Two internet-based political activists have been found guilty of "spreading propaganda against the state" by a court in Vietnam and jailed for five and four years in prison.
The convictions of lawyers Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong Nhan means five people have now been jailed this week in the government's latest crackdown on perceived dissent.
Some Western diplomats disputed the verdicts reached in Hanoi on Friday saying the evidence was weak and the sentences excessive.
Prosecutors said Dai, 38, and Nhan, 28, had violated article 88 of the criminal code, which broadly prohibits spreading propaganda against the communist government.
Western opposition
They accused the two lawyers of collaborating with overseas pro-democracy advocates, using the internet to advance their views and of working with Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly, a Catholic priest and perceived dissident, who was sentenced to eight years in prison in March.
Friday's trial passed without major incident unlike Ly's in the city of Hue. The priest was removed from court several times after shouting in protest.
Dai was sentenced to five years and Nhan to four years for advocating a multiparty state in Vietnam.
They must serve four years and three years of probation respectively after their release.
Proceedings
Shortly before the close of the four-hour proceeding Nhan said he rejected the trial saying it was "not right".
Reporters and diplomats were not allowed in the courtroom, but viewed the trial on closed-circuit television.
Ralph Falzone, from the US embassy in Hanoi, said: "We are aware of nothing to indicate that these individuals were engaged in activities that conflict with rights regarding the peaceful expression of political thought widely recognised under international law."
Alexis Andres, a European Union diplomat, said the evidence against Dai and Nhan was "very weak" and the sentences excessive.
"Nobody should be condemned for peacefully expressing their views," he said.
Before they were arrested on March 6, Dai and Nhan provided human rights training to Vietnamese students.
Dai also represented ethnic minorities who were members of Protestant faiths.
On Wednesday, Vietnam released Phan Van Ban, who was jailed for 22 years after he joined an organisation calling for political change.