Vietnam Frees ‘Cyber Dissident’ Before Leader’s Visit to U.S.

VIETNAM FREES 'CYBER DISSIDENT' BEFORE LEADER'S VISIT TO US
[SOURCE: Associated Press]
Vietnam has released a prominent government critic convicted of spying against the Communist government, two weeks before Vietnam’s president makes a historic visit to the United States, an official said Sunday. Nguyen Vu Binh, 39, was released from Nam Ha prison on Saturday under a presidential amnesty, said Pham Hong Canh, deputy director of the prison in Ha Nam Province, 40 miles south of Hanoi. Mr. Binh, a former journalist, was one of Vietnam’s first “cyber dissidents,” who used the Internet to spread pro-democracy views. In late 2003, he was convicted of spying and sentenced to seven years in prison and three years of house arrest. The court said he had committed espionage by gathering antigovernment information and documents for overseas “reactionary organizations.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/11/world/asia/11vietnam.html?_r=1&oref=sl...
(requires registration)