Pham Viet Dao, a 62-year old blogger who was arrested nine months ago in Hanoi, will begin his trial tomorrow on charges of “abusing democratic freedoms” by writing comments perceived as critical of the Hanoi government under Viet Nam’s controversial Article 258. http://www.voanews.com/content/another-vietnamese-blogger-is-set-for-trial/1873933.html
He is the second blogger to be prosecuted under the new law. Several weeks ago Truong Duy Nhat received a two-year sentence for a similar blogging violation, after a trial court found him guilty. https://en.rsf.org/vietnam-blogger-truong-duy-nhat-gets-two-04-03-2014,45953.html
Pham Viet Dao promises to appeal any adverse decision by the trial court in his case. http://threatened.globalvoicesonline.org/blogger/pham-viet-dao-0
Analysts at HFS, while sympathetic to both Truong Duy Nhat and Pham Viet Dao, warn all bloggers everywhere by repeating our view of today’s Internet: The Internet exists only at the pleasure of the government where its servers exist, and no individual is fully free to express opinions or release information that threaten the government where that individual logs on. If you want to change the Web we have to the Web we want, consider how that might be done where you live.
One approach by those who consider grass roots efforts useful should read the blog at http://WebWeWant.org.
What do you think?
