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Trien and his attorneys claimed in the state Vietnam News Agency (VNA ) that they did not break the law by arguing that they were allowing him to freely express himself in the posts.
But the judge ruled that while free talk was recognised by the Asian constitution, people had not “take benefits” of this to harm condition interests, VNA reported.
” The tryout board determined that Tran Dinh Trien’s deeds were quite serious, negatively affecting protection, attempt, and social safety”, VNA said.
While Vietnam notionally allows free speech, in practice it is very tightly restricted, and Reporters Without Borders ( RSF ) ranks the country 74th out of 180 for press freedom, describing it as one of the world’s worst jailers of journalists.
According to Human Rights Watch, Article 331 of the penal code, the area Trien was charged under, was used to indict and sentence at least 24 people in 2024 only.
The 88 Project, which supports the right to freedom of expression in Vietnam, claimed that the charges against Trien were a violation of international law before the trial conviction, which was held for more than a moment and a half under heavy protection.
In Vietnam, new regulations were implemented last month that required the companies Facebook and TikTok to evaluate user names and provide information to authorities.
All software companies operating in Vietnam are required to validate user accounts using phone figures or Vietnamese identification figures and keep that information along with their full name and birthdate under” Decree 147.”