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| Earlier this month, Vietnam's prime minister hit out at anti-government blogs |
Vietnam has
jailed three bloggers accused of spreading anti-government propaganda, in a
case highly criticised by rights groups.
The
high-profile but brief trial took place in Ho Chi Minh City under heavy
security, reports say.
The trio
were given jail sentences of between four and 12 years.
The
government, which does not allow freedom of expression, has been under pressure
from bloggers over corruption cases and human rights issues.
The three
were accused of posting political articles on a banned website called Free
Journalists' Club, as well as articles critical of the government on their own
blogs.
Nguyen Van
Hai, who uses the pen name Dieu Cay, received the longest sentence of 12 years.
The case of
Dieu Cay, who was a soldier before he became a dissident writer, was raised by
US President Barack Obama earlier this year.
Former
policewoman Ta Phong Tan, who also wrote a blog called ''Justice and Truth'',
was sent to jail for a decade. In July, her mother died after setting herself
on fire to protest against the detention of her daughter.
The third
dissident writer, Phan Thanh Hai, was jailed for four years.
In a
statement, the US embassy in Hanoi called on the Vietnamese government to free
the group.
"We
are deeply concerned by reports that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court
convicted and sentenced blogger Dieu Cay to 12 years in prison for peacefully
expressing his political views," the statement said.
Activists
have accused the government of stepping up a crackdown against bloggers and
peaceful activists.
"Vietnam's
arbitrary use of vaguely worded national security laws to imprison critics of
the government means bloggers are bearing the brunt of this assault on freedom
of expression," Brad Adams, Asia director at the New York-based Human
Rights Watch, said in a statement urging the release of the trio
Earlier
this month, Vietnam's prime minister hit out at three blogs critical of the
government.
A statement
on a government website said PM Nguyen Tan Dung had ordered police to
investigate and take action against those responsible.
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Vietnam orders crackdown on bloggers
Vietnam Jails Three Bloggers for 'Anti-State Propaganda'
Vietnamese bloggers go on trial for spreading anti-government propaganda
Vietnam orders crackdown on bloggers
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