Watchdog Urges Vietnam To Drop Charges Against Activist Targeted For Facebook Posts

Vietnam should drop charges against human rights activist Nguyen Nang Tinh, who is targeted for sharing protest images on Facebook, a prominent international rights watchdog said on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th November, 2019) Vietnam should drop charges against human rights activist Nguyen Nang Tinh, who is targeted for sharing protest images on Facebook, a prominent international rights watchdog said on Thursday.

"Nguyen Nang Tinh is the latest in a long line of dissidents targeted for posting information and criticism on Facebook... The government is abusing its penal code to lock up citizens for doing nothing more than exercising their basic right to freedom of expression," John Sifton, the Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, said, as quoted in a press release.

On May 29, Vietnamese police arrested Nguyen and accused him of propaganda and sharing materials aimed at opposing the state of Vietnam. Government-owned media said that the charges are related to the activist's posts on Facebook that are critical of the Communist Party and the Vietnamese government.

According to Human Rights Watch, charges against activists for posting on social media are becoming common in Vietnam. In June, Nguyen Ngoc Anh, an environmental activist, was put on trial for criticizing the government on Facebook.