thả chó tấn công phóng viên. http://www.nguoiduatin.vn/ vu-bat-bao-ke-xe-tai-gara-thanh-do-tha-cho-tan-cong- phong-vien-a204046.html
Photos of some state-registered journalists seriously attacked in 2015-2016. Photos selected by laodong.com.vn
REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN VIETNAM 2015
Bridge area. They then slashed the couple with knives, causing severe injuries. (Mr. Quang authored many articles revealing the illegal extraction of mineral in the province).15
- On October 28, police brutally attacked journalist Do Hoang Duy of Hai Phong News Paper when he was reporting the dispute between a number of material suppliers and Phuc An JSC located at Kien An, Hai Phong.16 - On November 3, Mr. Tran Cong Tuan, chief of the Nguoi Lao Dong News Papers Bureau in the Mekong Delta was attacked, punched in the face, scolded, and ripped of his camera by Mr. Tran Duy Long, a member of the Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (UIDC), when he was investigating the dispute between the Corporation and its subcontractors.17
- On December 21, two men wearing guard uniforms assaulted reporter Le Thanh Hieu of Tri Thuc Online Media (Zing.com) when he was on a reporting trip at Xuan Phuong urban area.18
The perpetrators in the above-mentioned cases were either police officers or people involved in shady enterprises.
Accredited journalists are often reminded to keep to the “right lane,” meaning to respect the one-sided, distorted information provided by the state. Disobedient ones among them have been arrested, fired, or detained because their
15 VietnamNet. Phóng viên báo Hà Nội Mới tố bị hành hung khi tác nghiệp. http://vietnamnet.vn/vn/xa- hành hung khi tác nghiệp. http://vietnamnet.vn/vn/xa- hoi/261942/phong-vien-bao-ha-noi-moi-to-bi-hanh- hung-khi-tac-nghiep.html
16 Việt Báo. Hải Phòng: Nhà báo bị công an hành hung khi tác nghiệp. http://vietbao.vn/Xa-hoi/Hai- hung khi tác nghiệp. http://vietbao.vn/Xa-hoi/Hai- Phong-Nha-bao-bi-cong-an-hanh-hung-khi-tac-nghi- ep/70028519/157/
17 Người Lao Động. Không cấu thành tội hình sự nên chỉ xử hành chính. http://nld.com.vn/phap-luat/cong-an- chỉ xử hành chính. http://nld.com.vn/phap-luat/cong-an- tp-soc-trang-co-dung-tung-bao-
luc-2016012015004306.htm
18 Pháp Luật. Một phóng viên bị hành hung khi đang tác nghiệp. http://plo.vn/an-ninh-trat-tu/mot-phong-vien-bi- nghiệp. http://plo.vn/an-ninh-trat-tu/mot-phong-vien-bi- hanh-hung-khi-dang-tac-nghiep-602750.html
views were contrary to those of the communist state on serious issues related to the policies of the CPV as well as to the corruption of officials at all levels.
One typical case involved the Ministry of Information and Communication’s February 9, 2015 decision to take away the press pass from Mr. Kim Quoc Hoa, Editor-in-chief of the Elderly Magazine and revoke the license of the Magazine’s electronic pages and its domain www.nguoicaotuoi.org.vn. On May 12, 2015, the editor was indicted for having allegedly violated Article 258 of the Penal Code. It is widely believed that the elder journalist was disciplined because of his anti-corruption articles, especially the ones exposing the wide range of ill-gotten properties of former Government Inspector General Tran Van Truyen.19 Another case involved the Ministry of Information and Communication’s decision to take away the press pass from journalist Do Hung who had previously been dismissed from the position of Deputy General Secretary of the Tuoi Tre (Youth) Online Newspaper’s editorial office. Mr. Hung was dismissed because his articles were inconsistent with the CPV policy on issues such as the regime’s false democratic nature and encouragement of demonstrations against Chinese encroachment of the national seas and islands.
On the press issue, the government continues to take disciplinary measures such as fines or revocation of licenses as the means of control and deterrence. For examples, the Doi song va Phap luat (Life and Law Newspaper) was fined 30 million VND for having published an article about Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh on its electronic pages; the Nguoi Dua Tin (the Messenger) online Media was levied 15 million VND for its July 24, 2015 article titled “China has gone too far in tensions in the South China Sea.”