11/18/2019 Vietnam (International Christian Concern) – Nguyen Nang Tinh, a 43-year-old Christian music teacher, was sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of “propaganda against the state” in Vietnam’s north central province of Nghe An.
Authorities arrested Tinh on May 29 over posts made to a Facebook account that Tinh claimed he was not affiliated with. On September 17, police officially closed the investigation and set a court date for a month later. On November 17 Tinh officially was sentenced by the courts, a month later than originally scheduled.
Tinh was charged under Article 117 of Vietnam’s Criminal Code as having “fabricated, preserved and disseminated information, materials and objects with the aim of opposing the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”. The posts in question were made under a Facebook account with the same name, though Tinh has repeatedly claimed that it is not his account.
A devout Catholic and avid Christian activist, members of the Catholic community from 11 parishes gathered prior his hearing, along with Tinh’s father.
Last year Vietnam passed a cybersecurity law that would require social media sites to remove any content requested by the government. With at least 128 political prisoners in jail, approximately 10% were jailed over alleged Facebook posts.
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