Vietnam Listed Among 49 Countries ‘Not Free’ In 2017 Freedom House Report

by Defend the Defenders, February 3, 2017

Vietnam is among a group of 49 countries graded “not free” – a status unchanged from previous years, according to the “Freedom in the World 2017” report released by independent U.S. watchdog organization Freedom House.

The report, which grades 195 countries (87 rated “free,” 57 “somewhat free” and 49 “not free”), gives Vietnam an aggregate score of 20/100 on a scale from 0 (Least Free) to 100 (Most Free).

In terms of political rights, Vietnam scored 7/7 – the least free degree. It scored 5/7 for civil liberties.

The report awarded a “not free” status to both Vietnam’s press freedom status and net freedom status, reflecting no change from last year.

The Voice of America radio station talked to two democracy activists based in Vietnam, Pham Doan Trang and Vu Quoc Ngu, who both agreed with the Freedom House report. The activists expressed concerns over (i) Vietnam’s closer ties with China, a country known for its political repression, and (ii) U.S. focusing more on its domestic politics rather than to influence the human rights situation in Vietnam.

for full page of the report about Vietnam: https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2016/vietnam