One of Vietnam’s top bloggers has been jailed for 10 years for distributing propaganda against the state.
Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, who is known as Mother Mushroom, was found guilty after a one-day trial in the central province of Khanh Hoa.
Her lawyer told the BBC she had 15 days to appeal.
Rights groups have described as “outrageous” the charges against the writer, who has become an icon for the country’s dissident community.
Vietnam’s one-party communist regime frequently jails its critics.
Ms Quynh has been detained since October 2016 when she visited a fellow activist in prison.
Who is Mother Mushroom?
Ms Quynh, 38, started a blog in 2006 raising awareness of social injustice and pointing out political and environmental concerns.
With the growing importance of social media, the internet has become a vital platform for dissidents in a country which tightly controls its media.
Her unusual blogger name is based on the nickname “mushroom” for her youngest daughter.
One of the biggest cases she drew attention to has been the environmental damage caused by a bauxite mine in the central highland area.
BBC.com
