Vietnam Jails Teacher to 14 Years Over Attempted Subversion

In this Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018, photo, activist Dao Quang Thuc stands trial in Hoa Binh, Vietnam. Photo: Vu Thi Ha / Associated Press
In this Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018, photo, activist Dao Quang Thuc stands trial in Hoa Binh, Vietnam. Photo: Vu Thi Ha / Associated Press

HANOI — A court in northern Vietnam has sentenced a former primary schoolteacher to 14 years in prison after finding him guilty on charges of attempting to overthrow the communist government.

The official Vietnam News Agency says Dao Quang Thuc (Dow Kwang Tooc) was convicted of posting on his Facebook page articles with “reactionary contents.” The People’s Court in Hoa Binh province on Wednesday also convicted him of associating with a California-based exiled anti-communist group called the Provisional Central Government of Vietnam, which the Hanoi government declared a terrorist organization.

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The court also ordered Thuc to serve five years of house arrest following his sentence.

Court officials were not available for comment Thursday.

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Dozens of activists have been convicted for violating the national security law since the beginning of the year.