A court in Hanoi sentenced a prominent Vietnamese blogger to five years in prison after finding him guilty of posting anti-state writings. (Representational Image)
HANOI, Vietnam:
A court in Hanoi sentenced a prominent Vietnamese blogger to five years in prison after finding him guilty of posting anti-state writings on his two blogs.
Nguyen Huu Vinh, a former police officer and son of a late government minister, was convicted on a charge of abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on the interests of the state at the one-day trial today.
Vinh's assistant Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy was given three years in prison on the same charge. The two had been in prison since their arrests in May 2014.
They maintained their innocence throughout the trial, but Presiding Judge Nguyen Van Pho said their actions distort the ruling Communist Party's policies, reduce the people's trust in the party and go against interests of the nation.
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