HO CHI MINH CITY: A court in southern Vietnam jailed three bloggers yesterday for “anti-state propaganda,” including one whose case has been raised by US President Barack Obama, at a brief but dramatic hearing.

After a trial lasting just a few hours, high-profile blogger Nguyen Van Hai, alias Dieu Cay, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Ta Phong Tan, a policewoman-turned-dissident whose mother self-immolated to protest her detention, was given 10 years and led from court screaming.

“Their crimes were especially serious with clear intention against the state,” said Nguyen Phi Long, president of the court in Ho Chi Minh City.