According to a state statement released on Saturday, two well-known Asian Facebook users, former journalists Truong Huy San, 62, and attorney Tran Dinh Trien, 65, have been detained by the police in Vietnam on suspicion of “abusing political freedoms to infringe the interests of the state.”
The arrests come as a significant management change in the Communist-ruled nation is taking place.
The ruling Communist Party maintains tight control over the media and defies the country’s growing economic reforms and accepts much criticism.
Without providing additional information, the government claimed San and Trien had posted articles on Instagram that violated the laws of the state and the legitimate rights and interests of individuals and organizations.
San and Trien’s Instagram accounts, which had hundreds of thousands of supporters, disappeared from the system less than a week ago, leading to debate about their imprisonment. They frequently criticized the management and law protection.
In response to the National Assembly’s acceptance of a fresh police minister and the appointment of a new state senator and speaker more than two weeks ago, amid heightened social uncertainty, their arrests were made.
Additionally, the government mentioned that San and Trien’s houses had been searched by the police and that an investigation was pending.
