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Vietnam: Journalist jailed for two years for revealing gov’t corruption
Wed. October 15, 2008 09:26 am.- By Bonny Apunyu. -
(SomaliNet) A journalist, Nguyen Viet Chien has been sentenced to two years in jail for by a court in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi for revealing government corruption.
Meanwhile, a second journalist, Nguyen Van Hai, received a two-year non-custodial sentence and their source within the police force was sentenced to one year in jail. When handing down his sentence, the judge said both journalists were guilty of "abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state".
Mr Chien wrote a series of articles about transport ministry officials who spent foreign aid money, meant for roads and bridges, on gambling and high living.
The articles led to a series of arrests and the government started an anti-corruption drive. Hanoi also earned the praise of the international community for allowing state-controlled media to report on such sensitive issues.
However, the trial and today's ruling are being viewed as a government attempt to curtail any hope for a freer press. –RNW.
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