Illustrative photo (Source: Reuters)HCM City (VNA) – ThePeople’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City on May 9 sentenced Bui Hieu Vo from the centralprovince of Ha Tinh to four and a half years in prison for “conducting propaganda against the State of theSocialist Republic of Vietnam”.
Accordingto the indictment, 56-year-old Vo, a resident in Go Vap district, HCM City,made comments and collected documents on the social network to oppose theauthorities’ settlement of the Formosa-related marine environmental incident inseveral central provinces and land compensation in Doi Nhai, the southernprovince of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
Heaccessed unofficial, groundless documents online. Since September 2015, Vo hadused a Facebook account named “Hieu Bui” to post information distorting,criticizing and opposing policies of the Communist Party of Vietnam and theVietnamese State, as well as Party and State leaders.
Hisfabricated information has provoked public unrest, and disrupted politicalsecurity and social order and safety, the indictment said.
On March17, 2017, the security agency conducted an urgent check of Vo’s apartment onNguyen Van Cong street, Go Vap district, where police officers collected 57documents stored in the Facebook account of “Hieu Bui.”
Similar documents were alsofound in his laptop and other social accounts and email, along with 36 printeddocuments.
According to the HCM CityDepartment of Information and Communications, 25 out of the documents havecontents defaming and slandering Party and State leaders, and 14 othersinciting violence, harming national security and social order and safety.
At the court, Vo admittedhis wrongdoings and committed to not repeating such actions.-VNA
VNA
