Vietnam arrests 2 dissident bloggers

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Vietnam arrests 2 dissident bloggers

Bloggers Nguyen Huu Vinh and Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy face seven-year sentences after being accused of violating Article 258 by posting articles critical of the government

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 06 May, 2014, 11:31am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 06 May, 2014, 11:31am

Associated Press in Hanoi

Bloggers Nguyen Huu Vinh and Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy were arrested in Hanoi on Monday, Vietnamese authorities said. Photo: AFP

Vietnam has arrested two well-known democracy activists for posting articles critical of the government on the internet.

Authorities said the pair were arrested on Monday in the capital, Hanoi.

Nguyen Huu Vinh and Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy are accused of violating Article 258, which carries a maximum seven-year jail sentence.

Vinh is the founder of the widely read Basam blog, which publishes highlights of local press as well as dissident tracts critical of the government.

Basam’s US-based managing editor Ngoc Thu said Tuesday that the arrests were “groundless”.

Basam has been repeatedly targeted by hackers with suspected links to the Vietnam state over the last 18 months.

Vietnam routinely imprisons or harasses anyone campaigning for democracy.