Hoàng Việt Khánh is being questioned by the police in March. — VNA/VNS Photo

LÂM ĐỒNG —  The People’s Court of the Central Highlands province of Lâm Đồng handed down an eight-year prison sentence to a local man for making, storing, and disseminating information opposing the State of the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam, at the first-instance trial on September 24.

According to the indictment of the provincial People’s Procuracy, Hoàng Việt Khánh, 41, from Liên Nghĩa Town, Đức Trọng District, frequently accessed websites of reactionaries at home and abroad, which nurtured his oppositional views against the Party's policies and the State's laws.

The man then created a Facebook account to post 126 articles and a video clip criticising the Party and State’s policies involving politics, economy, and social affairs. He also distorted the national history, defamed and insulted leaders, and slandered senior Party officials, as well as spreading false information. The Facebook account drew over 45,000 subscribers and followers.

The investigation unit under the provincial Department of Public Security on February 19 began legal proceedings against and detained Khánh, who confessed to his violation of legal regulations in court.

The man will be placed under probation in his homeland for three years after completing the jail term. — VNS