VOA慢速英语--越南一男子因“传谣破坏国家”被判有期徒刑15年

A Vietnamese court sentenced journalist Pham Chi Dung to 15 years in prison on Wednesday. He had been found guilty of making and spreading "propaganda against the state."

Dung, who has written for the Voice of America Vietnamese-language website, is the president and founder¹ of the Independent Journalist Association of Vietnam. The organization was established in 2014 to support independent media in the one-party Communist country.

The Vietnamese online news site, VNExpress, reported that court documents said Dung and others set up the organization to "fight and change the current political institutions of Vietnam." Government officials questioned Dung, a former member of the ruling Communist Party, several times for activities connected with the organization before his arrest in 2019.

Dung was sentenced Tuesday along with two other writers, Nguyen Tuong Thuy and Le Huu Minh Tuan. The two were given 11 years in prison, a defense² lawyer said.

Dung's wife, Bui Thi Hong Loan, attended Tuesday's hearing in Ho Chi Minh City. She told VOA that she was not surprised by the sentence but called the evidence presented against her husband "ambiguous."

Nguyen Van Mieng is a lawyer on Dung and Tuan's defense team. All three journalists, he said, "demonstrated their rights of freedom of press and advocate for democracy and human rights...."

Mieng added that all three rejected the accusation³ that they were advocating for a change in Vietnam's government. He said that Dung warned of judicial⁴ wrongdoing in his final statement to the court. He reportedly said a ruling of a severe sentence would be a clear "violation⁵ of freedom of the press, as well as other democracy and human rights in Vietnam."

International reactions

The Committee to Protect Journalists described the punishment as "outrageous⁶." It said the government has no intention of permitting "even the most basic elements of a free press."

Daniel Bastard⁷ is head of Asia-Pacific for Reporters Without Borders. He said that the sentences were designed to silence any form of public debate ahead of the party's national congress later this month. In an email to VOA, Bastard wrote, "It is all the more shocking to know that the hearing was less than half a day long."

Vietnam has one of the worst records on media freedom. Reporters Without Borders says it is the fifth least free country out of the group's list of 180 nations.

The government has control over radio, television stations and printed publications. It bans independent or privately-owned media and blocks access to many websites.

Words in This Story

institution - n. an established organization

ambiguous - adj. not expressed or understood clearly

outrageous - adj. so wrong in a way that causes anger

1 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

4 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

5 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

6 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

7 bastard   

n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子

参考例句：

• He was never concerned about being born a bastard.他从不介意自己是私生子。
• There was supposed to be no way to get at the bastard.据说没有办法买通那个混蛋。