(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has condemned the 8 November 2002 sentencing of cyber-dissident Le Chi Quang to four years’ imprisonment with no parole. The cyber-dissident was accused of “publishing criticism of the government on the Internet”. “Even if your government persists in abusing the basic rights of its citizens, we appeal to you to free Le […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has condemned the 8 November 2002 sentencing of cyber-dissident Le Chi Quang to four years’ imprisonment with no parole. The cyber-dissident was accused of “publishing criticism of the government on the Internet”.
“Even if your government persists in abusing the basic rights of its citizens, we appeal to you to free Le Chi Quang because he is seriously ill,” RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard said in a letter to Justice Minister Uong Chu Luu. During his trial, the journalist appeared to be in a very weak state and his face was swollen. His family said he has kidney problems that prison officials have refused to treat.
Ménard noted that Le Chi Quang had simply been exercising his right to free expression, as guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Vietnam has ratified.
Le Chi Quang was sentenced to four years in jail, followed by three years of house arrest, for “opposing the socialist republic of Vietnam” under Article 88 of the Penal Code, which forbids publication of material criticising the government.
The cyber-dissident’s right to a defence was not respected during his trial in Hanoi, which only lasted three hours. Foreign reporters were also barred from the courtroom. Only his relatives were allowed to be present. His mother said he had admitted the facts of the case but rejected the accusations against him. She said an appeal would be filed against the “unjust verdict.” Nearly 100 people, including dissidents, gathered outside the courthouse in protest and one of them was reportedly arrested.
Le Chi Quang, aged 32, who teaches computers and also has a law degree, was arrested on 21 February in a cybercafé in Hanoi and sent to prison camp B14 in the northern province of Ha Dong.
Several of his articles were deemed “unlawful”, including one entitled “Beware of the Empire to the North”, which was posted on the Internet. The very detailed article discussed Vietnam’s signing of secret border agreements with Beijing since 1999.
Two other cyber-dissidents are imprisoned in Vietnam. Pham Hong Son was arrested on 29 March for translating and posting an article on the Internet entitled “What is Democracy?” (see IFEX alerts of 23 October, 15 August, 26 July and 18 April 2002). Nguyen Vu Binh, who wrote for the magazine “Tap Chi Cong San”, was arrested on 25 September for posting other material on the Internet (see alerts of 23 and 9 October and 27 September 2002).
Tran Que, a literature teacher and founder of a group campaigning against corruption, has been under house arrest since 10 March after he posted on a website a letter sent to Chinese President Jiang Zemin about the China-Vietnam border agreements (see alert of 14 March 2002).
