Viet Nam: Freedom of expression under threat in cyberspace

Viet Nam: Freedom of expression under threat in cyberspace

Index Number: ASA 41/037/2003
Date Published: 25 November 2003
Categories: Asia And The Pacific, Viet Nam

The Internet has become ever more popular since its launch in Viet Nam in December 1997. The Vietnamese authorities' are concerned about the combination of an increased Internet audience and its active use by political dissidents and others of this medium. As a result there has been a crackdown on people using the Internet to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and association. Since 2001 at least 10 people critical of government policies have been arrested on charges linked to use of the Internet.