Vietnam Sentences Nine Christians to Jail Terms
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Vietnam has handed jail sentences ranging from 18 to 30 months to nine members of a banned Christian group it accused of actions against the state, including sabotaging national unity, state media has reported.
The nine, members of the Montagnard ethnic minority, organized a branch of “Dega Protestantism” in the central highland province of Gia Lai’s Krong Pa district in April 2001, eventually recruiting 70 followers, media reports said.
In May 2001, two of the accused “incited local believers to flee Vietnam and speak ill of the regime,” the official Vietnam News Agency said late Tuesday, quoting an indictment from local prosecutors.
Vietnam permits a state-sanctioned form of Protestantism to operate, one of six religions it recognizes. All others are considered illegal and subject to punitive action.
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