The Committee to Protect Journalists spoke out Jan. 13 against a new Vietnamese “executive decree” that goes into effect Feb. 25. In an article on its website, the committee explained the decree grants Vietnamese “authorities greater powers to penalize journalists, editors, and bloggers who report on issues deemed as sensitive to national security.”

The CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative, Shawn Crispin, is quoted as saying:

“Ultimately, this new decree aims to increase government control over Vietnam’s already over-regulated and highly suppressed media.  The language of the decree is overly broad and represents the government’s latest use of rule by law justifications to limit press freedom, including over the Internet.”