A court in the northern province of Hoa Binh found Dao Quang Thuc, 58, guilty of “carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration” under Vietnam’s Penal Code.
It also ruled that Thuc would be held under house arrest for between one to five years after serving his jail term.
A Cong An (Police) newspaper report said Thuc used to work as a primary school teacher in Da Bac District in Hoa Binh, around two hours to the southwest of Hanoi.
Dao Quang Thuc stands trial in Hoa Binh on Wednesday. Photo by Vietnam News Agency |
He was also a member of the U.S.-based “Provisional National Government of Vietnam,” which has been classified as a terrorist organization, the report said, citing the indictment.
Investigations found that he had established connections with gangs at home and abroad, and posted articles and comments carrying anti-state propaganda on social media.
The indictment also said that Thuc had joined some individuals to plan multiple terrorist attacks and assassinate local leaders. However, Vietnamese security forces successfully foiled these plots.
Thuc was detained in October last year. When police raided his house, they said, they seized many documents and other evidence related to activities for overthrowing the government.
Under Vietnam's Penal Code, "carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people's administration" is a crime carrying capital punishment for organizers, instigators and active participants, and jail terms of up to 15 years for accomplices.
Nguyen Trung Truc, one of the leaders of a seditious outlawed group called Brotherhood for Democracy, was jailed for 12 years in prison for the same charges at a trial in central Vietnam's Quang Binh Province earlier this month.