Seven years in prison, three years' house arrest. That's what Cu Huy Ha Vu, a Vietnamese lawyer, received from a judge after calling for an end to the country's government and one-party system. Vu is no stranger to stirring up trouble: twice since 2009, he's attempted to sue the Vietnamese Prime Minister on various grounds. He maintained during his one-day trial that "this criminal case was invented against me" and "this case is completely illegal," but still walked away with a 10-year sentence. The lesson here, for any Vietnamese citizen looking on wistfully as governments teeter and fall in the Middle East: Don't even think about it.

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