HANOI, Vietnam– Tried in secret for 'abusing democratic freedoms' and detained in a psychiatric hospital, journalist Le Anh Hung knows well the price of standing up to Vietnam's communist government.
HANOI, Vietnam– Tried in secret for"abusing democratic freedoms" and detained in a psychiatric hospital, journalist Le Anh Hung knows well the price of standing up to Vietnam's communist government.
The former blogger for US-funded Voice of America was released in July and later told AFP of his experiences at the hands of the government, which tolerates no dissent to one-party rule."But they tied my hands, my legs and even my shoulders to a bed, then they injected me." A crackdown on dissent has been escalating since 2016 under Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the government has largely succeeded in crushing opposition, activists say.
The government said in a statement this year that"protecting and promoting human rights is a consistent policy of the Vietnamese state".There are currently 193 activists in Vietnamese prisons, according to The 88 Project, which advocates for freedom of expression in the country. But while the situation has worsened, Washington has been ramping up ties with Vietnam as it seeks to counter Beijing's influence in the region and diversify supply chains away from the likes of China and Russia.
"I do not expect any serious push from the US and the EU," said Le Cong Dinh, a former human rights lawyer in Ho Chi Minh City who was imprisoned for subversion.
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