As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Vietnam has the duty to respect and protect the rights set out in this core human rights treaty, he said.
by Vu Quoc Ngu, Sept 4, 2015
The London-based Amnesty International has sent a letter to Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Minister of Public Security General Tran Dai Quang, requesting them to release all prisoners of conscience on the occasion of the country’s 70th National Day [Sept. 2].
In his letter dated Aug. 31, Secretary General Salil Shetty said the communist government in Vietnam should include all prisoners of conscience in a list of imprisoned people who will receive amnesty on the occasion.
The Amnesty International considers people imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression to be prisoners of conscience, and calls for their immediate and unconditional release everywhere in the world.
As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Vietnam has the duty to respect and protect the rights set out in this core human rights treaty, he said.
He also listed 51 prisoners of conscience, who have done nothing more than peacefully exercise their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, and are currently serving prison sentences between two years and life imprisonment, including blogger Ta Phong Tan, Catholic priest Nguyen Van Ly and blogger and IT entrepreneur Tran Huynh Duy Thuc.
Those people are sentenced due to controversial articles of the Vietnamese Penal Code, and many of them are held in harsh conditions, in poor health and have been subjected to abusive treatment by prison authorities, the letter said.
Mr. Shetty urged Vietnam’s government to comply with international human rights law and take this opportunity to release immediately and unconditionally all prisoners of conscience, including the named 51 activists.
He also urged Vietnam to ensure that peaceful activists, human rights defenders, journalists and other individuals are able to carry out their legitimate activities without fear of reprisals, harassment, intimidation, arrest, prosecution and imprisonment, in compliance with Vietnam’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other international human rights law and standards, including the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
Two days later, Mr. Shetty and directors of Amnesty International offices in Australia, Cote d’Ivoire, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, and the U.S. also wrote similar letters to Vietnam’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Last week, Vietnam decided to grant amnesty for 18,539 inmates, included 1,449 drug-related criminals, 2,188 murders, 1,363 inmates for raping and 512 for corruption and economic mismanagement, but no one sentenced for “propaganda” against the state or attempting to overthrow the regime, the charges frequently used for activists, was on the list.
The figure included 34 foreigners, six Laotians, one Cambodian, one Thai, two Australians, 16 Chinese, six Malaysians and two Filipinos.
According to the New York-based Human Rights Watch, Vietnam is holding between 150 and 200 prisoners of conscience. Hanoi always denies imprisoning prisoners of conscience but law violators.
Observers said prisoners of conscience will not be freed on the occasion since they can be used for trading economic interests with Western governments, especially the U.S.
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September 4, 2015
Amnesty International Urges Vietnam to Release All Prisoners of Conscience
by Nhan Quyen • [Human Rights]
by Vu Quoc Ngu, Sept 4, 2015
The London-based Amnesty International has sent a letter to Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Minister of Public Security General Tran Dai Quang, requesting them to release all prisoners of conscience on the occasion of the country’s 70th National Day [Sept. 2].
In his letter dated Aug. 31, Secretary General Salil Shetty said the communist government in Vietnam should include all prisoners of conscience in a list of imprisoned people who will receive amnesty on the occasion.
The Amnesty International considers people imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression to be prisoners of conscience, and calls for their immediate and unconditional release everywhere in the world.
As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Vietnam has the duty to respect and protect the rights set out in this core human rights treaty, he said.
He also listed 51 prisoners of conscience, who have done nothing more than peacefully exercise their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, and are currently serving prison sentences between two years and life imprisonment, including blogger Ta Phong Tan, Catholic priest Nguyen Van Ly and blogger and IT entrepreneur Tran Huynh Duy Thuc.
Those people are sentenced due to controversial articles of the Vietnamese Penal Code, and many of them are held in harsh conditions, in poor health and have been subjected to abusive treatment by prison authorities, the letter said.
Mr. Shetty urged Vietnam’s government to comply with international human rights law and take this opportunity to release immediately and unconditionally all prisoners of conscience, including the named 51 activists.
He also urged Vietnam to ensure that peaceful activists, human rights defenders, journalists and other individuals are able to carry out their legitimate activities without fear of reprisals, harassment, intimidation, arrest, prosecution and imprisonment, in compliance with Vietnam’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other international human rights law and standards, including the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
Two days later, Mr. Shetty and directors of Amnesty International offices in Australia, Cote d’Ivoire, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, and the U.S. also wrote similar letters to Vietnam’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Last week, Vietnam decided to grant amnesty for 18,539 inmates, included 1,449 drug-related criminals, 2,188 murders, 1,363 inmates for raping and 512 for corruption and economic mismanagement, but no one sentenced for “propaganda” against the state or attempting to overthrow the regime, the charges frequently used for activists, was on the list.
The figure included 34 foreigners, six Laotians, one Cambodian, one Thai, two Australians, 16 Chinese, six Malaysians and two Filipinos.
According to the New York-based Human Rights Watch, Vietnam is holding between 150 and 200 prisoners of conscience. Hanoi always denies imprisoning prisoners of conscience but law violators.
Observers said prisoners of conscience will not be freed on the occasion since they can be used for trading economic interests with Western governments, especially the U.S.