A group of citizen journalists have been jailed for up to twelve years in Vietnam for blogging about human rights abuses, corruption and foreign policy.
Nguyen Van Hai, Ta Phong Tan and Phan Thanh Hai, founding members of the ‘Free Journalists’ Club’ were found guilty of spreading “propaganda against the state”, and were handed sentences ranging from four to twelve years in jail.
The mother of Ms Tan died in late July after self-immolating in protest against her daughter’s arrest.
The US has expressed that it is “deeply troubled” by the convictions with State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland saying:
"These convictions are the latest in a series of moves by Vietnamese authorities to restrict freedom of expression. The Vietnamese government should release these three bloggers, all prisoners of conscience, and adhere to its international obligations immediately.”
