Vietnam Unlicensed Civil Societies Urge U.S. to Press Hanoi on Human Rights
Vu Quoc Ngu In their letter sent to Senators John McCain and Sheldon Whitehouse when they visited Vietnam on Aug 7-9, ten independent civil societies said the U.S. should not lift their arm sale ban unless Hanoi has a clear agenda of concrete and measurable actions in addressing urgent human rights issues. The actions must include the removal of controversial security laws, respect for human rights defenders and immediate and unconditional release of all the prisoners of consciences, said the civil societies. The societies are the Civil Society Forum, the United Workers-Farmers Organization of Vietnam, the Association of Political & Religious Prisoners of Vietnam, the Brotherhood for Democracy, Bau Bi Tuong Than Association, No-U FC of Hanoi, No-U FC of Saigon, Followers of Hoa Hao Buddhist Church West branch, the Vietnam Path Movement and the Vietnamese Overseas Initiative for Conscience Empowerment (VOICE) in their letter dated Aug 8. According to the civil societies, Vietnam has strived to improve its human rights record by signing the UN Convention against Torture and freeing some political prisoners but the human rights situation has worsened as the communist government continues to apply controversial laws on national security, including Articles 79, 88 and 258 of the Criminal Code to suppress political dissent. Along with many political arrests and trials in recent months, there are increasing numbers of deaths resulting from police brutality, frequent crackdowns on non-state religious associations, and continued harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders, the societies said, adding there is a big gap between Vietnam’s commitments on human rights and its implementation nationwide. They also listed 25 political prisoners, including bloggers Nguyen Van Hai (aka Dieu Cay) and Nguyen Huu Vinh (aka AnhBaSam), lawyer Le Quoc Quan, independent labor activist Nguyen Hoang Quoc Hung, Catholic father Nguyen Van Ly, and independent journalist Ta Phong Tan out of around 200 prisoners of conscience in Vietnam’s prisons that should be freed immediately. Meanwhile, during their three-day trip to Vietnam, Senators McCain and Whitehouse met Party Chief Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh to discuss security, trade and human rights issues between the two nations as well as regional situation. After the meetings, Senator McCain said said it is time for the U.S. to begin easing the lethal weapon embargo on Vietnam, however, this should not, and will not happen all at once, but should be limited at first to those defensive capacities purely for external security, such as coast guard and maritime systems. However, the U.S. arms export to Vietnam will depend on additional action by Vietnam on human rights, said Senator McCain, who is a former prisoner during the Vietnam War. Vietnam has made positive steps to improve its human rights, including signing the Convention Against Torture and registering more places of worship, however, there is more to be done for its stability, prosperity and success, said the pilot who spent five years in Vietnam’s prison between 1967 and 1973. “It is our hope that Vietnam will translate these remarkable words into bold actions, such as releasing prisoners of conscience, creating space for civil society, and ultimately by making it clear in law and policy that state power is limited and universal human rights – the freedom to speak, associate, worship, publish, and access information – are protected for all citizens,” he said. He expressed his hope that the U.S. and Vietnam will build a strategic partnership based on common goals and shared values in the near future.
Vietnam Human Rights Network |