FOXNEWS: Vietnam dissident Le Quoc Quan jailed for tax evasion

HANOI (AFP) –  One of Vietnam's best known dissidents was jailed for two and a half years Wednesday as hundreds of supporters protested in the capital against the communist state's crackdown on dissent.

Scores of police formed a ring around the Hanoi People's Court, where lawyer and blogger Le Quoc Quan was convicted of tax evasion charges denounced by international rights campaigners as politically motivated.

Viet Nam: Lawyer latest victim of government’s crackdown on dissent

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This is a ludicrous sentence, and just another clear example of the Vietnamese authorities harassing and imprisoning those who are peaceful critics with opposing views. Isabelle Arradon, Amnesty International’s Deputy Asia Pacific Director.

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Isabelle Arradon, Asia Pacific Deputy Director at Amnesty International.

Viet Nam must immediately release a prominent lawyer and human rights activist who was jailed on politically motivated charges today, Amnesty International said.

A court in Viet Nam’s capital Ha Noi today sentenced Le Quoc Quan, one of the country’s best known dissidents, to 30 months in prison on trumped up tax evasion charges.

“This is a ludicrous sentence, and just another clear example of the Vietnamese authorities harassing and imprisoning those who are peaceful critics with opposing views,” said Isabelle Arradon, Amnesty International’s Deputy Asia Pacific Director.

Vietnam: Le Quoc Quan did not receive fair trial

Vietnam: Le Quoc Quan did not receive fair trial

The ICJ said the conviction today of Le Quoc Quan, a lawyer and human rights defender in Vietnam, violated international standards governing the right to a fair trial.

Judge Le Thi Hop of the People’s Court of Hanoi convicted and sentenced Le Quoc Quan to 30 months imprisonment with time served since late December 2012 to be taken into account.

Canadian MP Judy Sgro expresses concern about lawyer Le Quoc Quan

The Honorable Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister

Socialist Republic of Vietnam

2 Hoang Van Thu Hanoi, Vietnam

Mr. Prime Minister:

I am writing to add my name to the list of those concerned with recent reports involving systemic human rights violations and imprisonment in your country. By way of example, I would cite reports pertaining to the detention and imprisonment of people such as Le Quoc Quan.

Lawyers for Lawyers: Le Quoc Quan sentenced to 30 months in jail

Lawyers for Lawyers
02 Oct 13

On 2 October 2013, Vietnamese lawyer Le Quoc Quan was sentenced to 30 months in jail for tax evasion.

Le Quoc Quan is a well-known Vietnamese lawyer and human rights defender. He has been harassed constantly since 2007 by the Vietnamese authorities because of his human rights activities.

Vietnam dissident Le Quoc Quan jailed over tax evasion

Le Quoc Quan was accused of avoiding corporate income tax - charges his supporters say were trumped up

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One of Vietnam's best-known dissidents, Le Quoc Quan, has been sentenced to 30 months in jail for tax evasion.

Vietnam dissident Le Quoc Quan jailed for tax evasion

US trained lawyer Le Quoc Quan denounces 30-month sentence saying he is the 'victim of political acts'

• Hanoi, AP
• theguardian.com, Wednesday 2 October 2013 10.45 BST

Hanoi: 30 months in prison sentence for the Catholic lawyer Le Quoc Quan

He will also have to pay a fine of more than $50,000. The Court convicted him of tax evasion. The hearing lasted for a couple of hours and ended with the expected guilty sentence. Outside, thousands of police officers and government-hired thugs prevented entry into the courtroom to supporters of the activist.

Hanoi (AsiaNews) - The judges of the Court in Hanoi condemned the Catholic activist and lawyer Le Quoc Quan, on trial for alleged "evasion", to 30 months in prison and to pay a $56,000 fine. The farcical hearing lasted a couple of hours and - despite protests and appeals by the defence - it ended with a prison sentence and heavy fine. Outside thousands of Catholics expressed their support in the capital's streets, waving palms (pictured) in a symbolic gesture that invokes the Sunday when Jesus makes his entry into Jerusalem.

"The prayer that pains all mankind" *

I just peeled away the last page of the last year’s daily calendar while writing the words of this nonsense as a way of soothing myself. And also to prevent the phobia from overflowing to the new year. The specter of a pregnant woman having to live in prison. The specter of another woman who was beaten up, stripped of her clothes while those who identify themselves as human beings thoroughly search her body at the precinct police headquarters, a place to be known as "dutiful to protect citizens." The haunting thoughts of a family of three people arrested in less than three months.

My first impression of Lawyer Le Quoc Quan was the image of a man being "dragged away" by half a dozen of policemen in front of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi while shouting: "Spratly and Paracel Islands belong to Vietnam." It was on September 12, 2007, the first day since 1975 when people dared to take to the streets to express their patriotism, to protest the Chinese invasion of Vietnam. He probably did not know of me then. Later on, when in contact with him, I was surprised that he never talked to me about human rights or democracy, the values that he and I are both pursuing. I noticed another interesting trait about him, it was the fact that he likes joke stories and he told those stories very charmingly.

REP. SANCHEZ WISHES VIETNAMESE HUMAN RIGHTS ATTORNEY LE QUOC QUAN A HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CALLS FOR HIS RELEASE

WASHINGTON, SEP 13 –Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-46) issued the following statement in honor of imprisoned Vietnamese human rights attorney and prominent blogger, Mr. Le Quoc Quan.

"Most of us spend our birthdays with our friends and family, but today Mr. Le Quoc Quan, a prominent Vietnamese lawyer and blogger, turned 42 alone in prison. Today, I wish Mr. Quan a birthday of good health and good spirits so that he can continue his quest to promote social justice in Vietnam. I had the honor of meeting Mr. Quan in Vietnam during my trips to Vietnam. He's a man full of courage and love for his country.