The journalist’s sister, who spoke to AFP said the conviction was based on laws that prohibit the dissemination of information deemed to oppose the state. These laws are frequently used by Vietnamese authorities to silence critics and activists.
Analysts say authorities in Vietnam have escalated a crackdown on dissent in recent years.
“Nguyen Vu Binh has tirelessly campaigned for human rights and democracy in Vietnam,” Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch said ahead of the verdict.
This conviction is part of a broader pattern of repression against journalists, bloggers, and activists who challenge the government’s narrative. Vietnam has consistently been ranked among the worst countries for press freedom, with numerous cases of journalists and bloggers being arrested, harassed, and imprisoned for their online activities.
“His peaceful expression of political dissent is not a crime,” Gossman added.
Binh, 55, was arrested in late February on the same day as Nguyen Chi Tuyen, an influential YouTuber and campaigner who spoke out on pollution and land rights.
Last month, Tuyen was found guilty of “making, storing and disseminating information, documents and materials against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” and jailed for five years.
Binh had spent a decade as a journalist at the official Communist Party of Vietnam’s journal.
He resigned in late 2000 and attempted to form an independent political party.
He was imprisoned between late 2003 and June 2007 for espionage.
After his release, Binh blogged for Radio Free Asia, writing about corruption, land rights, the environment and Vietnam’s relations with China and the United States.
Binh twice received a prestigious Hellman/Hammett grant, given to victims of political persecution, in 2002 and 2007.
In August and September, Vietnamese authorities convicted and sentenced at least seven human rights campaigners on similar grounds, according to HRW.
There are currently 175 activists in jail in the country, according to The 88 Project, a Vietnam-focused human rights organisation.
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