Press Release

August 21, 2023

 

Vietnam Human Rights Network Concluded Its 16th Congress.

 

The Vietnam Human Rights Network (VNHRN) held its 16th Congress in Little Saigon, California, USA, on August 19 and 20, 2023.

Because the Congress took place when Hurricane Hilary blew into Southern California, the venue’s attendees were not as complete as expected. Present in the meeting room were 22 members and an equivalent number of participants online through the ZOOM platform.

The Congress reviewed the Network’s activities in the past two years, discussed the human rights situation in Vietnam and worldwide, and set out essential strategies and tasks for the coming time.

Former prisoner of conscience Pham Thanh Nghien, who recently settled in the United States, pointed out the current human rights situation and the challenges human rights defenders face in Vietnam. Professor Nguyen Ba Loc, a member of the VNHRN, followed up with his observation about the struggle for human rights in the country from Vietnamese overseas.

The Congress’discussion primarily focused on encouraging the participation of young people in human rights activities, developing the use of modern media in information dissemination and human rights education, and promoting support for human rights defenders in Vietnam.

The Congress elected the Executive Committee and Supervisory Committee for the 2023-2025 term. The new Executive Committee consists of Dr. Nguyen Ba Tung, head of the committee, Mr. Vu Hoang Hai, deputy head of the committee, and Ms. Tam An, general secretary. The new Supervisory Committee consists of Mr. Doan The Cuong, the Committee head, Mr. Ngo Thanh Van, and Ms. Do Thi Thuan, members.

The Congress also approved the Declaration on Vietnam’s current human rights situation. The following is the full text of the Statement:

 

Statement of the 16th Vietnam Human Rights Network Congress

 

The 16th Congress of the Vietnam Human Rights Network, held in Little Saigon, California, USA, on August 20, 2023, observed that:

-       The human rights situation in Vietnam is getting worse and worse. Before and after the 13th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the 15th National Assembly election, the Vietnamese government increasingly repressed fundamental freedoms of its citizens, such as freedom of speech, freedom of movement, and freedom of assembly. The number of human rights activists arbitrarily arrested and detained has surpassed any record, and the unjust sentences they suffered were far harsher than those of the same charge in previous years.

-       Especially during the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic, the Vietnamese authorities abused anti-epidemic regulations to increase the suppression of dissenting voices; meanwhile, the vast majority of people suffered miserable living conditions caused by bad social management, discriminatory policies against ethnic minorities, and especially the corruption at all levels of the state apparatus.

From the above observations, the Vietnam Human Rights Network solemnly declares:

1. Requesting the Vietnamese communist authorities to stop arbitrary arrests and detention and immediately and unconditionally release all peaceful human rights activists;

2. Continuing to support individuals and organizations at home who are making efforts to promote and fight for fundamental human rights;

3. Calling overseas Vietnamese to step up their work to support human rights struggles in Vietnam, especially Vietnamese-American compatriots actively campaigned for the passage of the Vietnam Human Rights Act in both houses of the US Congress.

4. Calling on the international community, especially those countries that have trade with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, to pressure the Vietnamese authorities to fulfill their obligation to respect the fundamental human rights that they committed when acceding to international conventions on human rights.

 

Little Saigon, California, USA, August 20, 2023