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Vietnam

2011


Journalists die at high rates while covering protests in the Arab world and elsewhere. Photographers and freelancers appear vulnerable. Pakistan is again the deadliest nation. A CPJ special report

In Egypt, protesters demanding democratic change gather in Tahrir Square. (AFP)

Stark regional differences are seen as jailings grow significantly in the Middle East and North Africa. Dozens of journalists are held without charge, many in secret prisons. A CPJ special report

Journalists reporting on protests and civil unrest face a rising threat of detention. Here, Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian journalist. (Reuters)


New York, October 3, 2011--The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the recent crackdown on freedom of expression in Vietnam and calls on the government to immediately and unconditionally release all of the journalists detained in the country.

Bangkok, August 11, 2011--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the prison sentence handed down on Wednesday to French-Vietnamese blogger Pham Minh Hoang and joins international calls for the dual national's immediate and unconditional release.
Bangkok, July 27, 2011--The Committee to Protect Journalists is gravely concerned about the health of Nguyen Van Hai, a Vietnamese blogger held in government detention since April 2008, and calls for his immediate and unconditional release on humanitarian grounds.

Bangkok, July 11, 2011--Authorities must stop harassing journalists reporting on public demonstrations in Vietnam, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On Sunday, police detained and interrogated three reporters who were covering anti-China protests in Hanoi where around a dozen demonstrators were arrested.    

Bangkok, April 29, 2011--Vietnamese authorities should release democracy activist and online commentator Vi Duc Hoi, who was given a five-year prison term Tuesday for critical essays posted on the Internet, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.  

Partisan Journalism and the Cycle of Repression

With journalists in their midst, police and protesters clash in Bangkok. (Reuters/Chaiwat Subprasom)

by Bob Dietz and Shawn W. Crispin

Lal Wickramatunga's family and publishing house, Leader Publications, have paid dearly in Sri Lanka's highly charged political climate. While Leader's newspapers, including the weekly Sunday Leader, are widely known for tough, independent reporting, they have been caught up in a partisan media environment, one filled with violence and censorship. Wickramatunga's brother has been murdered, his company has been sued, and his journalists face intimidation.

Top Developments
• In run-up to Communist Party Congress, authorities clamp down on Internet.
• Critical blogs targeted in hacking attacks; government complicity seen.

Key Statistic
5: Online journalists imprisoned on December 1, reflecting crackdown on Internet commentary.


Vietnam targeted online journalists in a clampdown on dissent ahead of a 2011 Communist Party Congress at which top government appointments and policies were to be determined. At least five journalistic bloggers were among dozens of activists arrested on national security-related charges, including "spreading propaganda against the state" and "abusing democratic freedoms." The government maintained some of the world's strictest Internet controls, which included blocks on Facebook and numerous Vietnamese-language websites, including those maintained by the exile-run, pro-democracy Viet Tan and human rights organizations critical of the government. Independent analysts found evidence of official involvement in hacking attacks on critical blogs and websites.

Bangkok, January 31, 2011--The death of a Vietnamese journalist who was brutally attacked last week underscores the urgency for authorities to investigate the case, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Le Hoang Hung, a reporter with the Nguoi Lao Dong (Laborer) newspaper, succumbed to severe injuries in a Ho Chi Minh City hospital over the weekend, according to international news reports.

Bangkok, January 21, 2011--The Committee to Protect Journalists is gravely concerned about a Wednesday morning attack on Vietnamese reporter Le Hoang Hung, who was doused with chemicals and set on fire by an unknown assailant while sleeping in his house in Tan An town, according to local and international press reports

Bangkok, January 13, 2011--The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about a new executive decree issued on January 6 in Vietnam that will give authorities greater powers to penalize journalists, editors, and bloggers who report on issues deemed as sensitive to national security. The new media regulations were issued amid a mounting clampdown on dissent shortly before Wednesday's opening of the 2011 Communist Party Congress.  

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Attacks on the Press 2012

14 Imprisoned on December 1. All but one were critical bloggers or online reporters.

Country data, analysis »

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Asia

Program Coordinator:
Bob Dietz

bdietz@cpj.org

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