Blogger jailed for ‘abusing freedom’
Blogger Truong Duy Nhat on March was sentenced to two years in prison at a trial in the central city of Danang.
According to the indictment, the blogger was found guilty of “Abusing freedom to infringe upon interests of the State, legitimate rights and interests of organizations and citizens”. The charges are stipulated under Clause 2, Article 258 of the Penal Code.
The verdict said Nhat, 50, and a resident of Hai Chau District had published a number of articles written by himself and several others on his blog, between 2009 and May 25, 2013.
Eleven of the items, and one post by another person, reportedly contained untruthful information that distorted the Party’s guidelines and policies and State laws.
The judgment said the articles had offered a one-sided perspective, causing public concern and undermining the public’s trust in the leadership of the Party and State.
The articles attracted more than 34,000 views and received 483 comments.
The accused was found to have persisted in publishing the articles, despite repeated requests to stop the offences.