Nguyen Van Khuong, a reporter with the Vietnamese-language Tuoi Tre (Youth) daily newspaper published a series of articles last year on police corruption
BANGKOK (TrustLaw) – A Vietnamese journalist who had exposed corrupt police practices has been detained on charges of “giving bribes”, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a statement condemning the arrest.
The police detained Nguyen Van Khuong, a reporter with the Vietnamese-language Tuoi Tre (Youth) daily newspaper, on Monday in Ho Chi Minh City.
Khuong published a series of articles last year on corruption in Binh Thanh District's traffic police department under a pseudonym, CPJ said.
According to Reporters Without Borders, the arrest stems from an incident where he posed as a traffic violator while undercover and had an intermediary pay $715 to a police officer to release an impounded vehicle.
Following the arrest of the officer after the story’s publication, Khuong was suspended from his job due to pressure from the police, CPJ said.
"We call upon authorities to immediately release Nguyen Van Khuong and allow him to resume his work as an investigative journalist," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator.
"Journalists who reveal corrupt government practices should be rewarded – not arrested," he added.
CPJ said Khuong could be held in detention for as long as four months while authorities investigate his case.
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