Publication : Press Release

The undersigned would like to express grave concern regarding the case of Vietnamese songwriters, Vo Minh Tri and Tran Vu Anh Binh, who were sentenced to four and six years imprisonment, respectively, on 30 October, for allegedly posting songs on a website operated by an overseas Vietnamese opposition group, Patriotic Youth. Vo Minh Tri, aged 34, has composed songs criticizing the government for not taking a more aggressive position against China in the South China Sea dispute. Tran Vu Anh Binh, aged 37, is credited with composing a song that encourages peaceful protest and expresses support for imprisoned blogger, Nguyen Van Hai. This guilty verdict comes only one month after three Vietnamese bloggers, including Nguyen Van Hai, were sentenced to between 4 and 12 years in prison on 24 September 2012, on allegations of posting political articles on a banned website called Free Journalists’ Club, as well as articles critical of the government on their own blogs. The bloggers were charged under Article 88 of the Penal Code for “conducting propaganda against the state”, the same charge brought against the two musicians.

Information Source : Open Letter to His Excellency Ngo Anh Dung, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia, Calling for the Guilty Verdict in the Case of Two Imprisoned Vietnamese Songwriters to Be Overturned

• CCHR