Prominent Vietnamese lawyer goes on trial for allegedly criticizing top judge on Facebook

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A prominent Vietnamese lawyer went on trial Thursday for Facebook posts that allegedly criticized the country’s former top judge, in a case that human rights groups said could have a chilling effect on expression in the country.

Tran Dinh Trien was arrested last June for three Facebook posts that allegedly criticized the actions of then-Chief Justice Nguyen Hoa Binh, according to Human Rights Watch and rights group Project 88. Trien was charged under Article 331 of the Penal Code with “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state,” Project 88 said.

Trien, 65, is a former deputy director of the Hanoi Bar Association who has been involved in many high-profile legal cases. The trial is expected to last two days, with 12 lawyers defending him, according to Vietnamese state media. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.

In his postings, Trien wrote that courts prevented family members of defendants from attending trials, barred journalists and lawyers from video recording at open trials, and criticized then-Chief Justice Binh for ruling against a death row inmate, Ho Duy Hai, despite irregularities in the investigation, Human Rights Watch said. The top court accused Trien of fabricating and spreading false information that tarnished Binh and the legal system.

Trien was arrested on the same day as prominent journalist and historian Truong Huy San, a week after Public Security Minister To Lam became the Communist country’s new president. Two months after Trien’s arrest, Binh was appointed the country’s deputy prime minister.

Project 88 said Trien’s prosecution violated international law which provides for open political debate and the right to criticize public