A court in central Vietnam on Wednesday handed prison sentences to a mostly Catholic group charged with "activities against the government," their lawyers said.
One of the 14 was given a suspended three-year sentence for his minor role in the group, with the others receiving sentences of three to 13 years in jail and a further three to five years on probation.
The convicts, aged 24 to 39, were charged with following training courses organized by Viet Tan, an activist group that opposes the Communist Party's monopoly on political power.
Twelve of them belong to the Catholic Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, which has organized prayer vigils against perceived government harassment.
All allegedly attended workshops on leadership skills and online digital security, and writing and disseminating articles about peaceful protests and political pluralism, activities deemed criminal by the Vietnamese government.
Most of the 14 were reportedly detained in July and August after travelling to Thailand to attend seminars hosted by Viet Tan.
Tran Thu Nam, one of the seven lawyers at the trial, said "they acknowledged attending the training courses to protect the lives of their countrymen, not to overthrow the regime."
"In my opinion, the Court's decisions are not the correct sentences for the correct people," he told dpa. "The evidence that was given is weak and is neither reasonable nor convincing."
"Someone with a little sense in the Vietnamese Communist Party should be embarrassed by this trial," said Viet Tan spokesman Duy Hoang. "How can the regime justify imprisoning people for practising non-violence and publishing blogs?"
"Today's convictions mark yet another sharp spike in Vietnam's increasing crackdown on free expression," said Phil Robertson, Asia deputy director for US-based Human Rights Watch.
"Instead of imprisoning critics, the Vietnam government should be listening to them, and encouraging their efforts to address the myriad problems like corruption, land seizures, and other official abuses and malfeasance facing the country."
Dozens of supporters of the accused gathered outside the court, but were held back by uniformed and plainclothes security forces, and some were temporarily detained