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Two Vietnamese songwriters were sentenced Tuesday to a total of ten years
Self | 10/30/2012 | Huong Giang

Posted on 10/30/2012 12:37:59 AM PDT by cutiedieuvan

The People’s Court in Ho Chi Minh City today passed sentence on Two Vietnamese songwriters .

Tran Vu Anh Binh, known as Hoang Nhat Thong, 37 and Vo Minh Tri, known as Viet Khang, 34, received sentences of 6 years and 4 years, respectively, with two additional years of house arrest .

The songwriters were charged with spreading anti-government propaganda under Article 88 of the country’s criminal code. They were founding members of the Vietnamese Patriot Youth, an organization not recognized as an official body by the government. Chuacuuthe.com website reported that an estimated 100 security officials blocked access to the court and the signal jammers were used in the Court House. Amnesty International Condemns the Sentence for Two Vietnamese songwriters :

“This is a ludicrous way to treat people just for writing songs. These men are prisoners of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression through their songs and non-violent activities, and should be freed,” said Rupert Abbott, Amnesty International’s Researcher on Viet Nam.

“The Vietnamese authorities must abide by their constitutional and international obligations to respect their people’s right to freedom of expression, including through music and other media.”

Human Rights Watch condemned the verdict as part of Vietnam's most severe crackdown on freedom of expression, and called for an immediate response from the international community.

“There is a very disturbing trend of repression against those who peacefully voice opinions the Vietnamese authorities do not like,” said Abbott.

On 14 October 2012, 20-year old college student Nguyen Phuong Uyen was arrested after 10 police stormed into her room . She is reportedly accused of being involved in distributing anti-China leaflets.

Vietnam has stepped up its campaign to clamp down on the Internet. Last month the same court sentenced three bloggers for producing "anti-state propaganda" under Article 88 of the criminal code. Blogger Nguyen Van Hai, alias Dieu Cay, was sentenced to 12 years in prison and Ta Phong Tan was given 10 years, while Phan Thanh Hai got 4 years after a trial lasting just a few hours.

Hương Giang


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: bloggers; braking; vanity; vietnam; vietnamese

1 posted on 10/30/2012 12:38:09 AM PDT by cutiedieuvan
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To: cutiedieuvan

Its sick to jail people for music...unless they end on an suspended chord and don’t resolve it...I just hate that.


2 posted on 10/30/2012 12:50:49 AM PDT by AndyTheBear
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To: cutiedieuvan

This is horrible. However, I could see something like this happening here if zero gets re-elected.


3 posted on 10/30/2012 12:51:26 AM PDT by Catsrus (Ma)
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To: cutiedieuvan

Code 88. How Stormfront.


4 posted on 10/30/2012 2:03:08 AM PDT by Hardraade (http://junipersec.wordpress.com (I will fear no muslim))
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To: Catsrus

England is doing mass arrests of EDL over speech and plotting to make “nuisances”.


5 posted on 10/30/2012 2:04:59 AM PDT by Hardraade (http://junipersec.wordpress.com (I will fear no muslim))
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To: cutiedieuvan

Thank you Bill Ayers, I hope you are happy with your “liberated” Vietnam.


6 posted on 10/30/2012 2:23:08 AM PDT by Hillary'sMoralVoid
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To: cutiedieuvan
Same thing happens here in America. Filmmaker gets thrown into prison for political thought crime


7 posted on 10/30/2012 3:13:00 AM PDT by MuttTheHoople (Pray for Joe Biden- Proverbs 29:9)
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To: cutiedieuvan

It’s so wonderful to see the free People of Vietnam establish a pieceloving, demoncratic, socialistic worker’s pair o’ dice, free from the oppression of Western imperialists and their stooges. This is so patently obvious that the Western running dogs have even normalized relationship and accepted the glorious revolution as reality./sarc


8 posted on 10/30/2012 3:30:24 AM PDT by Eleutheria5 (End the occupation. Annex today.)
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To: Hardraade

Check out article 58 from the old Soviet Union.

Solzhenitsyn referred to it numerous times in his writings. Basically a blank check that the government used to squash dissent.

Just good old fashioned communism. Nothing new here. 6 years and 4 years might be kind of light in this case.


9 posted on 10/30/2012 3:32:37 AM PDT by paint_your_wagon
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To: cutiedieuvan

Here’s that wonderful socialist country of Vietnam that the lefties love so much throwing people in prison for speaking their minds. Leftists can never draw the right conclusions. A lot of the time it’s because they themselves wish to throw people in prison for speaking their minds i.e. disagreeing with socialists.


10 posted on 10/30/2012 3:47:50 AM PDT by driftless2
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To: cutiedieuvan

Here’s that wonderful socialist country of Vietnam that the lefties love so much throwing people in prison for speaking their minds. Leftists can never draw the right conclusions. A lot of the time it’s because they themselves wish to throw people in prison for speaking their minds i.e. disagreeing with socialists.


11 posted on 10/30/2012 3:49:13 AM PDT by driftless2
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To: cutiedieuvan
In Viet Nam there is a long and strong history of poetry and song used for spreading cultural and political opinions.
Much more so than in the western world.
If, and it does appear so, these two were able to tap into this "village telegraph" it can quickly move around the country.

Also, the internet, particularly YouTube and several Asian equivalents, is widely used in Viet Nam, and is helping these traditions spread messages.

My bet says that these two will be released due to pressure from outside Viet Nam.
How soon?...maybe 1 year...maybe less.
12 posted on 10/30/2012 4:08:32 AM PDT by Tainan (Cogito, ergo conservatus sum -- "The Taliban is inside the building")
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To: AndyTheBear

Let us hope that the sentence is suspended, not just diminished.

Seriously though...I have writen some very naughty songs about the Lyin’ King, and a fantastic parody of the religion of peace.

I could be in a lot of trouble.


13 posted on 10/30/2012 5:09:01 AM PDT by left that other site (Worry is the Darkroom that Develops Negatives.)
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To: cutiedieuvan; doug from upland

Doug comes to mind. I love his politically inspired music videos.

Don’t forget to vote!


14 posted on 10/30/2012 5:38:19 AM PDT by BykrBayb (Somewhere, my flower is there. ~ Þ)
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To: Hillary'sMoralVoid

One sick state that the lefts love to boast !!! Why don’t they all go and live with their utopia society??? SIGH


15 posted on 10/30/2012 6:09:25 AM PDT by Toidylop
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To: Hillary'sMoralVoid

16 posted on 10/30/2012 7:50:43 AM PDT by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
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To: Hillary'sMoralVoid

17 posted on 10/30/2012 7:54:40 AM PDT by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
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To: cutiedieuvan
The People’s Court in Ho Chi Minh City

Is that the one presided over by Judge Nguyapner?

18 posted on 10/30/2012 8:25:54 AM PDT by Dr.Deth
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