Beside the communication system managed by the State, there are other
sites not subjected to the control of the Propaganda Department which
were established to create a wide open world for the people to express
their views and to listen to each other's views . Despite all the
threats and prohibition, Freedom of Speech in Vietnam has officially
taken off.
For example Dan Lam Bao, a blog maintained by various anonymous members,
established from 18/07/2009, launched the movement "Every person is a
warrior of information" has driven up the voices of the different
classes in society.
The development of social network and blog highlights the strict control
of information by the State previously. It has created a continuous war
between two information systems, between truth and lies, between
freedom and censorship.
Blogs and social networks also form a challenge to the State when people
publicly expressed disagreement with the guidelines and policies of the
government - especially in matters of human rights, citizen issues and
diplomatic relations between Vietnam - China.
To limit the influence and the speed of this non State information
system, measures such as firewalls and access restrictions were used.
Besides, the State also uses criminal laws to arrest bloggers and users
of social networks such as article 79, article 88, article 258 of the
Penal Code. In that article 258 has been used to imprison many people,
the latest case is of blogger Nguyen Huu Vinh - ie Anhbasam. That is why
the Vietnamese Blogger Network started an international campaign to ask
the Vietnamese government to revoke article 258.
Besides banning, imprisonment, from 12/2013 several bloggers who joined
Vietnamese Blogger Network were arbitrarily banned from exiting the
country just before the hearing of the UPR in Feb 2014 in Geneva. Those
of you present here and myself are victims of this prohibition.
Up until now, the ban has not been removed and there is not any clear
explanation as to which reason these people were banned, and when will
the ban be lifted. We are nothing more than prisoners in open world
today and VN is a giant prison.
We, Vietnamese Blogger Network consider that, freedom of speech is
linked directly to non-state media. There is no freedom of speech
without a system of independent media and independent information can
not exist without freedom of speech.
The question is what can we do to protect those involved in non State information system?
In addition to the efforts of the people of Vietnam, we need the support
of the outside world, of the countries which currently have diplomatic
relations with Vietnam and their partners. When it comes to freedom of
speech it is a universal right, we believe you will see the prohibition
of free speech for anyone, in any country is an insult to the
fundamental values your own.
Please walk with us.
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