On June 23, a coalition of ten international NGOs, including Defend the Defenders, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), International Commission of Jurist (CIJ), Front Line Defenders, and CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, issued a joint letter to urge Vietnam’s regime to stop the arbitrary arrest and detention of environmental human rights defenders.
In their letter, the rights groups and environmental organizations express grave concern over the recent arbitrary arrest, detention, and silencing of several environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs) speaking out against harmful business operations supported by the government.
They say that the arrest of environmentalist Hoang Thi Minh Hong on May 31 on trumped-up charges of tax evasion is just another case in the increased targeting of EHRDs in Vietnam. Other cases Nguy Thi Khanh, Mai Phan Loi, and Bach Hung Duong.
The recent attacks against EHRDs in Vietnam reaffirms the closure of civic space in the country. Judicial harassment has continued to be deployed against activists, independent journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers, and bloggers.
The continuous closure of civic and democratic space in Vietnam is contrary to the country’s international legal obligations and commitments undertaken as a member of UN Human Right Council 2023-2025, they say.
They urge the Government of Vietnam to immediately release and drop all charges against the detained EHRDs and stop the arbitrary arrest of human rights defenders exercising their fundamental freedoms.
Furthermore, they call on the government to meaningfully engage with civil society to ensure that the transition towards clean energy is participative and inclusive.
The international community is upset by the arrest of Ms. Hoang Thi Minh Hong. Along with the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, the governments of the US, the UK, and Germany, dozens of human rights and environmental organizations have condemned her arrest.
Three weeks after taking her into custody, on June 19, the police in Ho Chi Minh City officially publicized the arrest of Ms. Hong on the allegation of tax evasion. Accordingly, she is responsible for failing to pay a tax value of VND5.2 billion ($221,000).
Two months after being convicted of “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 117 of the country’s Criminal Code, human rights defender and political blogger Nguyen Lan Thang was transferred to Prison camp No. 5 in the central province of Thanh Hoa. He denied his right to appeal because he has no hope of getting lighter sentence.
Meanwhile, other activists named Truong Van Dung, Tran Van Bang, Bui Tuan Lam (Peter Lam Bui), and Dang Dang Phuoc all appealed their sentences of between six years and eight years given by their first-instance hearings on the allegation of “conducting anti-state propaganda.”
Three lawyers Dang Dinh Manh, Nguyen Van Mieng, and Dao Kim Lam, who were summoned by the police in Long An province many times in February-April, have arrived in the US. They will stay there to avoid being troubled by Vietnam’s authorities after heir participation as defense lawyers in political cases in the past two decades in Vietnam.
On June 23, CIVICUS released its report titled “Vietnam: Human Rights Council membership and dialogues fail to stem repression against activists” in which the Johannesburg-based rights group says the state of civic space in Vietnam is still rated closed. Among ongoing concerns documented are the use of restrictive laws to criminalise activists and journalists, restrictions on movement, surveillance, and allegations of torture and ill-treatment.
It has been eight months since Vietnam was elected to the UN Human Rights Council despite opposition from civil society groups. Ahead of its election, the government made pledges to “continue the efforts devoted to better enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms” in the country. Yet, the state of civic freedoms has not improved, with human rights defenders and critics continuing to face various forms of repression.
On June 20, FIDH and the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) released their joint report documenting the systematic repression of the right to freedom of assembly in Vietnam.
The 58-page report, titled “A History of Violence – Repression of the right to freedom of assembly in Vietnam,” provides the most comprehensive account to date of more than three decades of protests movements in Vietnam and the patterns of repression they have faced. Government actions to repress protests have included: unnecessary and/or disproportionate use of force, arrest, detention, prosecution, and other forms of attacks and harassment against protest leaders, participants, and sympathisers.
The report, published in English and French also makes detailed and practical recommendations for the government of Vietnam to implement in order to bring the country’s laws and practices related to the right to freedom of peaceful assembly into line with international standards.
Height Insoles: Hi, I do believe this is an excellent site. I stumbledupon …
http://fishinglovers.net: Appreciate you sharing, great post.Thanks Again. Keep writi…
Achilles Pain causes: Every weekend i used to pay a quick visit this site, as i w…
June 26, 2023
Vietnam Defend the Defenders’ Weekly Report for June 19-25, 2023: DTD Joins with Nine Other International NGOs to Call on Vietnam to Release Hoang Thi Minh Hong and Other Environmental Activists
by Defend the Defenders • [Human Rights], DEFENDER’S WEEKLY
Defend the Defenders | June 25, 2023
On June 23, a coalition of ten international NGOs, including Defend the Defenders, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), International Commission of Jurist (CIJ), Front Line Defenders, and CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, issued a joint letter to urge Vietnam’s regime to stop the arbitrary arrest and detention of environmental human rights defenders.
In their letter, the rights groups and environmental organizations express grave concern over the recent arbitrary arrest, detention, and silencing of several environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs) speaking out against harmful business operations supported by the government.
They say that the arrest of environmentalist Hoang Thi Minh Hong on May 31 on trumped-up charges of tax evasion is just another case in the increased targeting of EHRDs in Vietnam. Other cases Nguy Thi Khanh, Mai Phan Loi, and Bach Hung Duong.
The recent attacks against EHRDs in Vietnam reaffirms the closure of civic space in the country. Judicial harassment has continued to be deployed against activists, independent journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers, and bloggers.
The continuous closure of civic and democratic space in Vietnam is contrary to the country’s international legal obligations and commitments undertaken as a member of UN Human Right Council 2023-2025, they say.
They urge the Government of Vietnam to immediately release and drop all charges against the detained EHRDs and stop the arbitrary arrest of human rights defenders exercising their fundamental freedoms.
Furthermore, they call on the government to meaningfully engage with civil society to ensure that the transition towards clean energy is participative and inclusive.
The international community is upset by the arrest of Ms. Hoang Thi Minh Hong. Along with the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, the governments of the US, the UK, and Germany, dozens of human rights and environmental organizations have condemned her arrest.
Three weeks after taking her into custody, on June 19, the police in Ho Chi Minh City officially publicized the arrest of Ms. Hong on the allegation of tax evasion. Accordingly, she is responsible for failing to pay a tax value of VND5.2 billion ($221,000).
Two months after being convicted of “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 117 of the country’s Criminal Code, human rights defender and political blogger Nguyen Lan Thang was transferred to Prison camp No. 5 in the central province of Thanh Hoa. He denied his right to appeal because he has no hope of getting lighter sentence.
Meanwhile, other activists named Truong Van Dung, Tran Van Bang, Bui Tuan Lam (Peter Lam Bui), and Dang Dang Phuoc all appealed their sentences of between six years and eight years given by their first-instance hearings on the allegation of “conducting anti-state propaganda.”
Three lawyers Dang Dinh Manh, Nguyen Van Mieng, and Dao Kim Lam, who were summoned by the police in Long An province many times in February-April, have arrived in the US. They will stay there to avoid being troubled by Vietnam’s authorities after heir participation as defense lawyers in political cases in the past two decades in Vietnam.
On June 23, CIVICUS released its report titled “Vietnam: Human Rights Council membership and dialogues fail to stem repression against activists” in which the Johannesburg-based rights group says the state of civic space in Vietnam is still rated closed. Among ongoing concerns documented are the use of restrictive laws to criminalise activists and journalists, restrictions on movement, surveillance, and allegations of torture and ill-treatment.
It has been eight months since Vietnam was elected to the UN Human Rights Council despite opposition from civil society groups. Ahead of its election, the government made pledges to “continue the efforts devoted to better enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms” in the country. Yet, the state of civic freedoms has not improved, with human rights defenders and critics continuing to face various forms of repression.
On June 20, FIDH and the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) released their joint report documenting the systematic repression of the right to freedom of assembly in Vietnam.
The 58-page report, titled “A History of Violence – Repression of the right to freedom of assembly in Vietnam,” provides the most comprehensive account to date of more than three decades of protests movements in Vietnam and the patterns of repression they have faced. Government actions to repress protests have included: unnecessary and/or disproportionate use of force, arrest, detention, prosecution, and other forms of attacks and harassment against protest leaders, participants, and sympathisers.
The report, published in English and French also makes detailed and practical recommendations for the government of Vietnam to implement in order to bring the country’s laws and practices related to the right to freedom of peaceful assembly into line with international standards.