \”political turmoil\”, \”economic downturn\”, and the failure to eradicate corruption.
Two years imprisonment verdict against Nhat adding the long list of bloggers and netizens imprisoned by the Vietnamese government.
Based on the data from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), until now Vietnam has jailed 18 journalists, bloggers, and other critical netizens. According to CPJ, Vietnam ranks sixth among the most dangerous countries for journalists and bloggers in the world.
Responding to the prison sentence, we who are joined in the Southeast Asian Freedom of Expression Network (Safenet) asserts:
1. Condemned the prison sentences against Nhat because the verdict had violated citizens freedom of expression as part of human rights.
2. Calling on the Vietnamese government to respect its citizens freedom of expression, including in cyberspace to stop capturing journalists, bloggers, nor netizens with critical voice.
This is our statement as part of the solidarity for all the bloggers and netizens in Vietnam who has become a victim of oppression by the state ruler
Indonesia, March 6th 2014
For more info, please contact :
SAFENET Damar Juniarto (Regional Coordinator)
Phone +62 21 7997195, +62 89900 66000
E-mail [email protected]
