Curtailing Free Expression, Opinion and Information Online in Southeast Asia expressed its view that “(even) being an expert and having high social awareness”, Pham had “still used Facebook to ‘publish pessimistic information about Vietnam that negatively affects netizens and the public’”.336 Cases of Nguyen Nang Tinh and Nguyen Ngoc Anh (November 2019) In November 2019, Nguyen Nang Tinh, an activist and music teacher, was sentenced to 11 years in prison following a one-day trial by the People’s Court of Nghe An province. He was arrested in May 2019 under article 117 of the 2015 Penal Code for reportedly “posting anti-state content online”.337 The conviction was based on a series of posts he had made on Facebook. During his trial, Nguyen had stated that the account in question was not his, and that it had belonged to another person named ‘Nguyen Nang Tinh’.338 In November 2019, Nguyen Ngoc Anh, a pro-democracy activist, was sentenced to six years in prison under article 117 of the 2015 Penal Code for allegedly “making, storing or disseminating information against the State”, following posts he had made he had on his Facebook account.339 While State media had characterized his posts as “reactionary” and intended to “badmouth” the State and incite protests, Nguyen’s work had reportedly often covered issues of public interest and social concern such as reporting on a toxic waste spill, writing about electoral issues and about political prisoners.340 He was arrested in August 2018, before being sentenced in June 2019 to six years’ imprisonment by a court in Ben Tre province following a summary trial. In November 2019, the National High Court at Ho Chi Minh City upheld the six-year sentence.341 336 The 88 Project, ‘Can Tho: Former University Lecturer Jailed for Online Posting’, 1 November 2019, Available at: https://the88project.org/former-university-lecturer-jailed-for-online-posting/ 337 The 88 Project, ‘Nguyen Nang Tinh’, Available at: https://the88project.org/profile/376/nguyennang-tinh/ 338 Bangkok Post, ‘Vietnam jails music teacher for 11 years over ‘anti-state’ Facebook posts’, 15 November 2019, Available at: https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/1795029/vietnam-jails-musicteacher-for-11-years-over-anti-state-facebook-posts 339 The 88 Project, ‘Nguyen Ngoc Anh’, 17 November 2019, Available at: https://the88project.org/ profile/191/nguyen-ngoc-anh/ 340 HRW, ‘Vietnam: Free Activist Jailed for Facebook Posts’, 5 November 2019, Available at: https:// www.hrw.org/news/2019/11/05/vietnam-free-activist-jailed-facebook-posts 341 The term included five years on probation. See The 88 Project, ‘Nguyen Ngoc Anh’, 17 November 93