A Vietnamese court has sentenced independent journalist Huy Duc to 30 months in prison over Facebook posts critical of the government, state media reported on Thursday.
Huy Duc, a former state media journalist turned independent blogger, was convicted in Hanoi for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state” after posting 13 articles on Facebook. The court ruled that his content had a negative impact on social order, citing widespread engagement from readers.
During the trial, which lasted only a few hours, Huy Duc expressed remorse, saying he did not intend to oppose the Communist Party or the state.
Before his arrest in June, Huy Duc had openly criticized Vietnam’s top leaders, including the country’s most powerful figure, To Lam. It remains unclear if his charges were directly related to those posts.
Vietnam, a one-party state, has intensified its crackdown on dissent, ranking among the world’s top jailers of journalists. Rights groups condemned the verdict, with Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calling Huy Duc’s work an “invaluable source of information” and accusing the government of silencing independent voices.
His sentencing follows the recent jailing of blogger Duong Van Thai for 12 years and another former lawyer for three years over similar charges.
Vietnam recently introduced new regulations requiring Facebook and TikTok to verify user identities and hand over data to authorities, further tightening state control over online discourse.
