Vietnamese blogger jailed for tax fraud
Thursday, September 11, 2008
A VIETNAMESE court yesterday sentenced a high-profile blogger known for his outspoken criticism of China to 2.5 years in prison for tax fraud, his lawyer said.
But media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) accused the communist authorities in Hanoi of using the charges as a pretext to punish Dieu Cay for his comments against the policies of neighbouring China.
Dieu Cay, whose real name is Nguyen Hoang Hai, was convicted during a closed-door one-day trial in a court in southern Ho Chi Minh City, his lawyer Le Cong Dinh told AFP.
The attorney gave no further details about the trial, and court officials refused to comment.
Dieu Cay was arrested in April, just days before the Olympic torch's journey through Ho Chi Minh City, which Hanoi promised China would pass without incident.
The Vietnamese justice ministry confirmed his arrest on suspicion of tax fraud, without giving further details of the allegations against him.
At the time of his arrest, RSF charged that Dieu Cay was being punished for criticising China's claims of sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.
Vietnam has also staked its claims to the islands.
"Dieu Cay's trial is an important test for the credibility of Vietnam's judicial system," the Paris-based group said ahead of yesterday's trial.
"Will it recognise that the charge is baseless? The Vietnamese constitution protects free expression but the Communist Party tolerates no criticism. We call on the judges to side with the law and to acquit this cyber-dissident."
Dieu Cay is affiliated to a group of bloggers known as the Free Vietnamese Journalists' Club, some of whose members have been threatened and arrested on several occasions, RSF said.
AFP
But media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) accused the communist authorities in Hanoi of using the charges as a pretext to punish Dieu Cay for his comments against the policies of neighbouring China.
Dieu Cay, whose real name is Nguyen Hoang Hai, was convicted during a closed-door one-day trial in a court in southern Ho Chi Minh City, his lawyer Le Cong Dinh told AFP.
The attorney gave no further details about the trial, and court officials refused to comment.
Dieu Cay was arrested in April, just days before the Olympic torch's journey through Ho Chi Minh City, which Hanoi promised China would pass without incident.
The Vietnamese justice ministry confirmed his arrest on suspicion of tax fraud, without giving further details of the allegations against him.
At the time of his arrest, RSF charged that Dieu Cay was being punished for criticising China's claims of sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.
Vietnam has also staked its claims to the islands.
"Dieu Cay's trial is an important test for the credibility of Vietnam's judicial system," the Paris-based group said ahead of yesterday's trial.
"Will it recognise that the charge is baseless? The Vietnamese constitution protects free expression but the Communist Party tolerates no criticism. We call on the judges to side with the law and to acquit this cyber-dissident."
Dieu Cay is affiliated to a group of bloggers known as the Free Vietnamese Journalists' Club, some of whose members have been threatened and arrested on several occasions, RSF said.
AFP
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