Newly-appointed Catholic Archbishop of Hanoi Pierre Nguyen Van Nhon waves to believers in front of St. Joseph Cathedral after Pentecost Sunday mass in Hanoi in this May 23, 2010 file photo. Pope Francis on January 4, 2015 named 20 new cardinals, or top officials of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy around the world. One of them is Pierre Nguyen. REUTERS/Kham/Files (VIETNAM – Tags: RELIGION) )
Jakarta Globe, October 6, 2016
Jakarta. Lawmakers from across the region on Thursday (06/10) called on the Vietnamese government to reject a draft law regarding religious freedoms until the law is brought to international human rights standards.
In a statement sent to the Jakarta Globe, the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) voiced concerns of increasingly authoritarian laws trampling on freedoms.
The draft, which many hoped would see the communist regime loosen the reigns on religious freedoms, maintains requirements for religious groups to register with the state and curbs freedoms in association, particularly in rural areas.
“Across Southeast Asia we are seeing the passing of repressive laws that seek to place into law restrictions on citizens’ human rights and freedoms,” Charles Santiago, a Malaysian parliamentarian and chairman of APHR, said in the statement.
“The importance for laws that promote tolerance and uphold the rights to religious freedom, and, inversely, the need for legislation that tackles the dangers of hate speech and discrimination, cannot be understated at this time in our region. With certain constituents and groups seeking to stoke and manipulate ethnic, social and religious divides, our focus has never been more needed on ensuring we, as legislators, use our positions to promote tolerance and religious freedom,” he said.
APHR and other human rights civil groups, including Amnesty International Human Rights Watch, teamed up in an open letter addressed to Vietnam’s National Assembly President Nguyen Kim Ngan to improve the proposed law changes.
The draft has been revised several times, inviting increasing criticism from religious group, such as the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam, who would likely be affected but were not consulted. It is set to be voted on at some stage over the next two months.
“Basic guarantees of the right to freedom of religion or belief continue to be undermined by onerous registration requirements and excessive state interference in religious organizations’ internal affairs,” the letter said.
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October 7, 2016
APHR Slams Vietnam’s ‘Repressive’ Religious Law Reforms
by Nhan Quyen • [Human Rights]
Newly-appointed Catholic Archbishop of Hanoi Pierre Nguyen Van Nhon waves to believers in front of St. Joseph Cathedral after Pentecost Sunday mass in Hanoi in this May 23, 2010 file photo. Pope Francis on January 4, 2015 named 20 new cardinals, or top officials of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy around the world. One of them is Pierre Nguyen. REUTERS/Kham/Files (VIETNAM – Tags: RELIGION) )
Jakarta Globe, October 6, 2016
Jakarta. Lawmakers from across the region on Thursday (06/10) called on the Vietnamese government to reject a draft law regarding religious freedoms until the law is brought to international human rights standards.
In a statement sent to the Jakarta Globe, the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) voiced concerns of increasingly authoritarian laws trampling on freedoms.
The draft, which many hoped would see the communist regime loosen the reigns on religious freedoms, maintains requirements for religious groups to register with the state and curbs freedoms in association, particularly in rural areas.
“Across Southeast Asia we are seeing the passing of repressive laws that seek to place into law restrictions on citizens’ human rights and freedoms,” Charles Santiago, a Malaysian parliamentarian and chairman of APHR, said in the statement.
“The importance for laws that promote tolerance and uphold the rights to religious freedom, and, inversely, the need for legislation that tackles the dangers of hate speech and discrimination, cannot be understated at this time in our region. With certain constituents and groups seeking to stoke and manipulate ethnic, social and religious divides, our focus has never been more needed on ensuring we, as legislators, use our positions to promote tolerance and religious freedom,” he said.
APHR and other human rights civil groups, including Amnesty International Human Rights Watch, teamed up in an open letter addressed to Vietnam’s National Assembly President Nguyen Kim Ngan to improve the proposed law changes.
The draft has been revised several times, inviting increasing criticism from religious group, such as the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam, who would likely be affected but were not consulted. It is set to be voted on at some stage over the next two months.
“Basic guarantees of the right to freedom of religion or belief continue to be undermined by onerous registration requirements and excessive state interference in religious organizations’ internal affairs,” the letter said.