Vietnam appeals court to rule on bloggers’ case

By Toan Dao September 21, 2016 | 03:28 pm PT

Vietnamese blogger Nguyen Huu Vinh, left, and his assistant Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy stand at the dock during their trial in Hanoi, Vietnam, in March 2016. Photo by Reuters

The two bloggers were convicted earlier this year for "abusing democratic freedoms" with their posts.

An appeals court in Hanoi on Thursday will hear the appeal of a blogger who was earlier sentenced to five years in prison for posting anti-government content, according to local media.

Blogger Nguyen Huu Vinh was charged for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state” and was sentenced in March this year, the Voice of Vietnam news site reported on Wednesday.

His assistant Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy also made the same appeal against a three-year sentence.

Vinh, better known by his pen name Anh Ba Sam, established a blog, titled “Ba Sam” in 2009. He reportedly posted his own comments as well as links to other articles on political, social and economic topics.

In 2013 and 2014, Vinh set up two similar sites, according to the Voice of Vietnam.

The blogger then assigned Thuy as the administrator of the two sites.

In September 2014, the Ministry of Information and Communications said that Vinh and Thuy had posted a total of 24 articles which the government found were based on untrue and groundless content and meant to distort the policies of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the State.

The ministry also blamed the bloggers for providing pessimistic and one-sided points of view, which might lead to worries among the public and affect the people’s trust in the leadership of the party, the government and the National Assembly.

> Blogger sentenced to five years in prison for 'smearing' state