American jailed in Vietnam for ‘attempting to overthrow the government’
Vietnam on Monday sentenced a US citizen to 12 years in prison after finding him guilty of ‘attempting to overthrow the state’ in a trial which lasted only half a day, his lawyer said.
Michael Phuong Minh Nguyen, 55, pleaded guilty but had asked that his sentence be reduced so he could be reunited with his family, his lawyer Nguyen Van Mieng.
Nguyen will be deported after serving his jail sentence.
“It’s such a long sentence,” Mieng said. “Michael admitted guilt at the trial and asked the jury to reduce his sentence so that he could soon reunite with his family.”
Nguyen was accused of inciting Vietnamese people to join protests and of attempting to attack government offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with Molotov cocktails and slingshot.
“We are disappointed by today’s verdict,” a spokeswoman for the US embassy in Hanoi said in an emailed statement. “We will continue to raise our concerns regarding Mr. Nguyen’s case, and his welfare, at all appropriate levels.”
Nguyen, who was born in Vietnam and has lived in the United States since he was a child, was detained in Vietnam in July last year on suspicion of activity against the government, said his brother-in-law Mark Roberts.
Despite sweeping economic reform and increasing openness to social change, Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party retains tight media censorship and does not tolerate criticism.
The court also sentenced two Vietnamese men to eight years and 10 years in prison for the same offense, Mieng said, adding that they will face three years house arrest after serving their prison terms.
“Their objective is to cause riots in an attempt to overthrow the administration of Vietnam and eradicate the leading role of the [Communist] party,” the Tuoi Tre report cited the indictment as saying.
