© Private(Bangkok) – The Vietnamese authorities should immediately quash the criminal conviction of a prominent commentator on social media and release her, Human Rights Watch said today. Hanoi police had arrested her on January 7 for comments she made on social media criticizing the Vietnamese government and charged her with anti-state propaganda under article 117 of the penal code. Hoang Thi Hong Thai, 45, has published hundreds of comments on social media focusing on socio-political issues and expressing empathy for people who have suffered government repression. The Vietnamese authorities have intensified the use of article 117 to prosecute other critics for expressing opinions not strictly line with Communist Party views. “Vietnam’s international donors and trade partners should publicly urge the Vietnamese authorities to immediately release all those imprisoned for peacefully exercising their right to free expression.”