The reason why Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hang refused to apologize to the artists

At the trial of the People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City on the morning of September 21, defendant Nguyen Phuong Hang replied: "An apology is not a problem, but I have been in prison for 18 months. I have paid a very high price."

Defendant Nguyen Phuong Hang (52 years old, General Director of Dai Nam Joint Stock Company) and 4 accomplices were tried for the crime of 'Abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, the rights and legitimate interests of organizations and individuals'. The case is related to Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hang's statements in livestreams on social networks that affected famous artists such as Dam Vinh Hung, Vy Oanh, Thuy Tien, Hoai Linh; journalists Han Ni, Duc Hien...

Hình ảnh bà Nguyễn Phương Hằng tại phiên xét xử sáng 21/9. Bị cáo mặc áo màu trắng và quần màu đen.

Image of Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hang at the trial on the morning of September 21.

At the trial, defendant Nguyen Phuong Hang admitted to providing unverified information about the above singer and artist and further stated that an apology was not the issue, but she herself felt offended, hurt, and felt attacked first, not that the defendant was looking for trouble.

Previously, speaking at the trial, as a person with rights and obligations related to the case, Mr. Huynh Minh Hung (singer Dam Vinh Hung) affirmed: Up to this moment, there are still many people attacking my personal page, saying that I embezzled and robbed charity money. My honor and reputation have been trampled. I want my innocence returned to me. Economy, interrupted contracts, these things can be redone, but honor cannot be built .

The male singer said that he was willing to give up his request for material compensation and only asked the defendant Hang to publicly apologize to the media. Previously, singer Dam Vinh Hung asked the defendant Hang to pay material compensation of 43 billion VND.

Responding to the Trial Panel, Ms. Nguyen Thi My Oanh (singer Vy Oanh) said: I think that the criminal prosecution of Ms. Hang is a warning. Everyone makes mistakes, we just need to be aware and know how to change. I hope the law will be lenient with her and the defendants. I do not request compensation, if possible, please restore my honor with an apology.

At the trial, Mrs. Tran Thi Thuy Tien and Mr. Le Cong Vinh were absent. Their lawyers said that Mrs. Tien and her husband wanted to change their compensation request.

Accordingly, during the investigation of the case, Ms. Tien and her husband requested Ms. Hang to compensate for material damage of 30.948 billion VND and compensation for mental damage of 14.9 million VND.

At court, the lawyer said that Thuy Tien and her husband only requested compensation for material losses of 2.348 billion VND and mental losses of 14.9 million VND.

According to the indictment, Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hang and 4 accomplices, through social media accounts (Facebook, Youtube, Tiktok), broadcast 56 live shows, many of which contained content that seriously insulted the reputation and honor of individuals.

The People's Procuracy of Ho Chi Minh City also determined that, for Doctor of Law Dang Anh Quan, during the process of interaction and broadcasting, Ms. Hang directly participated in commenting on many sessions with Ms. Hang.

For Ms. Hang's former employees (Nguyen Thi Mai Nhi, Le Thi Thu Ha and Huynh Cong Tan), they created and managed social networking sites, connected social networking accounts to the internet; announced the time and topic of livestreams, prepared content and stages, and posted articles on social networking sites, under Hang's direction.

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