HCM City (VNA) – The People’s Court of Ho ChiMinh City held a court for Pham Chi Dung and his two accomplices – Nguyen TuongThuy and Le Huu Minh Tuan – for the charge of making, storing, spreadinginformation, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the State of theSocialist Republic of Vietnam under the Penal Code.
In the case, Dung is identified as the mastermind. He found a so-called “Hoinha bao doc lap Viet Nam” (Vietnamese independent journalists’ association) toincite other people to make propaganda on distorted information about policies ofthe Party and State.
According to authorised agencies, the defendants releaseddozens of writings distorting and defaming the people’s administration, whilefabricating information to harm the prestige of the Communist Party of Vietnamand the State.
Alongside, Dung set up and made use of his relationshipswith online news websites and foreign media outlets to run his stories andanswer interviews with the aim of changing the political institution ofVietnam.
On October 21, 2019, Dung was arrested by the police of HoChi Minh City, while Thuy was detained on May 23, 2020 and Tuan on June 12,2020.
The city People’s Procuracy said the acts of the defendants areextremely serious and dangerous to society as they aim to undermine national securityand social safety and order, abet malcontents, erode people’s trust in theParty and State, and cause public worries./.