A Vietnamese political commentator, Vi Duc Hoi, has been sentenced to a five-year prison term for posting essays on the internet.
The former high-ranking communist party member turned pro-democracy activist, wrote about land disputes between citizens and the government in a series of online articles that were critical of one-party rule.
Shawn Crispin, a representative of the press freedom watchdog, the Committee to Protect Journalists, called on prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung "to release Hoi and all the other bloggers and journalists his government holds behind bars on bogus charges."
Hoi's sentencing comes amid a mounting clampdown on dissent in Vietnam. An executive decree in February gave the authorities greater powers to penalise journalists and bloggers for reporting on what the government deems as sensitive issues.
At least six politically-oriented bloggers are among the scores of activists held on vague and arbitrary national security-related charges.
Sources: AP/AFP/CPJ
