Sentenced Le Dinh Luong to 20 years in prison for "Activities aimed at overthrowing the people's government"

Representative of the Procuracy read the indictment. Photo: PV

At the public trial of Le Dinh Luong for the crime of “Activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s government”, the Trial Panel questioned the defendant, witnesses, and related persons; announced the statements at the investigation agency of absent persons; reviewed and evaluated documents and evidence related to the case to clarify and fully clarify the details of each incident and each crime of the case.

Although Le Dinh Luong was not sincere, the documents and evidence collected by the investigation agency and reviewed and evaluated by the Trial Panel at the trial showed that these documents and evidence were collected objectively, comprehensively, and in accordance with the procedures prescribed by the Criminal Procedure Code. The statements of the defendant, persons with related rights and obligations, and witnesses in the case were all consistent with the time, space, location, and circumstances of the case and consistent with other documents and evidence, and consistent with the appraisal results of the professional agency.

The jury released video testimonies of witnesses absent from the trial.

Accordingly, the trial process has clarified that Le Dinh Luong is a particularly dangerous reactionary subject belonging to the terrorist organization "Viet Tan"; is an active propagandist, attracting subjects with opposing ideologies in Nghe An and Ha Tinh to join the Viet Tan organization. Le Dinh Luong persuaded Nguyen Van Hoa (residing in Ky Anh-Ha Tinh) to cross the border to Laos and Cambodia to participate in Viet Tan training courses on "leadership role" and "media journalism", taught by the leaders of Viet Tan organization, training non-violent struggle skills in Vietnam.

In addition to the acts of seducing, propagating, attracting, and introducing Nguyen Van Hoa to the Viet Tan organization, based on other documents collected in the case file, it shows that from 2010 to 2017, in Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces, Le Dinh Luong also enticed, attracted, and enticed a number of other people such as Nguyen Van Oai, Dinh Huu Toan, Ngo Van Mai, Nguyen Viet Dung... to join the Viet Tan organization, with the aim of opposing the people's government and abolishing the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Lawyers participating in defending defendant Le Dinh Luong at the trial. Photo: PV

In addition, Le Dinh Luong has repeatedly incited people and directly participated in opposition activities that occurred in Yen Thanh and Dien Chau (Nghe An) such as: inciting a number of people to gather and carry banners and slogans with reactionary and oppositional content to film, take photos and post them on the internet; organizing the singing of homemade reactionary songs and posting them on the internet; calling for a boycott of the election of deputies to the 14th National Assembly and the election of deputies to People's Councils at all levels for the 2016-2021 term.

Taking advantage of the so-called "environmental protection", Le Dinh Luong and a number of other reactionary and opposing elements incited marches and protests against Formosa, causing insecurity, disorder, and traffic jams on a number of key routes; provided funds and means for a number of reactionary and opposing elements to serve the marches and protests, causing insecurity and disorder in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh...

Le Dinh Luong took advantage of social networks (Facebook Lo Ngoc) to incite people.

In particular, through his personal Facebook page “Lo Ngoc”, Le Dinh Luong posted many articles with content propagating, inciting, distorting, and defaming the Party’s policies and guidelines, the State’s policies and laws, distorting history, defaming leaders; causing complications for security and order in the locality.

The act of recruiting people to join the terrorist organization Viet Tan carried out by Le Dinh Luong, along with propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is a continuous chain of activities, clearly demonstrating the motive and purpose of overthrowing the people's government.

Based on the evidence and documents examined at the trial and the results of the debate at the trial, on the basis of a full and comprehensive review of the evidence and opinions of the prosecutor, the defendant, and the defense attorney, the Trial Panel determined that: Defendant Le Dinh Luong committed the crime of "Activities aimed at overthrowing the people's government", as prescribed in Article 79 of the Penal Code.

With such dangerous behavior, after deliberation, Nghe An Provincial People's Court sentenced defendant Le Dinh Luong to 20 years in prison.

The verdict was highly appreciated by the majority of people attending the trial. It was a strict verdict, punishing the right person for the right crime, and was a warning to those who still intend to disregard the law, go against the interests of the people, and oppose the Party and the State.