Anti-China activist Tran Thi Nga, 40, was sentenced after a one-day trial in a heavily guarded courthouse in northern Ha Nam province, where dozens of supporters gathered outside, some holding signs calling for her release. "The court convicted our client with an already prepared verdict," said lawyer Ha Huy Son, dismissing the charges as "groundless". Nga's sentence follows the trial of prominent activist Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh last month, better known by her pen name "Mother Mushroom", who was jailed for 10 years for anti-state propaganda. Dozens of activists are imprisoned in Vietnam, where all independent media is banned and public protests are routinely broken up, often violently. On Monday, activist Le Dinh Luong, 51, was arrested in central Nghe An province, accused of trying to overthrow the communist state, a crime punishable by death.

Source: The Nation Bangkok July 25, 2017 10:48 UTC