Vietnam expels American pro-democracy activist
HANOI (AFP) — Vietnam has expelled an American who was jailed on terrorism charges at a tightly guarded court hearing last week, state media said Sunday.
Nguyen Quoc Quan, a pro-democracy activist of the Viet Tan (Vietnam Reform Party) -- regularly called a terrorist organisation by the authorities -- left the country Saturday in the witness of a representative of the US consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, the official Vietnam News Agency (VNA) said.
The 55-year-old American, detained on November 17 last year, had been sentenced to six months and ordered to be deported after serving his sentence at a court in the former Saigon on Tuesday.
An accomplice, 31-year-old Nguyen The Vu was sentenced to five months and 26 days, which allowed him to leave prison immediately after the trial.
A third man Nguyen Hai, 57, was handed a nine-month sentence and will remain behind bars for a further three months.
All three had all been accused of "inciting riots threatening the national security" of the communist country by distributing leaflets, and were "guilty of terrorism offences," said presiding judge Vu Phi Long at the trial.
Vietnam's state-controlled media has repeatedly accused Viet Tan activists of being terrorists, but the party says it is "committed to achieving democratic change through peaceful, non-violent means."
Three other activists arrested with them -- US citizen Leon Truong, French radio journalist Nguyen Thi Thanh Van and Vietnamese national Nguyen Trong Khiem -- were released last year following international protests.
According to VNA, Quan said before leaving that he "committed violations to the Vietnamese law due to a lack of information".
Vietnam, a one-party state, says no one is punished there for their political views and authorities only prosecute criminals for breaking the law.
