Viet Nam: UN rights office denounces ‘increasing clampdown’ on freedom of
expression
UN News | 8
January 2021
The UN human
rights office (OHCHR), on Friday, voiced concerns over the use of “vaguely
defined laws” in Viet Nam, to arbitrarily detain an increasing number of
journalists, bloggers, commentators and rights defenders, amidst what appears to
be part of an “increasing clampdown” on the freedom of expression in the
country.
“They are
then frequently held incommunicado for long periods in pre-trial detention, with
regular reports of violations of the right to a fair trial and concerns about
their treatment in detention”, Ravina Shamdasani, an OHCHR spokesperson, said at
a media briefing in Geneva.
“Several of
them have received lengthy sentences following their conviction for crimes
against national security”, she added.
According to
OHCHR, Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy and Le Huu Minh Tuan, respectively the
chairperson, the vice chairperson and member of the Independent Journalists
Association of Viet Nam, were convicted by the People’s Court in Ho Chi Minh
City on 5 January, of “making, storing, spreading information, materials, items
for the purpose of opposing the State” under Article 117 of the country’s
Criminal Code.
Pham Chi
Dung was sentenced to 15 years in prison and three years on probation. Nguyen
Tuong Thuy and Le Huu Minh Tuan were each sentenced to 11 years and three years
on probation.
“All three
individuals were held in lengthy pre-trial detention, and despite assurances
given by the Government that due process was followed, there are serious
concerns about whether their rights to a fair trial were fully respected”, Ms.
Shamdasani said.
Intimidation
and reprisals
Ms.
Shamdasani went on to note that Viet Nam’s use of vaguely-defined laws to
arbitrarily detain people were in violation of Article 19 of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), on the right to hold opinions
and freedom of expression. She urged the country to revise and amend the
relevant provisions of the Criminal Code to bring them in line with its
obligations under the Covenant.
The UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights and a number of UN human rights mechanisms,
including the Human Rights Committee which oversees implementation of the ICCPR,
have repeatedly called on the country to refrain from using restrictive
legislation to curtail fundamental freedoms and to uphold its international
human rights obligations, she added.
“We also
have serious concerns that individuals who try to cooperate with the UN’s human
rights bodies are subjected to intimidation and reprisals, potentially
inhibiting others from sharing information about human rights issues with the
UN,” Ms. Shamdasani said.
“We continue
to raise these cases with the Government of Viet Nam, to call on them to stop
the repeated use of such serious criminal charges against individuals for
exercising their fundamental rights, especially to freedom of expression – and
to unconditionally release all those who have been detained in such cases.”
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