Man imprisoned for attempting to overthrow people’s administration

 

                                                     Defendant Tran Duc Thach at the court
The People’s Court of north-central Nghe An province on December 15 sentenced Tran Duc Thach to 12 years in prison for “attempting to overthrow the people’s administration”.

Thach, 68, from the province’s Dien Chau district, will be subject to a probationary period of three years upon his release. He was previously sentenced to three years behind bars on charges of “conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”.

According to the indictment, from March 2013 to July 2017, Thach and Nguyen Van Dai, Pham Van Troi, Nguyen Trung Ton, and Nguyen Bac Truyen founded the “Brotherhood for Democracy” organisation, built an operational credo and regulations, and opened a representative office and a website.

They used the excuse of fighting for “democracy and human rights” and “civil society” to hide their activities against the administration, and contacted illegal organisations both inside and outside of Vietnam to gain strength and wait for a suitable time to declare public operations, confront the administration, and change the political institutions in Vietnam towards overthrowing the people’s administration.

In December 2015, the Investigation Police Agency at the Ministry of Public Security began legal proceedings against Nguyen Van Dai, Pham Van Troi, Nguyen Trung Ton, and Nguyen Bac Truyen on charges of “attempting to overthrow the people’s administration”.

When working with the agency and Nghe An’s Department of Public Security, Thach committed to giving up the “Brotherhood for Democracy” organisation as well as activities confronting the State of Vietnam.

However, he then continued to implement anti-State activities. From May 1, 2019 to March 2, 2020, he wrote and posted many articles distorting political and socio-economic events and smearing Party and State leaders on his Facebook page.

The jury said that the case was extremely serious and the defendant’s offence dangerous and long-lasting.

The People’s Procuracy of Nghe An province affirmed that Thach’s offense threatened social stability, encroached upon national independence and socialism, reduced people’s trust in the political institutions of the State of Vietnam, and infringed upon national security and social safety and order./.