Vietnam releases 18,200 prisoners, but not political dissidents
Three of the Internet's largest hacktivism groups, Anonymous, AntiSec and HagashTeam, have carried out a joint operation in which they have defaced several pages of the Vietnamese government website.
Their action came after news that Vietnamese government officials had released 18,200 prisoners on September 2, the country's National Day. The day marked the 70th anniversary of the founding of the modern communist state of Vietnam.
This was the country's second-largest amnesty, following the release of 20,599 prisoners back in 2009.
Anonymous of the group protested that no political dissidents were released in the country's recent decision. This is part of the message that was on all the hacked pages, as seen by HackRead:
"Backed by ambiguous and unclear legal regulations, the Vietnamese Executive Committee has been maintaining a strong repression against political activists, journalists, bloggers and human rights defenders for several years. In 1999, the Criminal Code was used against those who raise their voices to denounce abuses of power and corruption. Vietnam announced the release of over 18,200 prisoners on the day of the 70th anniversary of independence, and none of them were political prisoners."
“Among the prisoners released are murderers and drug traffickers, but none have been convicted of “propaganda against the state” or “intent to defeat the regime,” two charges the government often uses against opponents. […] Human rights groups and Western governments often criticize Vietnam for its repression of dozens of imprisoned dissidents.”
