Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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              US 'Concerned' at Conviction of Vietnamese Activists

   The United States says it is concerned at the prison sentences given to
   two young activists in Vietnam who were convicted this week on
   subversion charges.
   College student Nguyen Phuong Uyen was given six years in prison, while
   computer technician Dinh Nguyen Kha received eight years following a
   one-day trial Thursday.
   They were found guilty of spreading what Vietnamese authorities said
   were "anti-government" leaflets that "humiliated" the country`s
   communist government.
   On Friday, the U.S. embassy in Hanoi said the sentences were
   "inconsistent with the right to freedom of expression," and called for
   the immediate release of all prisoners of conscience.
   The statement said the case is "part of a disturbing trend of
   Vietnamese authorities using charges under national security laws to
   imprison government critics for peacefully expressing their political
   views."
   Rights groups also called for the release of the activists. In a
   statement, Human Rights Watch`s Asia director, Brad Adams, called the
   trial "ridiculous" and said it "shows the insecurity of the Vietnamese
   government."
   In recent years, the communist government in Hanoi has imprisoned
   dozens of dissidents and critics of the one-party system on charges of
   subversion and anti-government activities.
   In the latest case, a lawyer for the two activists says his clients did
   not view their activities as spreading anti-state propaganda, but only
   as efforts to make their country a better place.
   The two activists will be forced to serve three years each under house
   arrest following their time in prison. They will also be barred from
   joining any social organizations.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/us-concerned-at-conviction-of-vietnam
   ese-activists/1662798.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-concerned-at-conviction-of-vietnamese-activists/1662798.html