Vietnam frees dissident lawyer from prison early

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — A U.S.-trained human rights lawyer has been released early from a Vietnamese prison even as the Communist government intensifies its crackdown on activists and bloggers it sees as challenging one-party rule.

Le Cong Dinh was freed Wednesday for his “good abidance by prison rules,” the online newspaper VnExpress reported. The Foreign Ministry confirmed the early release Thursday in a brief statement to The Associated Press.