The US called on Vietnam to release blogger Nguyen Lan Thang, who was sentenced to six years in prison Wednesday for anti-state activities, ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s weekend visit for talks in Hanoi.
The US stands with Thang’s family and coworkers “in calling for his immediate release”, Amanda Bennett, chief executive of the US Agency for Global Media, said during an online briefing, according to a statement posted on the State Department’s website. “Journalism is not a crime,” she said.
