Popular support soars for jailed lawyer, rights group says

May 26, 2011, 6:29 GMT

Hanoi - The jailing of legal activist Cu Huy Ha Vu has sparked unprecedented public popular support for his release, a rights group said Thursday.

The seven-year jail sentence imposed on the lawyer in April for 'spreading propaganda against the state' has triggered a 'remarkable outpouring of popular support for his release,' Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report.

Vu filed an appeal against his sentence which is still being considered by the government.

His supporters come from a wide range of backgrounds, including fellow lawyers, high-ranking army officers, members of religious groups and farmers, the report said.

Blogs, webpages and social network sites have shown support for Vu.

'Authorities were surprised how quickly the support for him [Vu] built,' said HRW deputy Asia director Phil Robertson.

Robertson said he believed the government was keeping the date for Vu's appeal quiet over concerns that it would trigger public gatherings in his support.

Vu gained notoriety after he tried to sue Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to stop Chinese-run bauxite mines in the Central Highlands, but the suit was dismissed.

In October, he again sued the premier over a decree that bars groups from filing petitions or complaints with the government

Vu's father was a confidant of late national leader Ho Chi Minh and the first agriculture minister of independent Vietnam.