Freedom... blind!

Constantly exploiting democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State and the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals, after violating the law, some individuals have fled abroad and continued to escalate subversive activities in various forms. One of their familiar tactics is to hide behind the guise of "fighting for freedom of speech" to distort and misrepresent the truth, slander the government, sow doubt, incite public opinion, and undermine people's trust in the Party's leadership and the State's administration.

Recently, on the fan page of the terrorist organization Viet Tan, along with the website thoibao.de run by fugitive Le Trung Khoa and several other reactionary websites abroad, numerous articles have been published distorting the truth regarding the case of 45 individuals who interacted with and shared harmful content online and were summoned by the Hue City Police for questioning and reprimand. They deliberately misrepresented the situation by claiming: "45 people in Hue were summoned by the police for expressing emotions on social media"; "Tightening control over the internet: Even expressing emotions carries legal risks?"; "The government is silencing the people"...

Hue City Police summoned individuals who regularly interact with reactionary, exiled social media pages, such as Le Trung Khoa and Nguyen Van Dai, for questioning. (Photo: Provided by the police.)

First and foremost, it must be affirmed that the police's summoning of individuals for questioning was not simply for "expressing emotions," as some distorted narratives have deliberately claimed. In fact, on May 20th, the Hue City Police announced that the Cyber ​​Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department, in coordination with the police in various communes and wards, simultaneously summoned 45 individuals for questioning regarding their interaction with and sharing of harmful and toxic content online. Through monitoring the online environment, authorities discovered that many social media accounts in Hue regularly followed, commented on, shared, or expressed emotions related to fake, misleading, and subversive content from pages and channels of exiled anti-government figures such as Le Trung Khoa and Nguyen Van Dai. During questioning, most individuals admitted to their violations.

The police determined that the main cause stemmed from limited awareness and a lack of skills in identifying misinformation on social media, inadvertently contributing to the spread of negative content and distortion of the truth. Authorities disseminated information on the Cybersecurity Law and related legal regulations. Following the meeting, the individuals committed to not repeating the offense, voluntarily removed the offending posts and comments, and left the groups containing harmful content.

Social media users are no strangers to individuals like Le Trung Khoa and Nguyen Van Dai, along with the platforms and information channels they exploit to spread false and distorted content aimed at slandering and undermining Vietnam. Due to their prolonged violations of the law, these individuals have been prosecuted and are wanted by the Security Investigation Agency of the Ministry of Public Security . This demonstrates that exploiting cyberspace to spread false information, incite unrest, and undermine the country is not simply an act of expressing personal opinions, but can become a violation of the law, harming national security and social order.

Clearly, interacting with, sharing, or promoting fake and distorted content from exiled reactionary websites and channels is not a harmless act. Whether directly or indirectly, such actions can contribute to the spread of harmful information, negatively impacting social awareness, affecting public order and security, and jeopardizing a healthy information environment. Therefore, reminding, correcting, and even prosecuting according to the law when the elements of a violation are present is necessary.

The distorted narratives of subversive forces.

Since the successful August Revolution of 1945, which brought power back to the people, Vietnam has always respected and guaranteed the freedoms and democratic rights of its citizens, including the right to freedom of expression. This is a constitutional right, enshrined in the first Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1946: “Vietnamese citizens have the right to: freedom of speech, freedom of publication, freedom of organization and assembly, freedom of religion, freedom of residence, and freedom of movement within the country and abroad” (Article 10). The 2013 Constitution further affirms: “Citizens have the right to freedom of speech, freedom of the press, access to information, assembly, association, and demonstration. The exercise of these rights is regulated by law” (Article 25). This shows that our country's legal framework regarding human rights and the right to freedom of expression is fundamentally complete, consistent, and in line with the general principles of international law.

However, freedom of speech does not equate to unlimited freedom. Every country places the exercise of freedom within the framework of the law to protect national interests, ensure social order, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals. No organization or individual is permitted to abuse democratic freedoms, freedom of the press, or freedom of speech to spread false information, slander, incite unrest, infringe upon national security, or harm the community.

To protect the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals, as well as to maintain security and safety in cyberspace, Vietnam's Cybersecurity Law was enacted in 2018 and came into effect on January 1, 2019. Alongside this, the Penal Code also clearly stipulates sanctions for acts of abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State and the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals.

Citizens' freedoms in society are always linked to legal responsibilities and civic duties. There can never be a kind of "freedom" that stands outside the framework of the law. Freedom of speech, in particular, cannot become an excuse for spreading false information, distorting the truth, inciting opposition, or infringing upon national interests.

The incident involving 45 individuals being summoned by the Hue City Police for questioning after interacting with and sharing harmful content online once again demonstrates that, in the digital age, freedom of speech is always coupled with legal and civic responsibility. Each share, comment, or expression of emotion on the internet, seemingly small, can have a social impact. Therefore, being vigilant against misinformation, improving skills in identifying distorted narratives, and using social media responsibly are not only ways to protect oneself but also contribute to maintaining a healthy information environment, ensuring social stability, and safeguarding national interests.

Trung Tin

Source: https://baophutho.vn/tu-do-mu-quang-254890.htm