Vietnam Puts Dissidents Under House Arrest Amid UN Envoy's Visit
RFA
– 07/25/2014
Vietnam's authoritarian government on Friday placed an unknown number of
dissidents in its largest city under virtual house arrest or closely monitored
their movements in an apparent attempt to prevent them from meeting with a
visiting U.N. envoy on human rights, dissidents said.
Some of the dissidents said they were prevented from leaving their homes in Ho
Chi Minh city while others said they were harassed or threatened by government
security agents when they went out to do their daily chores.
United
Nations Special Rapporteur Heiner Bielefeldt arrived in the capital Hanoi on
July 21 for an 11-day visit to the country to assess the situation regarding the
promotion and protection of the right to freedom of religion or belief, the U.N.
said.
During the trip, he will meet with various government officials and local
authorities, and hold meetings with representatives of religious communities and
civil society organizations, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human
Rights in Geneva said.
Amid reports that Bielefeldt was traveling to Ho Chi Minh city on Friday, police
set up checkpoints a day earlier near the residence of prominent dissident
Nguyen Dan Que, who had spoken out on the need for democracy and human rights
accountability in Vietnam.
Que, who had spent a total of 20 years in prison or under house arrest on
various occasions since 1978, said he was blocked by three people on
motorcycles, believed to be police in plainclothes, when he wanted to go out for
his early morning exercise on Friday.
"They did not let me go, but I still opened the door and got out [on my bicycle]
just to see what they could do," he told RFA's Vietnamese Service. "They
followed me. I went to the yard near my house for exercise, they sat opposite
me."
"After half an hour, I rode to the swimming pool. They followed me. I swam until
7 o’clock and then rode home. I got home, the checkpoints were still there. The
people who followed me were replaced by others."
Que said that ex-political prisoner Pham Ba Hai had also called on Friday
informing him that police had confined him indoors.
Jailed blogger's wife
The wife of prominent blogger Nguyen Van Hai—also known as Dieu Cay—who has been
jailed since 2008, said she was also prevented by five people, including a man
in a police uniform, from leaving her home on Friday.
"I told them if they did not let me leave my house, they were taking away my
freedom of travel and that they needed to show me an official order," she told
RFA.
"Immediately one young guy pointed his finger in my face and cursed. He almost
punched me in my face, but the uniform guy stopped him and pushed him away. They
continued cursing at me," Hai said.
"I don’t understand what kind of education they got that they could behave like
that to a citizen."
Que said the government was practicing a "doubled-faced" policy by telling the
outside world that Vietnam allows freedom of religion and human rights, while it
cracks down on those who push for freedom.
"We welcome human rights dialogues with other countries. We need such dialogues.
But what we are trying to do is to mobilize the strength of the people for
democracy and freedom and force the regime to change," he said.
Bielefeldt had said that he wanted learn more about the diversity of religions
and beliefs in Vietnam during his visit.
The work of the Special Rapporteur, as mandated by the U.N. Human Rights
Council, also requires him to identify "existing and emerging obstacles to the
enjoyment of the right to freedom of religion or belief and present specific
recommendations to overcome them," the U.N. statement said.
He is expected to hold a media conference on his preliminary findings on July 31
at the United Nations Development program (UNDP) office in Hanoi.
Vietnam-Australia dialogue
Meanwhile, Vietnam will hold its human rights dialogue with Australia in Hanoi
on Monday.
U.S.-based Human Rights Watch called on the Australian government of Prime
Minister Tony Abbott to press the Vietnamese government to make "concrete and
measurable improvements in its abysmal human rights record."
“Australia should make clear that if Vietnam wants to be considered a
responsible international partner, it needs to meet its international human
rights obligations,” said Elaine Pearson, Australia director at Human Rights
Watch.
“The countries should use this dialogue to set clear benchmarks for improvements
in key areas like freedom of expression, religion, and association.”
In a seven-page submission to the Australian Foreign Affairs and Trade
Department, Human Rights Watch urged Canberra to press the Vietnamese government
for progress in three key areas of concern: political prisoners; repression of
freedom of religion; and forced labor in drug detention centers.
Bloggers in prison
Approximately 150 to 200 activists and bloggers are serving prison time in
Vietnam simply for exercising their basic rights, it said.
During the first half of 2014, the Vietnamese authorities released a number of
political prisoners, including Cu Huy Ha Vu, Do Thi Minh Hanh, Lu Van Bay,
Nguyen Huu Cau, Nguyen Tien Trung and Vi Duc Hoi.
However, during that same period, at least 14 other activists and critics of the
government were jailed, including well-known bloggers Truong Duy Nhat and Pham
Viet Dao.
In May, the authorities arrested another prominent blogger, Nguyen Huu Vinh, who
is also known as Anh Ba Sam, and his assistant, Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy, and
charged them with violating penal code Article 258 on “abusing freedom and
democracy to infringe upon the interests of the state.”
During 2013, Vietnam prosecuted and imprisoned at least 65 peaceful bloggers and
activists.
“In addition to dialogues with Western governments, Vietnam should hold
dialogues with its own citizens even when their opinions differ from the
government, instead of silencing them with arrest and prison,” Pearson said.
“The Vietnamese government needs to realize it can’t solve the country’s huge
social and political problems by throwing all its critics in jail.”
Reported by An Nguyen for RFA's Vietnamese Service. Written in English by
Parameswaran Ponnudurai.