Former reporter jailed for abusing right to democracy, freedom
The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City sentenced former reporter Nguyen Hoai Nam to three years and six months in prison on April 5 for “abusing the rights to democracy and freedom to infringe upon the interests of the State, and the lawful rights and interests of organizations and/or individuals" under Article 331 of the Criminal Code.
HCM City (VNA) – The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City sentenced former reporter Nguyen Hoai Nam to three years and six months in prison on April 5 for “abusing the rights to democracy and freedom to infringe upon the interests of the State, and the lawful rights and interests of organisations and/or individuals" under Article 331 of the Criminal Code.
According to the indictment, Nam, while working at “Phap luat Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh” (Ho Chi Minh City Law) Newspaper in 2018, wrote a series of articles regarding wrongdoings at the Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration.
In October 2018, Nam provided documents and data related to the case to the Investigation Police Agency under the Ministry of Public Security, which helped the police prosecute several officials.
However, Nam did not agree with the conclusions reached in the case and continued to post articles on his Facebook account accusing the investigators of letting the criminals off the hook.
Although relevant agencies responded to his complaints in line with regulations, Nam refused to stop.
Through investigations, the police concluded that the articles contained fabricated content, insulting the reputation of organisations and individuals, and violating the Law on Cybersecurity and Decree 72/2013.
The jury concluded that Nam's activities had negatively impacted social order./.
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Nguyen Hoai Nam at the court (Photo: VNA) 
