Former reporter jailed for ‘abusing democratic freedom’

Nguyen Hoai Nam, 49, was sentenced by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, lawful rights and interests of organizations and/or citizens.”

Nam did not admit to his crimes, but based on existing evidence, the court deemed his charge to be “legitimate and in accordance with the law.”

In 2018, while working as a reporter, Nam wrote several stories about violations at the Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration and supplied documents to the Ministry of Public Security for further investigations.

Nam later posted several articles on his Facebook account to voice his disagreements over the police’s investigation into the case, saying 15 people had committed violations, 12 more than determined by police. He went on to accuse the investigators of “letting the criminals off the hook.”

The HCMC Department of Information and Communication said Nam’s writings on Facebook had several comments that affected the reputation of certain police officials and authorities.

Nam admitted to posting his articles on Facebook, but said that they weren’t illegal.

“Facebook is a tool to inform the public. I fought for the state, not for any person. I wrote articles with evidence, so it cannot be said that I lied or fabricated things,” Nam said.

Prosecutors said Nam’s actions negatively affected society’s security and order, and so recommended him 4-5 years in jail. The court sentenced him for 3.5 years for having good backgrounds and several achievements during his time as a journalist.

Nam said he was not guilty and his actions did not negatively affect society’s security and order, so he requested further investigation into his case.

Nam was a former reporter at several newspapers like Thanh Nien (Youth), Phap Luat TPHCM (HCMC Law), Vietnam Television and Phap Luat Viet Nam (Vietnam Law). Known as a jaded investigative reporter who had busted several criminal cases involving government entities and crime rings, Nam received certificates of merits from different government agencies.