Vietnam dissidents jailed

The coin, issued by the Royal Australian Mint last month, shows the flag of the now-defunct South Vietnamese government.

The kidnapping, which coincided with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Vietnam last week, highlights the gaps in interests and perceptions between Washington and Hanoi.

Nguyen Lan Thang's imprisonment is the latest sign of a severe tightening of the political space by the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam.

That such a rights-abusing state could win election to the body speaks to structural problems in the current international human rights regime.

Pham Doan Trang is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence for conducting “propaganda against the State.”

The fundraising event touched on a number of issues of great sensitivity to Hanoi.

The Martin Ennals Award committee hailed Pham Doan Trang as an "inspirational" example for activists in Vietnam.

Hanoi's strategic importance to the U.S. and its allies has allowed the Communist Party greater leeway in silencing its critics.

Today's conviction and imprisonment of human rights defender Pham Doan Trang is part of a concerted crackdown on dissent.

Proponents of an EU trade pact said it would nudge one-party Vietnam towards greater respect for human rights. The evidence so far points in the other direction.

Nguyen Trong Nghia previously oversaw the creation of a 10,000-strong army cyber unit to combat anti-government sentiment online.