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Media persons wait in line for a security check before the start of the opening session of the National Party Congress, in Hanoi, Vietnam, 26 January 2021, MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP via Getty Images
In the weeks leading up to the Congress, courts handed down several lengthy sentences to individuals based on their online activities.
This statement was originally published on article19.org on 25 January 2021.
Vietnam has escalated its attack on online freedom of expression in advance of the national Communist Party Congress, which opens today, said ARTICLE 19. In recent weeks the Vietnamese government has imprisoned individuals for online activities and in recent years has enacted new laws and policies restricting online freedoms. Any new leadership emerging from the Congress should take immediate steps to reverse this trend.