SPEECH CHECKS
The state-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA) mentioned Trien and his attorneys argued that he was exercising his proper to free speech within the posts and that they didn’t violate the regulation.
But the courtroom dominated that though freedom of speech is acknowledged by the Vietnamese structure, folks should not “benefit from it” to hurt state pursuits, VNA reported.
“The jury discovered that Tran Dinh Trien’s actions have been very severe and had a unfavorable affect on safety, order and social safety,” VNA mentioned.
While Vietnam theoretically permits freedom of speech, in follow it is extremely severely restricted, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranks the nation 74th out of 180 for press freedom, describing it as one of many worst jailers of journalists on this planet.
According to Human Rights Watch, Article 331 of the penal code – the part underneath which Trien was charged – was used to convict at the very least 24 folks in 2024 alone.
Before the decision within the trial, held for greater than a day and a half underneath tight safety, The 88 Project – which helps freedom of expression in Vietnam – mentioned the fees towards Trien have been a violation of worldwide regulation.
New guidelines went into impact in Vietnam final month requiring Facebook and TikTok to confirm customers’ identities and hand over information to authorities.
According to “Decree 147”, all tech giants working in Vietnam should confirm person accounts by way of Vietnamese telephone numbers or identification numbers and retailer that info along with the complete title and date of start.
