14 Catholic activists could get the death penalty in Vietnam

(Vatican Radio) In Vietnam, 14 Catholic activists are reported to have gone on trial for subversion charges and could face the death penalty. According to the Catholic AsiaNews agency, the activists are accused of subversion for going online to expose corruption in the ruling party and the government. It says their trial is being held at a time of low media coverage to avoid criticism from the international community. The Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung launched a campaign against activists and bloggers in September and pledged to continue it on December 17th.
In a related development, Le Quoc Quan, a well-known Catholic lawyer and human rights defender, was arrested last week on allegations of tax evasion. Mr Le Quoc was arrested as he was taking his daughter to school, state media reported.
In 2012, a total of 40 activists and bloggers in Vietnam were convicted on subversion or similar charges.