Vietcong detain, beat Associated Press reporter in Vietnam

Police detain, beat Associated Press reporter in Vietnam

New York, September 19, 2008—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the actions of Vietnamese police who assaulted Associated Press reporter Ben Stocking, after detaining him in Hanoi today. Police detained Stocking, APs Hanoi bureau chief, while he was covering a Catholic protest.

Anonymous video footage posted on YouTube shows two men obstructing Stocking as he tries to photograph a prayer vigil, which was staged in protest against city development of land claimed by the church. The men, one of whom wears a uniform, then lead the obviously unwilling journalist from the scene. The footage does not show the rest of the incident described in the report.

This brutal police treatment of a working journalist is completely unwarranted, said Joel Simon, CPJs executive director. Journalists should be free to report civil unrest in Vietnam without fear of violence from the authorities.

In the AP story, Stocking says police confiscated his camera then punched and kicked him when he asked for it back. He also says they hit him in the head with his camera when he reached for it at the police station where he was later taken for questioning, opening a wound which required four stitches.

The AP said it will protest the incident and that the U.S. Embassy had filed a formal protest. Stocking was allowed to leave police custody with an embassy official to seek medical treatment, the report said.

It was not clear whether police obstructed other reporters at the protest site.

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[XShynobiX]

@ericinghammontevista No name does not matter.

Socialist Republic is just a name.

They are still a communist state/country.

For example USSR is communist.

But USSR stands for Union Soviet Socialist Republic.

[elstar1978]

there not viet cong stupid fuck

[ericinghammontevista]

@EastAsiandictator official name of vietnam is Socialist Republic of Vietnam (note: SOCIALIST REUBLIC) are you really that fucking retarded???!! communism and a socialist reublic are similar but not the same

get your facts right you fucking retard!!!

[EastAsiandictator]

@ericinghammontevista Vietnam's government has identified with Communism and plus theres a huge Communist flag right in front of your face flying when you land at Ho Chi Minh City.

[50poiuyt]

@zzzpqd what they do for country in 20 years = Philipine "democrats" did for 60 years.It is the fact.

[zzzpqd]

Vietnam will remain a backwards poisoned land while communist party rules.

[yeuquehuong]

@lamsike fuck you vichoco shit dog.

[lamsike]

vnvictory08: we all do have good morals but good moral people don't curse. Our country just have some bad people ruin it value. I think you know our parent used to say: 1 con sau lam rau noi canh. cầu chúc cac ban đừng trở nên 1 con sâu.

[northweil]

Wow, that's messed up. Come on people in Viet Nam, stand up against these thugs!

[ericinghammontevista]

Fuck you! This is America! Learn the fucking language!