A Hanoi court has convicted two journalists of "abusing democratic freedoms" for their reporting on a corruption scandal in the country's transportation ministry. The court Wednesday sentenced journalists Nguyen Viet Chien, 56, to two years in prison, and Nguyen Van Hai, 33, to one year on probation.
Chien was convicted of "abusing freedom and democracy" at the end of a two-day trial at the Hanoi People's Court, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Presiding Judge Tran Van Vy said before announcing the verdict that Chien included fabricated information in his reports and that he "damaged the prestige of some high-ranking officials and caused negative public opinion."
Fellow reporter Hai was given two years of reeducation without detention on the same charges. Hai was given a lesser sentence for his "active cooperation with investigators and remorse," Vy said.
Former police colonel Dinh Van Huynh received a one-year sentence, while his superior, former police general Pham Xuan Quac, was freed with a warning. Two police investigators who had served as sources for the journalists were also convicted of "disclosing work secrets," by the Hanoi People's Court.
Both journalists are known for their aggressive reporting on corruption for two of Vietnam's most popular newspapers. Nguyen Van Hai of Tuoi Tre (Youth) and Nguyen Viet Chien of Thanh Nien (The Young) were involved since 2005 in investigating the PMU 18 scandal implicating scores of officials in the transport ministry who were embezzling funds earmarked for development projects to make sporting bets. The vice-minister was arrested initially, but was acquitted. The Vietnamese police arrested the two journalists at their newspaper offices on May 12, 2008. The arresting officers said the two journalists had published false information about the PMU 18 scandal.
The revelations led to a series of arrests and moved anti-corruption to the centre of government policy, while Vietnam earned international plaudits for allowing its state-controlled media unprecedented freedoms, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
