Human rights in Vietnam: Difference between revisions

Human rights in Vietnam have long been a matter of much controversy between the Government of Vietnam and some international human rights organizations and Western governments, particularly that of the United States. Under the current constitution the Communist Party of Vietnam is the only one allowed to rule, the operation of all other political parties being outlawed: this is the main problem in terms of political freedom. Other human rights issues concern freedom of association, freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Since 1994, Vietnam Human Rights Day is celebrated each year on May 11.

Recent facts of human rights in Vietnam from international human rights organizations reports

Vietnamese pro-democracy rally demanding for the release of Nguyễn Quốc Quân on April 30, 2012 (Black April).

Việt Tân Party info booth at a pro-democracy, pro-human rights rally

In its 2004 report on Human Rights Practices, the U.S. State Department characterized Vietnam's human rights record as "poor" and cited the continuation of "serious abuses." According to the report, the government has imposed restrictions on freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association.

Recent US reports maintain the same observations and international human rights organizations that share these views include Human Rights Watch and the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization. The United Nations has highlighted religious persecution.

In 2009, the European Parliament expressed concern about "the growing climate of intolerance in Vietnam towards human rights defenders and members of officially unrecognized religious communities." It called on the government to end repression against freedom of expression, belief, and assembly, and to release its "political prisoners".

The government officially provides for freedom of religion and recognizes Buddhist, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Hòa Hảo, Cao Đài, and Muslim denominations. However, the government supervises the clergies of the sanctioned groups (by approving appointments, for example) in the interest of "national unity".

Freedom of expression remains a problem as the Vietnamese authorities continue to use tough national security laws to punish critics of the regime. The official media remained tightly controlled by government censorship and obstruction.

Restrictions on the freedom to assemble remain a problem in Vietnam. There is an effort of the government to delay issuing a law for legalizing demonstration/strike although demonstration is legal as written in Vietnam's Constitution.

At present, Vietnam continues to hold more than 160 political prisoners, who have committed no "crimes" — other than to peaceably voice their complaints that their government is seen as becoming increasingly corrupt and unaccountable.

Current human-rights related dissidents

In 2009, Le Cong Dinh, a lawyer who several years previously had acted for the government in a successful case against American catfish farmers, was arrested and charged with the capital crime of subversion; several of his associates were also arrested. Many Western governments condemned the move, and human rights groups alleged that the arrest was due to Le Cong Dinhs' support for freedom of speech. Amnesty International named him and his arrested associates to be prisoners of conscience.

Vietnam currently holds several other individuals in detention that Amnesty International considers to be prisoners of conscience: Cù Huy Hà Vũ, convicted of "conducting propaganda against the state" for giving interviews to foreign press; Nguyen Dan Que, convicted of "red-handed keeping and distributing documents" calling for the overthrow of the government; and Roman Catholic priest Nguyen Van Ly (also known as Father Thaddeus) detained for "spreading propaganda against the state." Amnesty International has called for the immediate and unconditional release of all three men.

Ethnic Minorities

Various ethnic minorities organizations like the Montagnard Foundation, International Office of Champa, and Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation allege that the Vietnamese people and government perpetuate human rights abuses against the Degar (Montagnards), Cham, and Khmer Krom.

See also

• LGBT rights in Vietnam
• Freedom of religion in Vietnam

References

• "Rafto Laureates". Archived from the original on 20 August 2006. Retrieved 9 December 2006.
• This image is available from the United States Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division under the digital ID {{{id}}}
  This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Wikipedia:Copyrights for more information.
  - http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Vietnam.pdf Vietnam profile

External links

• Vietnamese Human Rights Newspaper
• US Department of State Human Rights Report 2009 Vietnam
• Censorship in Vietnam - IFEX
• Human rights in Vietnam on websites of international NGOs: Human Rights Watch and FIDH
• Vietnam Human Rights Journal (blogspot)
• www.rafto.no
• Vietnam Human Rights Network
• >latest report
• Vietnam: from "Vision" to Facts. Human Rights in Vietnam under its Chairmanship in ASEAN FIDH, 2010
• UNPO - Vietnam Human Rights Report 2009
• National report of Vietnam under the universal periodic review of UN human rights council
• Indigenous People Face Deliberate Persecution in Vietnam
• Highlighting Vietnamese Government Human Rights Violations In Advance of the U.S.-Vietnam Dialogue: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session, April 11, 2013
• Continuing Repression by the Vietnamese Government: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session, June 4, 2013