Key events:

• Hanoi Court Sentences Journalist Nguyen Vu Binh to 7 Years
• Activist Phan Van Bach Will be Tried this September for Charges under Article 117
• Security Ministry Orders ‘Stern Discipline’ of Individuals Posting ‘False Information’ about the Flooding Situation
• U.S. and Vietnam Defense Leaders Sign Joint Vision Statement on Cooperation

Hanoi Court Sentences Journalist Nguyen Vu Binh to 7 Years

The Hanoi People’s Court on Sept. 10 opened a trial for Nguyen Vu Binh, an independent journalist, and blogger who extensively writes about democracy and social issues, and sentenced him to seven years on charges of “distributing anti-state propaganda” under the controversial Article 117 of the Penal Code. Binh was a former journalist at the Communist Journal (Tạp chí Cộng sản), an official mouthpiece of the Communist Party. According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), he had three defense lawyers, Le Dinh Viet, Le Van Luan, and Nguyen Thi Trang. Binh’s sister, Nguyen Thi Phong, and his daughter were allowed to witness the trial.

Nguyen Vu Binh was arrested on Feb. 29 in Hanoi, along with activist Nguyen Chi Tuyen. According to the indictment, Binh, 55, was accused of participating in a talk show that discussed political, economic, and social issues in Vietnam. The show was published on a YouTube channel called “TNT Media Live,” hosted by the Vietnamese lawyer and former political prisoner Nguyen Van Dai. The court declared that Binh had participated in four video clips uploaded between January and March 2022, which allegedly “contained false information and caused public confusion.”