By Defend the Defenders, December 23, 2016
The Vietnam Supreme People’s Procuracy decided to stop the investigation into Mr. Kim Quoc Hoa (also known as Nguyen Quang Hoa), former editor-in-chief of the state-run newspaper Nguoi Cao Tuoi (The Elderly). He was accused of abusing democratic freedoms under Article 258 of the country’s Penal Code.
The decision was made based on Mr. Hoa’s confession for wrongdoings, as well as his “contribution to the country,” the Tien Phong newspaper reported last Friday, adding that he was imposed a strict administrative punishment while his wrongdoings were not serious for the society.
In November 2015, Mr. Hoa, 71, was prosecuted for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and/or citizens,” according to the proposal of the Ministry of Public Security to the Vietnam Supreme People’s Procuracy.
In its conclusions on the investigation which started in March last year, the police said Hoa approved the publication of 23 articles containing titles and content that are untrue, groundless, subjectively inferential, and one-sided.
Mr. Hoa, who was once nominated for a national prize for excellent job, was dismissed from his position on February 9, 2015 by the Ministry of Information and Communications, which also shut down the newspaper’s website for “carrying complaints and petitions, along with baseless analysis, which led to fabricated information” in violation of Vietnam’s journalism law.
In March, the police searched Mr. Hoa’s private house and office but he was allowed to stay in his house while the investigation was underway.
The Nguoi Cao Tuoi newspaper had been an outspoken outlet in Vietnam thanks to its numerous articles on cases of alleged corruption, including that related to the tremendous wealth, made through bribery, of Tran Van Truyen, a former head of the government Inspectorate.
The newspaper uncovered, or shed light on, around 2,500 corruption cases at state agencies in Vietnam, from village to central levels over the past seven years, Mr. Hoa said in his interview to foreign media in late 2014.
Corruption is a systemic issue in the one-party country. The communist government has vowed to make all efforts to bring it to an end.
Both the ruling communist party and its government have publicly encouraged individuals to actively take part in the fight against corruption, according to international financial institutions.
The government even promised to give substantial rewards to those who help state agencies unveil corruption cases.
Meanwhile, in its report covering the period between June 2014 and May 2015, the U.S. non-governmental organization Freedom House said Vietnam remains one of the world’s largest prisons for bloggers, with 29 netizens imprisoned and at least eight Vietnamese bloggers arrested or prosecuted under Article 258. Among them are Nguyen Huu Vinh, the founder of the Anh Ba Sam news website, and Mr. Hoa.
The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said that independent news providers in Vietnam are subjected to enhanced Internet surveillance, draconian directives, waves of arrests and sham trials in its annual Press Freedom Index released in December last year.
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December 24, 2016
Vietnam Stops Prosecution against Anti-corruption Newspaper Chief-editor
by Nhan Quyen • Kim Quoc Hoa
By Defend the Defenders, December 23, 2016
The Vietnam Supreme People’s Procuracy decided to stop the investigation into Mr. Kim Quoc Hoa (also known as Nguyen Quang Hoa), former editor-in-chief of the state-run newspaper Nguoi Cao Tuoi (The Elderly). He was accused of abusing democratic freedoms under Article 258 of the country’s Penal Code.
The decision was made based on Mr. Hoa’s confession for wrongdoings, as well as his “contribution to the country,” the Tien Phong newspaper reported last Friday, adding that he was imposed a strict administrative punishment while his wrongdoings were not serious for the society.
In November 2015, Mr. Hoa, 71, was prosecuted for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and/or citizens,” according to the proposal of the Ministry of Public Security to the Vietnam Supreme People’s Procuracy.
In its conclusions on the investigation which started in March last year, the police said Hoa approved the publication of 23 articles containing titles and content that are untrue, groundless, subjectively inferential, and one-sided.
Mr. Hoa, who was once nominated for a national prize for excellent job, was dismissed from his position on February 9, 2015 by the Ministry of Information and Communications, which also shut down the newspaper’s website for “carrying complaints and petitions, along with baseless analysis, which led to fabricated information” in violation of Vietnam’s journalism law.
In March, the police searched Mr. Hoa’s private house and office but he was allowed to stay in his house while the investigation was underway.
The Nguoi Cao Tuoi newspaper had been an outspoken outlet in Vietnam thanks to its numerous articles on cases of alleged corruption, including that related to the tremendous wealth, made through bribery, of Tran Van Truyen, a former head of the government Inspectorate.
The newspaper uncovered, or shed light on, around 2,500 corruption cases at state agencies in Vietnam, from village to central levels over the past seven years, Mr. Hoa said in his interview to foreign media in late 2014.
Corruption is a systemic issue in the one-party country. The communist government has vowed to make all efforts to bring it to an end.
Both the ruling communist party and its government have publicly encouraged individuals to actively take part in the fight against corruption, according to international financial institutions.
The government even promised to give substantial rewards to those who help state agencies unveil corruption cases.
Meanwhile, in its report covering the period between June 2014 and May 2015, the U.S. non-governmental organization Freedom House said Vietnam remains one of the world’s largest prisons for bloggers, with 29 netizens imprisoned and at least eight Vietnamese bloggers arrested or prosecuted under Article 258. Among them are Nguyen Huu Vinh, the founder of the Anh Ba Sam news website, and Mr. Hoa.
The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said that independent news providers in Vietnam are subjected to enhanced Internet surveillance, draconian directives, waves of arrests and sham trials in its annual Press Freedom Index released in December last year.