HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — A court in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City has sentenced five activists to up to 15 years in prison after finding them guilty of running a political group that worked to overthrow the country's Communist one-party rule.
The official Vietnam News Agency said group leader Luu Van Vinh was convicted of attempting to overthrow the "people's administration" and sentenced to 15 years in prison in the one-day trial Friday. It said four others received sentences of eight to 13 years. They were also given three years of house arrest after their release from prison.
The agency said Vinh was leader of "Vietnam National Coalition," which was formed in October 2016, and they were arrested three weeks later at its official launch.
International human rights groups have called for their release.
Disclaimer: This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Associated Press (AP) wire.
