From BBC
Vietnam has released two high-profile political activists amid ongoing free trade talks with the United States.
Activist Cu Huy Ha Vu (centre) was released earlier this month and is now in the US. Photo from AFP.
Democracy activists Nguyen Tien Trung and Vi Duc Hoi were freed from prison over the weekend.
Earlier in April, prominent activist Cu Huy Ha Vu was also released from jail. He has since flown to the US, which had campaigned for his release.
Vietnam is in negotiations with the US over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a major free trade deal.
Members of the US Congress said that greater US-Vietnam co-operation should be tied to Vietnam improving its human rights record.
‘Long way to go’
Vietnam, a one-party Communist state, has one of south-east Asia’s fastest-growing economies. However, the government suppresses political dissent and religious freedom, and private media is banned.
Blogger Nguyen Tien Trung had served nearly five years of his seven-year jail term for subversion. He now faces three years of house arrest.
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