Vietnam Buddhist activist jailed

13 December 2011 Last updated at 09:29 ET Religion is tightly controlled in Vietnam A court in Vietnam has given at least one Buddhist activist a prison sentence for distributing anti-government material, state media says.

Nguyen Van Lia, 71, a member of the minority Hoa Hao Buddhist sect, got a five year term for distributing anti-government leaflets and CDs.

There are unconfirmed reports that another man was also given a jail term.

With nearly four million followers in Vietnam, the sect is state sanctioned but some members oppose the government.

State media said that Mr Lia was guilty of "abusing democratic freedom to undermine the state interest".

He denied the charges, according to his daughter, who followed the half-day trial via loudspeakers outside the courtroom.

Officials at the People's Court of Cho Moi District in the province of An Giang declined to comment.

The Associated Press also reported that another Buddhist activist, Tran Hoai An, received a three-year sentence on the same charges.

The New-York based Human Rights Watch condemned the verdict as religious persecution.

"One wonders what exactly the government of Vietnam is so afraid of that an elderly man like Nguyen Van Lia, who has dedicated his life to religion, should frighten them so much that they feel they need to lock him up away in prison," said Phil Robertson, deputy director of HRW's Asia Division.

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Vietnam sentences 2 Buddhist activists to prison

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam sentenced two Buddhist activists to prison Tuesday for distributing anti-government leaflets and CDs, a relative and state media said.

Nguyen Van Lia and Tran Hoai An were sentenced on charges of "abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state," state media reported Tuesday.

Lia received five years and An received three years on the same charges, state media reported.

Lia, 71, denied the charges in the half-day trial, said his daughter, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lua, who followed the trial via loud speakers outside the courtroom.

Officials at the People's Court of Cho Moi District in southern An Giang province declined to comment.

An and Lia are members of the Hoa Hao Buddhist group. They were arrested in April after authorities found 15 books, 64 CDs and DVDs and 36 documents accusing the government of violating human rights and suppressing religious freedom, the official Vietnam News Agency reported Tuesday.

New York-based Human Rights Watch demanded Lia's immediate release and called the sentence "outrageous and unacceptable."

"One wonders what exactly the government of Vietnam is so afraid of that an elderly man like Nguyen Van Lia, who has dedicated his life to religion, should frighten them so much that they feel they need to lock him away in prison," said Phil Robertson, deputy director of the group's Asia Division.

Robertson said Lia, who is suffering from high blood pressure and several broken ribs, should be released and allowed to seek medical treatment.

Further information on An was not immediately available.

Vietnam does not tolerate challenges to its single-party rule.

(This version CORRECTS second activist's sentence was 3 years, not 5 years.)

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