Image copyright AFP Image caption Lawyer Nguyen Van Dai, 48, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison

Six prominent Vietnamese activists have received heavy prison sentences on charges of "attempting to overthrow" the country's communist government. Nguyen Van Mieng, the lawyer for prominent human rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai said he was sentenced to 15 years in prison and five years of house arrest while his fellow activists received sentences from seven to 12 years at the one-day trial Thursday. All six activists have participated in numerous human rights activities, including campaigning for victims, teaching human rights standards, advocating for religious freedom, and supporting political prisoners and their families. The five men and one woman sentenced were accused by the Vietnamese government of founding and being part of the "Brotherhood for Democracy," a self-described network of peaceful right activists and democracy advocates the government has accused of seeking to overthrow the state. Image copyright AFP Image caption Demonstrators holding placards marched towards the courthouse in Hanoi

In December 2015, having already served a previous four-year prison sentence, Nguyen Van Dai was arrested along with his assistant. In a report released earlier this week, human rights campaign group Amnesty International described Hanoi as "one of South East Asia's most prolific jailers of peaceful activists", and said that at least 97 political prisoners were currently serving jail sentences across the country.
A Vietnamese court sentences six high-profile Brotherhood for Democracy activists to prison on charges of attempting to overthrow the government, with the longest sentence handed to human rights lawyer Nguyễn Văn Đài.