Six Vietnam activists on trial for attempting to ‘overthrow the state’ face death penalty
Activists accused of carrying out human rights training, calling for multi-party democracy and receiving funding from foreign groups
A court in Hanoi opened trial Thursday of six activists accused of attempting to overthrow the government as communist authorities stepped up their crackdown on dissent.
Prominent human rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai and five others are accused of affiliating with a pro-democracy group called the Brotherhood for Democracy, which prosecutors say works with foreign and domestic organisations to oppose the state, change the political system and eventually overthrow the government.
The six face the death penalty if convicted.
“The defendants have taken advantage of the fight for ‘democracy, human rights, civil society’ to conceal the … purpose of ‘the Brotherhood for Democracy,’” the official Vietnam News Agency quoted the indictment as saying.
Prosecutors determined that Dai was the mastermind behind the group, directly building its platform, recruiting new members and seeking finance from foreign organisations and individuals, which totalled more than US$80,000, it said.
International human rights groups have called for their release.