Reporters Without Borders
31 Dec, 2021
It
took a Hanoi people’s tribunal less than two hours to try Lê Trong Hung this
morning. Pro-government
media said he was convicted under article 117 of Vietnam’s penal
code, which criminalises “making, storing, distributing or disseminating
information, documents and other material opposing the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam.” He was also sentenced to five years of probation on completion of his
jail sentence.
By way of propaganda, Hung had worked for the past four years for Chen Hung Viet
Nam TV (CHTV), the social media TV channel of which he was one of the founders.
Its name means “Vietnam Renaissance TV.” Under the pseudonym of Hung Gan, he
often reported on cases of corruption and illegal expropriation, providing legal
information designed to help the victims.
Hung had been detained arbitrarily for nine months prior to today’s trial, ever
since his arrest
at his Hanoi home on 27 March on the orders of the feared Cong an
Nhan Dan, the People’s Public Security force. He was not allowed to see his
lawyer until 22 November and his wife was barred from attending the trial.
Politburo edicts
“Le Trong Hung’s shocking five-year prison sentence has yet again highlighted
the Vietnamese justice system’s complete lack of independence and the way the
courts limit themselves to carrying out the ruling Communist Party’s edicts,”
said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk. “The current
government shamelessly violates article 25 of the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam’s constitution, which loudly proclaims freedom of the press. This
abysmal contempt for the rule of law must end.”
Hung is the second CHTV co-founder to fall victim to the Vietnamese regime’s
crackdown on press freedom. Le Van Dung, who was one of its presenters,
was arrested last June, as RSF reported at
the time.
The annual round-up of abusive treatment and violence against journalists that
RSF published last week reported that Vietnam is the world’s third biggest
jailer of journalists and bloggers, with a total of 44
currently held for trying to provide freely reported news and
information.
Vietnam is ranked 175th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2021 World
Press Freedom Index.
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