Vietnam dissidents on trial

20 Jan, 2010
Online news: Asia

A man reads a copy of Thanh Nien daily in front of the Hanoi People's Court in 2008. A group of democracy activists expected to go on trial in Vietnam on Wednesday could face the death penalty, in a case that has sparked international concern.

A group of democracy activists expected to go on trial in Vietnam on Wednesday could face the death penalty, in a case that has sparked international concern.

French-trained computer expert and blogger Nguyen Tien Trung, 26, human rights lawyer Le Cong Dinh, 41, and Internet entrepreneur Tran Huynh Duy Thuc are charged with "activities aimed at subverting the people's administration", according to an indictment cited by the state-linked Thanh Nien newspaper.

The charges carry a minimum penalty of 12 years' imprisonment and a maximum of death.

The case is the most high-profile in a series of arrests and convictions of dissidents and bloggers in the communist country.

The accused were arrested between May and July last year in Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon. An initial accusation of "propaganda" against the state, a charge punishable only by prison, was later replaced by the more severe charge.

Analysts said the arrests were part of a long-running crackdown and reflected the one-party state's sensitivity to perceived foreign enemies.

The indictment, as reported by Thanh Nien, alleges that the three defendants prepared dozens of anti-state documents and blogs.

It says that Thuc foresaw a "new government" this year and the Communist Party's liquidation by 2020. Dinh drafted a new constitution, while Trung, together with students in France, established a "democratic youth movement".

It further alleges the accused have links to the banned Democratic Party of Vietnam (DPV). The DPV has its roots in the Communist Party. It was dissolved in the 1980s but revived in 2006 by Hoang Minh Chinh, a former communist official-turned-dissident who died in 2008.

"Political activity in a peaceful manner for the development of Vietnam is not a crime," the DPV said ahead of the trial. The group, which has not revealed the size of its membership, called for dialogue with the government.

Thanh Nien reported that a fourth man to be tried, Le Thang Long, is accused of being an accomplice and faces five to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Two days have been set aside to hear the case.

State media have reported that the accused have all admitted their guilt.