bloggers

Three Vietnamese online journalists were convicted and jailed on Monday, a sign the communist government is widening its crackdown on the media, say press freedom groups.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said bloggers who criticized the government will be “seriously punished,” after some bloggers published a series of corruption scandals among elite Communist Party members.

Russian officials charged opposition figure Alexei Navalny with embezzlement a week after he criticized the head of the Investigative Committee on his blog, RT reported.

“Anything can happen when there is unrestrained political power. I’m worried that my parents will be the victims of retaliation.”

Reading the blogs about the Beijing Olympics is proving to be rather revealing, and at times entertaining. If only for its bitter sweetness.