The People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City on January 20 handed down sentences to four men charged with "working to overthrow the people's administration" in accordance with Article 79 of the Criminal Code.
It sentenced Tran Huynh Duy Thuc to 16 years in prison and ordered that he be kept under surveillance by local authorities for five years after serving his sentence.
Nguyen Tien Trung was sentenced to seven years in prison and three years under surveillance by the local authorities.
The two other men, Le Cong Dinh and Le Thang Long, were given five-years in prison followed by three years of surveillance.
At the trial, chaired by Nguyen Duc Sau, chief judge of the People's Court of HCM City, Thuc was defended by lawyer Trieu Quoc Manh, Trung was defended by lawyer Doan Thai Duyen Hai, and Dinh defended himself.
Long requested that lawyer Nguyen Minh Tam not defend him. The request was accepted by the Trial Council.
The Trial Council rejected a request by Thuc to change the council's members and prosecutors.
While Trung and Dinh sincerely confessed their violations of the law and showed their repentance, the other two offenders tried to deny their crimes and the accusations indicted by the Supreme People's Procuracy.
Driven by an extreme attitude and discontent with Party and State policies, Thuc was said to have set up a reactionary organisation called "Chan Research Group" in late 2005.
He was also said to have incited four other members of the One Connection Internet Company (OCI), established and directed by Thuc, to take part in this group, according to the indictment.
Another four members of the group were said to be Le Thang Long, Le Thi Thu Thu, Tran Thi Thu and Cu Thi Phuong.
The court was told that through the reactionary organisation, Thuc worked out a policy and plan of action to overthrow the people's administration. Nurturing an illusion that 2010 would be a "declining" year and 2020, the "ending" year, of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Thuc came up with a formula of activities for subverting the present political regime.
His plan "Doai Battle Doai", which meant using communists to "fight" communists, aimed at sowing division within the Communist Party and State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Thuc also colluded with Nguyen Si Binh, head of an exile reactionary organisation called "The Democratic Party of Vietnam", to discuss and reach unanimity on a programme of action to topple the administration.
Besides active participation in activities of "The Democratic Party of Vietnam", Thuc also took charge of establishing another reactionary organisation called "The Socialist Party of Vietnam" to mobilise forces for "The Democratic Party of Vietnam".
Working with the "Chan Research Group" and "The Democratic Party of Vietnam", Thuc wrote 53 documents - reserving seven - and disseminated them by website, blog and e-mail.
The documents were said to have fabricated material against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam - and distorted information about the leadership of the Party and the running of the Government.
In 2006, Trung was said to have established a reactionary organisation called the "Alliance of Democratic Youth" in France with the aim of gathering extremists, mostly from the young, to spread propaganda against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
He joined the "Democratic Party of Vietnam" and was appointed by Nguyen Si Binh to its "executive board" in charge of youth issues. He set up a website for the "Vieät Nam Democratic Party" and a publication called the "Democracy Periodical".
He also refined the "Platform, Statutes" of this reactionary organisation. Trung drew 23 people to the "Alliance of Democratic Youth" and five others to the "Democratic Party of Vietnam", and wrote 64 documents, including 50 with contents against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
He kept 13 documents, including the "platform, statutes" of the "Democratic Party of Vietnam", and was alleged to have deceived impressionable people into joining the organisation and the "Alliance of Democratic Youth".
With a recommendation from Nguyen Tien Trung, Le Cong Dinh was said to have joined the "Democratic Party of Vietnam" in June 2008 and was appointed to its "executive board" by Nguyen Si Binh.
Dinh took part in refining the "statutes" of the "Democratic Party of Vietnam", and received from Binh a document called "New Constitution", the contents of which were to abolish the current political system and to compile a "constitution" for the "Democratic Party of Vietnam".
Dinh is also said to have written 33 documents, kept 24 others plus 32 books, the contents of which were said to be libellous incitement against the State. They also were aid to expose the "wicked scheme of undermining, defaming and then overthrowing the administration".
From March 1-3, 2009, Dinh took part in a training course of "non-violent" struggle against Vietnam held in Thailand by a terrorist organisation called "Viet Tan".
At the invitation of Thuc, Le Thang Long join the "Chan Research Group" and wrote 39 documents for disbursement among others in the group, worked out action plans and orientations for activities that were libellous and inciting the overthrow the administration.
Long was also said to have kept five documents with contents against the Vietnamese State, and tried to attract (in vain) eight people to the "Chan Research Group".
In April 2007, Long separated himself from the organisation and established the "Prospering Vietnam Movement", set up the website "ChanhungnuocViet.infor" and the "Club of Elderly for Prospering Vietnam", the "Club of Journalists for Prospering Vietnam", and wrote articles against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
For Le Thi Thu Thu, Tran Thi Thu and Cu Thi Phuong, the jury did not apply criminal charges, but gave them probation considering the degree and nature of their acts and that they were drawn into them - and had sincerely confessed and applied for mercy.
The jury held that the case was especially serious in that it violated national security.
Members said the acts of the accused were closely organised and co-ordinated in conjunction with reactionary organisations of Vietnamese in exile and hostile forces.
They said the acts were aimed at gathering forces into reactionary political organisations, proceeding to overthrowing the people's administration by "non-violent" means, and realising a "peaceful evolution" scheme to undermine the people's administration and the country.-Enditem
It sentenced Tran Huynh Duy Thuc to 16 years in prison and ordered that he be kept under surveillance by local authorities for five years after serving his sentence.
Nguyen Tien Trung was sentenced to seven years in prison and three years under surveillance by the local authorities.
The two other men, Le Cong Dinh and Le Thang Long, were given five-years in prison followed by three years of surveillance.
At the trial, chaired by Nguyen Duc Sau, chief judge of the People's Court of HCM City, Thuc was defended by lawyer Trieu Quoc Manh, Trung was defended by lawyer Doan Thai Duyen Hai, and Dinh defended himself.
Long requested that lawyer Nguyen Minh Tam not defend him. The request was accepted by the Trial Council.
The Trial Council rejected a request by Thuc to change the council's members and prosecutors.
While Trung and Dinh sincerely confessed their violations of the law and showed their repentance, the other two offenders tried to deny their crimes and the accusations indicted by the Supreme People's Procuracy.
Driven by an extreme attitude and discontent with Party and State policies, Thuc was said to have set up a reactionary organisation called "Chan Research Group" in late 2005.
He was also said to have incited four other members of the One Connection Internet Company (OCI), established and directed by Thuc, to take part in this group, according to the indictment.
Another four members of the group were said to be Le Thang Long, Le Thi Thu Thu, Tran Thi Thu and Cu Thi Phuong.
The court was told that through the reactionary organisation, Thuc worked out a policy and plan of action to overthrow the people's administration. Nurturing an illusion that 2010 would be a "declining" year and 2020, the "ending" year, of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Thuc came up with a formula of activities for subverting the present political regime.
His plan "Doai Battle Doai", which meant using communists to "fight" communists, aimed at sowing division within the Communist Party and State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Thuc also colluded with Nguyen Si Binh, head of an exile reactionary organisation called "The Democratic Party of Vietnam", to discuss and reach unanimity on a programme of action to topple the administration.
Besides active participation in activities of "The Democratic Party of Vietnam", Thuc also took charge of establishing another reactionary organisation called "The Socialist Party of Vietnam" to mobilise forces for "The Democratic Party of Vietnam".
Working with the "Chan Research Group" and "The Democratic Party of Vietnam", Thuc wrote 53 documents - reserving seven - and disseminated them by website, blog and e-mail.
The documents were said to have fabricated material against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam - and distorted information about the leadership of the Party and the running of the Government.
In 2006, Trung was said to have established a reactionary organisation called the "Alliance of Democratic Youth" in France with the aim of gathering extremists, mostly from the young, to spread propaganda against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
He joined the "Democratic Party of Vietnam" and was appointed by Nguyen Si Binh to its "executive board" in charge of youth issues. He set up a website for the "Vieät Nam Democratic Party" and a publication called the "Democracy Periodical".
He also refined the "Platform, Statutes" of this reactionary organisation. Trung drew 23 people to the "Alliance of Democratic Youth" and five others to the "Democratic Party of Vietnam", and wrote 64 documents, including 50 with contents against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
He kept 13 documents, including the "platform, statutes" of the "Democratic Party of Vietnam", and was alleged to have deceived impressionable people into joining the organisation and the "Alliance of Democratic Youth".
With a recommendation from Nguyen Tien Trung, Le Cong Dinh was said to have joined the "Democratic Party of Vietnam" in June 2008 and was appointed to its "executive board" by Nguyen Si Binh.
Dinh took part in refining the "statutes" of the "Democratic Party of Vietnam", and received from Binh a document called "New Constitution", the contents of which were to abolish the current political system and to compile a "constitution" for the "Democratic Party of Vietnam".
Dinh is also said to have written 33 documents, kept 24 others plus 32 books, the contents of which were said to be libellous incitement against the State. They also were aid to expose the "wicked scheme of undermining, defaming and then overthrowing the administration".
From March 1-3, 2009, Dinh took part in a training course of "non-violent" struggle against Vietnam held in Thailand by a terrorist organisation called "Viet Tan".
At the invitation of Thuc, Le Thang Long join the "Chan Research Group" and wrote 39 documents for disbursement among others in the group, worked out action plans and orientations for activities that were libellous and inciting the overthrow the administration.
Long was also said to have kept five documents with contents against the Vietnamese State, and tried to attract (in vain) eight people to the "Chan Research Group".
In April 2007, Long separated himself from the organisation and established the "Prospering Vietnam Movement", set up the website "ChanhungnuocViet.infor" and the "Club of Elderly for Prospering Vietnam", the "Club of Journalists for Prospering Vietnam", and wrote articles against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
For Le Thi Thu Thu, Tran Thi Thu and Cu Thi Phuong, the jury did not apply criminal charges, but gave them probation considering the degree and nature of their acts and that they were drawn into them - and had sincerely confessed and applied for mercy.
The jury held that the case was especially serious in that it violated national security.
Members said the acts of the accused were closely organised and co-ordinated in conjunction with reactionary organisations of Vietnamese in exile and hostile forces.
They said the acts were aimed at gathering forces into reactionary political organisations, proceeding to overthrowing the people's administration by "non-violent" means, and realising a "peaceful evolution" scheme to undermine the people's administration and the country.-Enditem
