Hanoi arrests two bloggers and activists for online "propaganda against the State”

24 year old Phan Kim Khanh and Bui Hieu Vo 51 year old are behind bars. Both accused of posting "malicious and prefabricated content ", with the aim of "spreading propaganda contrary" to the principles of the Republic. Today in Vietnam there are at least 84 prisoners of conscience, including bloggers, unionists, politicians and religious leaders. 

Hanoi (AsiaNews) - The Vietnamese authorities have arrested two bloggers and activists, accusing them of propaganda against the state under a controversial article of the law, also exploited in the past by the communist government in Hanoi to hit opponents. According to the report the police sources, those arrested are the 24 year old Kim Khanh Phan, a native of Phu Tho Province and 55 year-old Bui Hieu Vo, of the Go Vap district, Ho Chi Minh City. They were arrested respectively  March 21 and 17.

According to the accusations, the two would have posted content on the network that the authorities call "malicious and prefabricated", with the aim of "spreading propaganda contrary" to the principles of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The two men will therefore be tried in the coming weeks based on Article 88 of the Penal Code, used in the past to suppress dissent. In particular, the 24 year old Phan Kim Khan in 2015 set up two blogs called Bao Tham Nhung (The Journal of corruption) and Tuan Viet Nam (Vietnam Week). He was also the manager of three Facebook pages, as well as a YouTube channel (Bao Viet Vietnam TV and Online).

Bui Hieu Vo is the owner of a Facebook account called Hieu Bui which, according to authorities, which called for the use of incendiary bombs and acid to attack the police and government officials.

In the past the authorities have used to Articles 88, 79 and 258 of the Criminal Code on several occasions to arrest and imprison those who support democracy and human rights, denouncing abuses by authorities.

In recent months, Hanoi has made several arrests of activists and personalities involved in the defense of human rights, the environment and religious freedom. Among these, the 37 year-old Catholic activist Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quyn, better known as "Mother Mushroom" (Me Nam).

According to reports from Radio Free Asia (RFA), there are at least 84 prisoners of conscience in Vietnam, including bloggers, unionists, political leaders, activists for the rights of the earth, leaders of ethnic and religious minorities imprisoned in Vietnamese prisons. Many of those have been sentenced after unfair trials, or subjected to long pre-trial detention in prison for no reason.