A court in southern Vietnam has jailed 15 protesters includ-ing Catholics who joined nat-ionwide protests against a new cybersecurity law and a draft law on special economic zones.
On July 30, the People’s Court in Bien Hoa city sentenced Tran Nguyen Duy Quang, 35, and Pham Ngoc Hanh, a 45-year-old Catholic mother of five, to 18 months and 16 months in prison respectively, Dong Nai newspaper reported.
The newspaper said 13 other defendants were jailed for 8-10 months, while five others were given 12-14 months’ probation as they need to take care of their children. Many of the defendants are Catholics from Xuan Loc, the country’s largest diocese in terms of population. The court also confiscated 10 motorbikes belonging to defendants.
All defendants were convicted of causing public disorder, holding up banners, shouting slogans, inciting others to protest and blocking traffic for hours on June 10 at the protest in Bien Hoa, the capital of Dong Nai province.
