Vietnam: Fresh
crackdown as National Assembly election looms
Amnesty International UK | 01 Apr 2021
Two
independent candidates arrested and charged
Intimidation
and harassment on the rise ahead of 23 May vote
The
Vietnamese authorities must end their crackdown on independent election
candidates and critical voices, Amnesty International warned, ahead of the
country’s National Assembly elections scheduled to take place on 23 May.
In recent
weeks, authorities have arrested and charged two independent candidates for
“making, storing, or spreading information, materials or items for the purpose
of opposing the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”, carrying potential
prison sentences of between five and 20 years.
Amnesty has
also received multiple credible reports of many other individuals across the
country being subjected to harassment and intimidation by police for their
involvement in the election and for criticizing government policies.
Emerlynne
Gil, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Research, said:
“The
Vietnamese authorities must end this crackdown and allow everyone in Vietnam to
freely exercise their human rights without any fear of reprisals.
“While
Vietnam seeks to put itself forward for election to the UN Human Rights Council,
the authorities are engaging in blatant and widespread human rights violations
at home.
“Vietnam is
obliged to respect, protect, promote and fulfil human rights including the
rights to freedom of expression and association, as well as media freedom."
Bogus
charges ahead of election
On 27 March,
authorities arrested Le Trong Hung, who had applied to be an independent
candidate for a National Assembly seat in Ha Noi city. Le Trong Hung is a
citizen journalist and a member of Chan Hung TV, a media group which broadcasts
Facebook livestreams about social and political issues. According to his family,
he was arrested while walking in his neighbourhood and taken to his home by
police who then searched the house. It is unknown where he is currently being
detained.
On 10 March,
authorities in Ninh Binh province arrested and charged Tran Quoc Khanh, who had
also expressed his intention to run as an independent candidate for election. It
is unknown if he had formally registered as an election candidate. Prior to the
arrest, Tran Quoc Khanh ran a popular social media account where he frequently
commented on contemporary human rights and political issues in Vietnam. In a
livestream on 6 March, he discussed critiques of government ministries and
called on the Vietnamese government to respect the rule of law.
Emerlynne
Gil said: “These charges are plainly bogus and have no place in a
rights-respecting society. Authorities must drop all the charges against them.”
Intimidation
and harassment of activists on the rise
Other
activists, bloggers and associations have faced increased harassment and
intimidation ahead of the election, often in connection with social media posts.
According to reports received by Amnesty, several other independent election
candidates have also been subjected to harassment and intimidation by police.
These
actions constitute intimidation and harassment of individuals in retaliation for
the peaceful exercise of their human rights, including the rights to freedom of
expression and freedom of association. These actions contribute to the creation
of a climate of fear in which individuals are deterred from freely exercising
their rights.
Emerlynne
Gil said: “The Vietnamese government’s campaign of intimidation and harassment
of election candidates and independent voices must end. Moreover, Vietnam’s
candidacy to the UN Human Rights Council must lead to greater scrutiny of these
violations at the international level.”
Background
Article 4 of
the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam states that the CPV is
“the leading force of the State and Society”. This provision has long been
relied upon to justify an effective ban on any political opposition. In
practice, those who express dissent or criticism of the authorities are
routinely met with repression in Vietnam.
Amnesty’s
December 2020 report, ‘Let
Us Breathe! Censorship and Criminalization of Online Expression in Vietnam’ revealed
how this repression often occurs in the online sphere and in retaliation for
social media activity.
Vietnam
announced it will be seeking a seat at the UN Human Rights Council in February
2021. As per the Council’s founding document, General Assembly resolution
60/251, members are elected by UN member states at the General Assembly and
“when electing members of the Council, Member States shall take into account the
contribution of candidates to the promotion and protection of human rights”.
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