; or questioned policies on sensitive matters, such as human rights, religious freedom, or sovereignty disputes with China and sought to impede criticism by monitoring meetings and communications of political activists . (6) Furthermore, the Department of State documents that arbitrary arrest and detention, particularly for political activists, remained a problem , with the Government of Vietnam sentencing 29 arrested activists during 2014. Of those, 6 activists were convicted on national security charges in the penal code for undermining the unity policy , 17 for causing public disorder , and 6 for abusing democratic freedoms . (7) At the end of 2014, the Government of Vietnam reportedly held more than 125 political prisoners. (8) On September 24, 2012, 3 prominent Vietnamese bloggers—Nguyen Van Hai (also known as Dieu Cay), Ta Phong Tan, and Phan Thanh Hai (also known as Anh Ba Saigon)—were sentenced to prison based on 3-year-old blog postings criticizing the Government and leaders of Vietnam and the Communist Party of Vietnam. Nguyen Van Hai served 2 years of a 12-year prison sentence on charges of conducting propaganda against the state but was later released and departed from Vietnam. If he were to return, he would likely have to complete his prison sentence. (9) United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay responded to the sentencing of the bloggers on September 25, 2012, stating that [t]he harsh prison terms handed down to bloggers exemplify the severe restrictions on freedom of expression in Vietnam and calling the sentences an unfortunate development that undermines the commitments Vietnam has made internationally . . . to protect and promote the right to freedom of expression . (10) On March 21, 2013, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Daniel B. Baer testified before the Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate that in Vietnam we’ve been disappointed in recent years to see backsliding,