Vietnam court convicts dissident of subversion

Tran Anh Kim, 60, was accused of “working to overthrow the state” by joining the Democratic Party of Vietnam, publishing pro-democracy articles on the Internet, and joining Bloc 8406, an organization that promotes a multiparty state.

Kim could have faced the death penalty, but prosecutors sought a lenient sentence, citing his distinguished military record and cooperative attitude.

The former lieutenant colonel is the first in a group of five defendants to be put on trial by Vietnam's communist government, which does not accept challenges to its one-party rule.

They were indicted last week under Article 79 of Vietnam's criminal code, which carries sentences ranging from 12 years to life in prison─or death by firing squad.

Kim's trial opened Monday morning in the northern province of Thai Binh. As the proceedings began, Kim said he had simply stood up for his beliefs.

“I joined the Democratic Party of Vietnam and Bloc 8406 to fight for democratic freedom and human rights for the Vietnamese nation through peaceful dialogue and nonviolent means,” Kim said.

Vietnam's government routinely convicts and jails its political opponents, but it generally prosecutes them under Article 88, a lesser offense that prohibits spreading “propaganda against the state.”

Many diplomats believe the government decided to seek tougher charges as part of a crackdown in advance of the 2011 Communist Party Congress, which takes place every five years and is often preceded by jockeying for power by various party factions.

Like most Vietnamese legal proceedings, Monday's trial was brief─less than four hours─ and the outcome was certain.

In announcing the sentence, Judge Tran Van Loan said Kim had played a leading role in an organized crime against the state, cooperating with “reactionary Vietnamese and hostile forces in exile.”

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