Another Dissident Convicted for "Anti-State Propaganda"

UNCLAS HANOI 000112 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS AND DRL/AWH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL HURI VM SUBJECT: Another Dissident Convicted for "Anti-State Propaganda" REF: 09 HANOI 1084 ¶1. (SBU) Following a half-day trial in Haiphong January 29, Ms. Pham Thanh Nghien was sentenced to four years imprisonment followed by three years administrative probation for "conducting propaganda against the State." Nghien -- the 15th dissident convicted since October 2009 -- was arrested in September 2008, a member of Bloc 8406 and close to many of the six dissidents sentenced in October 2009 to similar terms for displaying banners in Hanoi, Haiphong and Hai Duong that were critical of the Communist Party and advocated multi-party democracy (reftel). Nghien was not directly linked to the banners, but was convicted for her online blogging and for "defaming" the government in interviews with foreign journalists - namely the BBC and Radio Free Asia. Nghien received Human Rights Watch's Hellman/Hammett Award in 2009 for her online blogging. ¶2. (SBU) Nghien's attorney, Tran Vu Hai, told Poloff after the trial that he did not contest that Nghien had authored the articles listed in her indictment. Rather, he argued (unsuccessfully) that her actions did not constitute a crime under Vietnamese law. ¶3. (SBU) The Foreign Ministry informed the Embassy late January 28 (without justification) that the Embassy could not observe the trial, as we had requested. The Foreign Ministry denied similar requests from other diplomatic missions and foreign journalists. Michalak