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: JURIST - The Paper Chase

Vietnam human rights lawyer disbarred following arrest on conspiracy charge

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

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[JURIST] Vietnamese pro-democracy lawyer Le Cong Dinh was disbarred Monday from the Ho Chi Minh City Bar following his recent arrest for allegedly conspiring against the government. The Bar's disciplinary council concluded that the prominent lawyer damaged the association's prestige, caused public discontent and violated ethical requirements for legal practitioners. Dinh was vice president of the bar from 2005 to 2008 and may face dismissal as director of the association's Law Policy Research Center. Dinh was originally charged with "colluding with foreign reactionaries to sabotage the Vietnamese State" for the alleged distribution of anti-government documents, in violation of Article 88 of the Vietnamese penal code. According to state media, Dinh had become involved with the People's Action Party and the Democratic Party of Vietnam, allegedly planning to overthrow the Communist government. Authorities also claimed that Dinh and his cohorts wrote a new constitution for Vietnam to replace the current one. He has admitted to the charges against him and has expressed regret for his actions. The lawyer became well-known after defending Vietnamese interests in a catfish trade dispute with the US and has represented several pro-democracy and human rights advocates in the past, including other lawyers charged with subversion. Restrictions on expression have become a recurring issue in Vietnam. Earlier this year, two Vietnamese newspaper editors were dismissed from their jobs for protesting the arrests of two journalists who reported on government corruption. The arrested reporters, who were accused of 'abusing freedom and democracy,' were sentenced to two years of prison and "re-education" for reporting on the so-called PMU 18 corruption scandal.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on June 23, 2009 (boomark / email).