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Vietnam Arrests Prominent Blogger Pham Chi Dung

An Hai

   Vietnamese authorities arrested blogger and independent journalist Pham
   Chi Dung, a prominent government critic and VOA contributor, in Ho Chi
   Minh City Thursday.

   In a statement posted online, Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security
   accused Dung of "dangerous" anti-state actions, including "fabricating,
   storing, and disseminating information, as well as other materials
   opposing the Vietnamese government."

   State media said Dung carried out "anti-regime activities such as
   producing anti-state articles, [and] cooperating with foreign media."

   Dung, 53, president of the outlawed Independent Journalist Association
   of Vietnam (IJAVN), could face a jail sentence of five to 20 years if
   found guilty, local media said.

   Dung, who writes regularly on VOA's Vietnamese Blog, faced similar
   allegations in 2012.

   IJAVN vice president Nguyen Tuong Thuy told VOA that Dung's arrest was
   "a dangerous move to silence dissenting voices and repress freedom of
   speech in Vietnam."

   IJAVN's website has been blocked since Dung's arrest. Thuy said he
   fears "the arrest will have a big impact on the group's activities and
   its members," as authorities continue to investigate the group.

   Dung established IJAVN as a "civil society organization," July 4, 2014,
   and has said that America's Independence Day inspired him to create a
   platform to advocate for freedom of the press, freedom of expression
   and democracy.

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