hanoi vietnamese court thursday uphold 10-year jail sentence prominent blogger convict publish propaganda state lawyer say late move crackdown critics one-party state despite sweep economic reform increase openness towards social change include gay lesbian transgender right vietnam rule communist party retain tight media censorship tolerate criticism recent months target critics whose voice amplify social media country rank among facebook top ten term users nguyen ngoc nhu quynh 37 know nam mother mushroom gain prominence blogging environment issue deaths police custody find guilty june distribute police call anti-state report court central city nha trang uphold quynh sentence one lawyers say sentence objective unfair lawyer ha huy son tell reuters telephone quynh say innocent carry right citizen vietnam state news agency confirm outcome appeal hear public accordance vietnamese law foreign ministry spokeswoman le thi thu hang add quynh mother say among outside court protest verdict plainclothes policemen approach beat police beat repeatedly nguyen tuyet lan mother tell reuters add police detain three activists reuters able reach police comment march 2009 quynh spend nine days police detention receive fund viet tan california-based activist group vietnam call terrorist group print t-shirts slogans major bauxite project police say also speak subsidiary taiwan formosa plastics corp cause one vietnam big environmental disasters april european union whose representatives deny access appeal hear urge quynh immediately unconditionally release vietnam delegation say friday ahead annual human right session hanoi u.s. diplomat vietnam say deeply trouble quynh conviction uphold unite state call vietnam release ms quynh prisoners conscience immediately allow individuals vietnam express view freely assemble peacefully caryn mcclelland u.s. charg affaires say statement new york-based human right watch call hear farce proceed farce judge simply go motion issue harsh verdict predetermine rule communist party uphold long prison sentence say phil robertson group deputy director asia vietnamese court uphold prominent blogger 's 10-year jail term