SOURCE: U.S. Department of State
Theo tin Bộ Ngoại giao Hoa Kỳ
Mark C. Toner
Deputy Spokesperson
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
September 26, 2016
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QUESTION: This happened last week, but amid all the maelstrom around UNGA in New York, where we were – I don’t think it’s been asked about or responded. And that’s Vietnam on Thursday, I believe, sentenced these two bloggers to prison. Do you have anything on that?
MR TONER: Let me check. Yes. We’re concerned by the September 20 conviction of land rights advocate Can Theu – Can Thi Theu – I apologize if I’ve mispronounced that – under Article 245 of Vietnam’s penal code. We’re also concerned by the September 22 decision by an appeals court to uphold the convictions of the bloggers you mentioned, Nguyen Huu Vinh and Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy, also under Article 2 – or rather, under Article 258 of Vietnam’s penal code.
The use of criminal provisions by Vietnamese authorities to penalize individuals for exercising their right to freedom of expression, which is provided by Vietnam’s constitution and also under Vietnam’s international obligations, is, as I said, troubling, and we call on the government to release these three individuals, as well as other prisoners of conscience, and allow all individuals in Vietnam to express their political views and assemble peacefully without fear of retribution.
QUESTION: Do you know if that message has been made directly to the Vietnamese, or is it just in this form?
MR TONER: So I can say we regularly raise these issues. I’ll have to take the question of whether we’ve raised these specific cases with the Vietnamese Government. We raise these issues regularly with Vietnam and President Obama did during his visit in May 2016. But I’ll have to check on whether he – we’ve raised these specific cases. My guess is that we probably have.
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http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2016/09/262445.htm#VIETNAM
