The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City on Monday sentenced 12 people to imprisonments of 3-13 years on charges of “conducting acts to overthrow the people’s administration.”
Tran Thi Ngoc Xuan, 53, was sentenced to 13 years in jail. Luong Thi Thu Hien, 54, got imprisonment for 11 years. The prison sentences for the remaining 10 defendants were 3-12 years.
According to the indictments, the 12 defendants are members and supporters of an organization called “Chinh phu quoc gia Viet Nam lam thoi” (Provisional National Government of Vietnam), founded abroad by a man named Dao Minh Quan.
The Vietnamese Government has identified it as a terrorist organization, which has conducted many propaganda activities and armed riots against the Vietnamese State in Ho Chi Minh City and other southern provinces.
According to Vietnamese authorities, Dao Minh Quan and his men have been organizing propaganda and distorting policies of the Party and State of Vietnam since the end of 2013. They have pulled disgruntled people into their activities to incite terrorism, spread leaflets calling for protests, and sabotage national holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year).