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Human Rights Watch said in its submission to the United Nations Human Rights Committee on Monday that UN member states should use the upcoming review of Vietnam’s record on civil and political rights to pressure the country’s government to end its crackdown on dissenting speech and other fundamental human rights.
In its submission, Human Rights Watch urged UN member states to use Vietnam’s periodic review to press the country to implement concrete changes to its approach to domestic dissent rather than making vague promises. The organization called on the country to release all political prisoners and abolish abusive laws that criminalize political expression by its citizens.
The organization also suggested that the Vietnamese government should allow for truly independent labor and trade unions and lift restrictions on unregistered religious groups. These reforms, if implemented, would aim to reduce repression and create an environment that allows ordinary citizens to exercise freedom of expression, association, and religion.
The meeting at the UN Human Rights Committee will be held July 7 and 8. The review is part of the regular oversight of all countries that have ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The last review of the human rights conditions in Vietnam was completed in 2019. At that time, the Human Rights Committee welcomed several positive changes, such as the inclusion of citizens’ fundamental rights in the amended constitution. However, the committee also pointed out that the Vietnamese government should urgently “take all necessary steps, including revising legislation, to end violations of the right to freedom of expression” in all forms and make sure that restrictions do not exceed those defined limitations established in the Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Article 117 of the Penal Code deems actions such as creating, possessing, or distributing information critical of the government as a criminal offense. Article 331, on the other hand, prohibits “abusing the rights to democracy and freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State.” The Vietnamese government has increasingly used these provisions in the penal code to intensify its crackdown on political dissent and to punish citizens for raising concerns about government policies or local officials. For example, Nguyen Chi Tuyen, a citizen journalist with a large number of followers across various social media platforms, was arrested in August 2024 for criticizing the government online.
In November 2024, the Vietnam government issued Decree 147, a new regulation that expands the scope of censorship beyond the Cybersecurity Law of 2018. Many human rights activists claimed the law would act as a tool to suppress freedom of speech at the time of its enactment. The new regulation required internet providers to self-police by monitoring and removing content deemed illegal by authorities. It also mandates the provision of phone numbers or ID card numbers when registering for online services based overseas.
According to Reporters without Borders, Vietnam is one of the world’s biggest prisons for journalists. Human Rights Watch has identified over 170 political prisoners who are currently under arrest for practicing their basic human rights, ranging from activists to online bloggers.
The post Human Rights Watch stresses government reform in upcoming UN rights review of Vietnam appeared first on JURIST - News.
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In its submission, Human Rights Watch urged UN member states to use Vietnam’s periodic review to press the country to implement concrete changes to its approach to domestic dissent rather than making vague promises. The organization called on the country to release all political prisoners and abolish abusive laws that criminalize political expression by its citizens.
The organization also suggested that the Vietnamese government should allow for truly independent labor and trade unions and lift restrictions on unregistered religious groups. These reforms, if implemented, would aim to reduce repression and create an environment that allows ordinary citizens to exercise freedom of expression, association, and religion.
The meeting at the UN Human Rights Committee will be held July 7 and 8. The review is part of the regular oversight of all countries that have ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The last review of the human rights conditions in Vietnam was completed in 2019. At that time, the Human Rights Committee welcomed several positive changes, such as the inclusion of citizens’ fundamental rights in the amended constitution. However, the committee also pointed out that the Vietnamese government should urgently “take all necessary steps, including revising legislation, to end violations of the right to freedom of expression” in all forms and make sure that restrictions do not exceed those defined limitations established in the Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Article 117 of the Penal Code deems actions such as creating, possessing, or distributing information critical of the government as a criminal offense. Article 331, on the other hand, prohibits “abusing the rights to democracy and freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State.” The Vietnamese government has increasingly used these provisions in the penal code to intensify its crackdown on political dissent and to punish citizens for raising concerns about government policies or local officials. For example, Nguyen Chi Tuyen, a citizen journalist with a large number of followers across various social media platforms, was arrested in August 2024 for criticizing the government online.
In November 2024, the Vietnam government issued Decree 147, a new regulation that expands the scope of censorship beyond the Cybersecurity Law of 2018. Many human rights activists claimed the law would act as a tool to suppress freedom of speech at the time of its enactment. The new regulation required internet providers to self-police by monitoring and removing content deemed illegal by authorities. It also mandates the provision of phone numbers or ID card numbers when registering for online services based overseas.
According to Reporters without Borders, Vietnam is one of the world’s biggest prisons for journalists. Human Rights Watch has identified over 170 political prisoners who are currently under arrest for practicing their basic human rights, ranging from activists to online bloggers.
The post Human Rights Watch stresses government reform in upcoming UN rights review of Vietnam appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.