Viet Nam: A tightening net: web-based repression and censorship
Viet Nam: A tightening net: web-based repression and censorship
Index Number: ASA 41/008/2006Date Published: 22 October 2006
Categories: Viet Nam, Asia And The Pacific, South-east Asia
The legal framework regulating the Internet in Viet Nam is increasing. Many provisions are in breach of Viet Nam's international human rights obligations. In November 2003 Amnesty International published a report detailing the cases of 10 cyber-dissidents considered by the organization to be prisoners of conscience. This report updates the ambiguous developments since then, and shows how the Internet continues to be a crucial tool both for both state repression and political opposition. It also indicates that the Internet has, despite a strict regulatory regime, filtering and self-censorship, developed into the primary public sphere for dissent.