A U.S. citizen arrested in Vietnam while taking part in a demonstration last month has been released from custody and is with his family, the State Department confirmed to NBC News on Friday.
Will Nguyen, 32, was arrested on June 10 by police in Ho Chi Minh City, where he was taking part in protests against the Vietnamese government’s plans to establish special economic zones that demonstrators feared would be dominated by Chinese interests.
A Vietnamese court on Friday convicted Nguyen of disturbing public order and ordered him deported, according to The Associated Press. He had faced up to seven years in prison.
A court official said Nguyen, who is of Vietnamese descent, was given a lenient sentence because he admitted to the violation and showed remorse, The AP reported.
A college friend of Nguyen, Kevin Webb, said in a phone interview Friday morning that Nguyen had already left Vietnam by plane with his family, who had attended the trial. Nguyen's mother and sister, Victoria, were with him, he said.
They were en route to Singapore, Webb said, where Nguyen lives and graduated this month from a master’s program in public policy at the University of Singapore.
“The family is over the moon,” Webb said, adding, “They’re absolutely delighted to get him out of the country."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised Nguyen’s case with Vietnamese officials during his visit to the communist country on July 9 and encouraged a speedy resolution, according to the State Department.
Will Nguyen, 32, was arrested on June 10 by police in Ho Chi Minh City, where he was taking part in protests against the Vietnamese government’s plans to establish special economic zones that demonstrators feared would be dominated by Chinese interests.
A Vietnamese court on Friday convicted Nguyen of disturbing public order and ordered him deported, according to The Associated Press. He had faced up to seven years in prison.
A court official said Nguyen, who is of Vietnamese descent, was given a lenient sentence because he admitted to the violation and showed remorse, The AP reported.
A college friend of Nguyen, Kevin Webb, said in a phone interview Friday morning that Nguyen had already left Vietnam by plane with his family, who had attended the trial. Nguyen's mother and sister, Victoria, were with him, he said.
They were en route to Singapore, Webb said, where Nguyen lives and graduated this month from a master’s program in public policy at the University of Singapore.
“The family is over the moon,” Webb said, adding, “They’re absolutely delighted to get him out of the country."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised Nguyen’s case with Vietnamese officials during his visit to the communist country on July 9 and encouraged a speedy resolution, according to the State Department.
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