FC: Vietnam asked to release reporter punished for web publishing

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

---

Hi Declan,

I'm forwarding an update on a recent development re.
journalist and other cyber-dissidents. Pls. remove my
e-mail address if you're sharing w/ other politech
reader.  Thanks.

Tuyet

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> Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) has written to the
> Vietnamese government requesting the release on
> ill-health grounds of a journalist arrested in
> November for publishing critical material on the
web.
>
> Le Chi Quang was sentenced to four years in jail,
> followed by three years of house arrest, for
> 'opposing the socialist republic of Viet Nam', under
> Article 88 of the country's penal code.
>
> However, at his trial he appeared to be ill. His
> family claim he has kidney problems which prison
> officials have refused to treat.
>
> RSF Secretary General, Robert Ménard, said in his
> letter to Justice Minister Uong Chu Luu: "Even if
> your government persists in abusing the basic rights
> of its citizens, we appeal to you to free Le Chi
> Quang because he is seriously ill."
>
> Ménard noted that Le Chi Quang had simply been
> exercising his right to free expression, as
> guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil
> and Political Rights, which Vietnam has ratified.
>
> Quang was given no right to a defense during his
> trial, which only lasted three hours. Foreign
> reporters were barred from the courtroom. Only his
> relatives were allowed to be present. His mother
> said he had admitted the facts of the case but
> rejected the accusations against him. She said an
> appeal would be filed against the verdict. Nearly
> 100 people, including dissidents, gathered outside
> the courthouse in protest and one of them was
> reportedly arrested.
>
> Two other cyber-dissidents are imprisoned in
> Viet Nam. Pham Hong Son was arrested in March for
> translating and posting an article on the Internet
> entitled 'What is Democracy?' Nguyen Vu Binh, who
> wrote for the magazine Tap Chi Cong San, was also
> arrested in September for posting other 'offensive'
> material on the web.
>
Sources:
http://www.indexonline.org/indexindex/20021111_vietnam.shtml
http://www.ifex.org/alerts/view.html?id=11516





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