Remember we reported on Vietnamese lawyer, Le Cong Dinh , a couple of weeks back who was arrested for treason because he thought it might be a good idea to propose some ideas for a new constitution…
AFP are now reporting that he has been barred from practising his profession, a bar association official has told them
Le Cong Dinh "is not allowed to perform his career as a lawyer anymore," said Nguyen Van Trung, deputy head of the bar association in southern Ho Chi Minh City.
"The decision was from the Ministry of Justice."
The report goes on to say..
The bar association had already struck Dinh from its rolls, describing the move as the most serious disciplinary action possible against a member.
Vietnam last week stepped up its justification for Dinh’s arrest and asked for international support in its struggle against "terrorism".
The arrest has sparked concern from European countries, the United States, a global association of lawyers, human rights watchdogs and press freedom groups around the world.
Dinh colluded with exile Vietnamese organisations "in an attempt to prepare for riots and cause social instability and public disorder," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The government has also said Dinh had confessed to participation in a training course in non-violent struggle held in Thailand by the US-based Viet Tan. Also known as the Vietnam Reform Party, the group says it wants peaceful democratic change but Vietnam calls it a "terrorist group".
Carl Thayer, a Vietnam specialist with the Australian Defence Force Academy, has said an "orchestrated press campaign" against Dinh signalled the seriousness with which the regime views the case, although exactly why is unclear.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ikZaFTYBgPAgAgBhyhLPYqp4rbaQ
