Vietnam
Writer in Vietnam given jail time for criticizing the statePosted Feb 8 2010
Despite the efforts of three U.S. legislators, a Vietnamese freelance writer was sentenced to four years in prison on Jan. 29 after being convicted of spreading anti-state propaganda.
The journalist, Pham Thanh Nghien, was arrested in 2008 and originally charged with staging a protest against the Vietnamese government. On the day of her trial in Haiphong City, the charges were changed.
Before the trial, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer and Reps. Lorretta Sanchez and Zoe Lofgren appealed to President Nguyen Minh Triet in the hopes of securing Nghien's release.
“It is time for Vietnam to allow its citizens to fully exercise the internationally recognized rights of freedom of assembly, expression, association and religion without fear of retribution from their government,” stated their letter to the president.
After Nghien serves her sentence in prison, she will be required to spend three years under house arrest.