Vietnam jails activist known for anti-China, pro-environment stance for 10 years
- Do Nam Trung is the fourth dissident jailed by the communist regime in three days
- Vietnam’s government has moved quickly to stifle dissent, targeting activists with large followings on Facebook
A Vietnamese court sentenced an activist to 10 years in prison for spreading information against the state on social media, lawyers said Thursday, the fourth dissident jailed by the communist regime in three days.
Do Nam Trung, 40, is well known for taking part in environmental and anti-China protests and opposing government corruption.
He previously spent 14 months in prison after publicly advocating for democracy and human rights in the early 2010s.
Vietnam’s hardline administration often moves swiftly to stifle dissent, jailing activists, journalists and any critic with large audiences on Facebook.
At a half-day trial in northern Nam Dinh province on Thursday, Trung was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for “making, storing, distributing or propagating information and documents aimed at opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”.