Vietnamese journalist Le Trong Hung, who campaigned as an independent candidate in the National Assembly election, was sentenced to five years in prison by a Hanoi court on Friday after he was accused of spreading information opposing the state. Hung was convicted of “making, storing, distributing, or disseminating information, documents, and items against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under Article 117 of Vietnam’s Penal Code. He was arrested on Mar. 27 without access to a lawyer and his family. The court also sentenced Hung to five years of probation upon completion of his five-year prison sentence. His lawyer, Ha Huy Son, described Hung’s conviction as “vague” and said the prosecution “never showed up in court to present the grounds for the anti-state charges,” Radio Free Asia reported. Citing the court file, Hung’s wife, Do Le Na, said that Hung was convicted based on four videos he posted …
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