88 Dictating the Internet: Case of Houayheuang Xayabouly In September 2019, Houayheuang Xayabouly (also known as ‘Mouay’) was arrested under article 117 of the Criminal Code following a post she had made on Facebook of a live video in which she had been critical of the Lao government’s response to severe floods in the southern provinces of Laos.312 She had reportedly said in the video: ��In this emergency situation, I am not in need of food and water yet, but yesterday a huge flood came and people here were up on the roofs of their houses trying to escape. Where is the helicopter for rescuing those people? … I cannot be silent as we have been in the past. The era of the regime keeping the eyes and mouths of the people closed has come to an end”. 313 After approximately five days in detention, following police investigation and interrogation and no reported assistance of a lawyer, she “confessed” to committing an illegal activity and for “having connections with ‘bad elements’ both in the country and abroad”.314 In November 2019, Mouay was sentenced to five years in prison and fined 20 million Kip (approx. USD 2,280). She had been held in detention in Champasak provincial prison from the time of her arrest in September.315 Vietnam In Vietnam, laws aiming to protect the reputation and security of the State have consistently been invoked to clamp down on freedom of expression and information online – particularly since 2016 when thenPresident Tran Dai Quang increased repression of expression perceived as 312 RFA Lao service, ‘Lao Authorities Arrest Woman for Criticizing Flood Relief Efforts on Facebook’, Radio Free Asia, 16 September 2019, Available at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/laoshouayheuang-xayabouly-09162019172839.html 313 Ibid. 314 RFA Lao service, ‘Laos State Media: Woman Arrested for Criticizing Government on Facebook Confesses’, Radio Free Asia, 17 September 2019, Available at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/ laos/laos-mouay-confession-bail-09172019164231.html 315 FIDH, ‘Woman jailed for five years for criticizing the government online’, 22 November 2019, Available at: https://www.fidh.org/en/region/asia/laos/woman-jailed-for-five-years-for-criticizingthe-government-online; As of 26 September 2019, her family and friends had not been allowed to visit Mouay in detention. RFA Lao service, ‘Woman Held For ‘Defaming’ Laos is Refused Family Visits’, Radio Free Asia, 26 September 2019, Available at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/ refused-09262019131452.html