Vietnam: 6 Years jail granted to Facebook user over series of "anti-state" posts

June 07, 2019:

On Thursday, a Court in Vietnam sentenced a Facebook user to six years in prison for a series of posts he made on the social media platform that country’s government said were “anti-state.”

Despite sweeping economic reform and increasing openness to social change, Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party retains tight media censorship and doesn't tolerate criticism.

Nguyen Ngoc Anh, 38, was accused of “making and spreading anti-state information and materials” at the one-day trial at the People’s Court of Ben Tre province in the Mekong Delta, the Vietnam News Agency said.

Anh, who is a shrimp farming engineer, was arrested last Sep after he was found writing & sharing anti-state posts and videos on his Facebook account between March & Aug last year, according to a Police statement.

The statement said Anh also incited people to join protests in June and during Vietnam’s National Day in Sep last year.

Facebook is widely used in the country and serves as the main platform for both e-commerce and dissent.

In Jan, Vietnam accused Facebook of violating local law by allowing users to post anti-govt comments.

The US social media giant said in a report released last month that it increased the amount of content it restricted access to in Vietnam by over 500% in the last half of 2018.

Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said Wednesday that the trial was a show to “frighten others who might dare to question the government.”

“Nguyen Ngoc Anh’s only crime is to speak his mind against injustice and oppression,” Robertson said.

Anh will be placed under house arrest for five years after serving his jail term, Vietnam News Agency reported.

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