HANOI: A Vietnamese court has jailed two activists on charges of publishing damaging anti-state propaganda about the communist-run country, state media reported Saturday. Vu Thi Dung and Nguyen Thi Ngoc Suong, were sentenced on Friday to six and five years in prison respectively for posting videos and articles on Facebook against proposed special economic zones and a beefed up cybersecurity law. The court found them both guilty of “making, hoarding and spreading propaganda information, documents and materials against the socialist republic of Vietnam.” Both market vendors, the two women are the latest to face harsh blowback for publicly opposing the cybersecurity law, which would require internet companies to hand over user data and remove content if requested by the government. The proposed special economic zones are also deeply sensitive and sparked rare nationwide protests last year in which police stations and government offices were ransacked.

AFP