Theaccused are Pham Minh Vu, 22, from central Quang Tri province; Do NamTrung, 33, from northern Nam Dinh province; and Le Thi Phuong Anh, 30,from Hanoi.
Vu was given 18 months in jail while Trung was handed 14 months behind bars and Anh received 12 months.
According to the provincial People’s Procuracy, from 2012 to mid-Mayof 2014, the defendants allegedly abused their democratic rights tofreedom of speech, freedom of gathering, the right of appeal, and theright to use the internet to post articles with distorted informationabout the Party and State via their facebook and “Hoi yeu nuoc”(patriotic association) and “Hoi anh em dan chu” (democratic brotherhoodassociation) websites.
The defendants also tookadvantage of China’s illegal placement of its oil rig Haiyang Shiyou 981in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf to stimulatewide-spread social disorder among Vietnamese workers.
On May 15, 2014, they were arrested by local police while takingphotos and filming riots and disturbing public order at the provincialAmata industrial park.-VNA