24 December 2009

Alert

Another blogger charged with "subversion" faces death penalty


Incident details

Charges laid

Le Cong Dinh, Academic

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(RSF/IFEX) - Human rights lawyer Le Cong Dinh has been charged with "subversion" by the prosecutor's office, according to the Vietnamese newspaper "Thanh Nien". He is now facing the death penalty.

Le was initially accused of "propaganda against the state" but now faces a subversion charge along with pro-democracy blogger Nguyen Tien Trung, who was arrested on 7 July 2009, while the lawyer was arrested on 13 June.

Both are accused of having links with the banned Democratic Party of Vietnam, producing propaganda documents against the regime and incitement to subversion on the Internet. No date has yet been announced for their trial but it could be held early next year.

Reporters Without Borders condemns the charges against Le Cong Dinh and Nguyen Tien Trung, the object of which is to create the illusion of a genuine international conspiracy against the Hanoi government, when the two men have done nothing but express their opinion. "We call for their immediate and unconditional release", said the organisation.



Sign the petition for the release of Nguyen Tien Trung, a human rights activist who was formerly a student in France


Source:

Reporters Without Borders
47, rue Vivienne
75002 Paris
France
rsf (@) rsf.org
Phone: +33 1 44 83 84 84
Fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51
 

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More on this case

Overturn conviction of peaceful democracy activists, Human Rights Watch urges 11 May 2010 Four netizens and pro-democracy activists sentenced to a total of 33 years in jail 20 January 2010 Call for the release of Vietnamese lawyer/writer Le Cong Dinh 17 June 2009 Media advocate arrested for "spreading propaganda against government" 15 June 2009

Vietnam

Blogger released 20 January 2012 Peaceful activist sent to "education center" for 24 months 5 January 2012 Newspaper reporter arrested for undercover investigation of police corruption 3 January 2012 Appeal court reduces blogger's jail sentence but upholds three years of house arrest 30 November 2011 Overturn democracy activist's sentence, says Human Rights Watch 28 November 2011 See all alerts: Vietnam


 
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