Vietnam: Statement by RFA, PEN International, VNAPC and PEN America on Nguyen Vu Binh’s guilty verdict
Radio Free Asia (RFA), PEN International, the Vietnamese Abroad PEN Centre (VNAPC), and PEN America issued the statement below following Vietnamese blogger Nguyen Vu Binh’s guilty verdict and sentencing to seven years in prison at a Sept. 10 trial in Vietnam.
Nguyen Vu Binh was arrested in Hanoi on Feb. 29 on charges of spreading anti-state propaganda under Article 117 of the Vietnamese penal code.
The statement on the development from RFA President and CEO Bay Fang, PEN International President Burhan Sonmez, VNAPC President Cung Thi Lan, and PEN America President Jennifer Finney Boylan is as follows:
RFA, PEN International, the VNAPC, and PEN America strongly condemn today’s guilty verdict of Vietnamese blogger Nguyen Vu Binh and his sentencing to seven years in prison. The ruling is yet another example of Vietnam’s unjust crackdown on free speech and brazen intimidation of journalists and writers.
Nguyen Vu Binh’s critical work as a blogger made him a two-time recipient of the prestigious Hellman-Hammett writers’ award — a recognition that honors writers under political persecution. His case warrants swift attention, and we call upon the international community to join us in condemnation of this ruling.
RFA, PEN International, the VNAPC, and PEN America firmly uphold the guaranteed freedoms of expression as enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We demand Nguyen Vu Binh’s immediate and unconditional release.
For further information please contact Ross Holder, Head of Asia/ Pacific Region at PEN International, email: ross.holder@pen-international.org
