(Hanoi) A Vietnamese court on Wednesday sentenced two activists to ten and six years in prison for writing on Facebook about a land dispute between peasants and authorities that left four people dead in the suburbs of Hanoi last year.
The Vietnamese government shows zero tolerance for criticism on social media.
The sentences handed down by a Hanoi court are ten years in prison for Trinh Ba Phuong and six years for Nguyen Thi Tam, for having “fabricated, recorded, distributed or propagated information and documents aimed at opposing the Socialist Republic. of Vietnam ”.
According to the Vietnamese state news agency, VNA, their messages “distorted and fabricated the existing situation in Dong Tam commune, defamed the people’s government, incited the population to oppose the authorities.”
Conflict erupted several years ago in Dong Tam, with residents protesting against what they believe was illegal seizure of their land for the construction of a military airport. In 2017, they held several police officers hostage and shots were fired.
In January 2020, three police officers and a resident were killed during clashes in Dong Tam, when the government wanted to erect a fence.
Trinh Ba Phuong’s mother and a younger brother were sentenced in May to eight years in prison, also for messages posted on social media about the incidents. An appeals court is due to review their case this month.
In September 2020, a Hanoi court sentenced two villagers to death for the death of three police officers during the clashes. Sentences ranging from 15 months suspended to life imprisonment were handed down to 27 other people.
The judgment pronounced Wednesday comes the day after the nine-year prison sentence of Pham Doan Trang, a famous Vietnamese dissident journalist for activities including “propaganda” against the state. The United States and the United Kingdom have called for his release.
Before the journalist’s trial, Human Rights Watch said at least 146 people were behind bars for exercising their human rights in the country. Two other activists will be tried this week.