A court in Vietnam has sentenced a US citizen to 12 years in prison after finding him guilty of attempting to “overthrow the state”.<\/p>\n
Michael Phuong Minh Nguyen, 55, had admitted he wanted to incite protests in Vietnam, his lawyer told the BBC.<\/p>\n
But he denied more serious charges of planning to attack government offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with petrol bombs.<\/p>\n
Nguyen, who was held last year, will be deported after serving his sentence.<\/p>\n
Three Vietnamese men were also sentenced to various jail terms for related offences.<\/p>\n
Despite major economic reforms in recent years, Vietnam remains a one-party Communist state where criticism of the authorities is not tolerated.<\/p>\n
Nguyen and the three other defendants were found guilty on Monday after the trial that lasted just half a day.<\/p>\n
Nguyen’s defence lawyer Nguyen Van Tam described the verdict as “too heavy”.<\/p>\n
He said there was no evidence that the his client had planned to use petrol bombs to attack government offices.<\/p>\n
It was not immediately clear whether the defendants would appeal.<\/p>\n
He was born in Vietnam, but has lived in the US since he was a child.<\/p>\n
The father of four was arrested in July 2018 during a private visit to Vietnam.<\/p>\n
Soon after his arrest a petition was launched by activists in the US to demand his immediate release.<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"