Vietnam Violated Journalist's Rights, UN Watchdog Says
VOA |
October 27, 2021 Pressure
is mounting on Vietnam to release an imprisoned journalist known for her
coverage of human rights issues. An
opinion issued by the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that
journalist Pham Doan Trang was denied her rights following her October 2020
arrest and subsequent detention in Ho Chi Minh City. A copy of
the working group's opinion, sent to the journalist's lawyer on October 25,
said, "The appropriate remedy would be to release [Trang] immediately and accord
her an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance
with international law." Trang,
who co-founded the independent magazine Luat Khoa and The Vietnamese news
website, reported on issues including police harassment. Before
her arrest on charges of anti-state propaganda, Trang said on social media that
police were harassing her because of her reporting. Trang's
lawyer, Kurtulus Bastimar, told VOA Vietnamese the U.N. found that authorities
arrested Trang without a warrant, and that she was not informed of the charges
against her or given an opportunity to challenge her detention. Both are
considered violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights. Bastimar
said the ruling was significant. "The U.N.
working group in this decision has decided that Pham Doan Trang has been placed
outside of the protection of the law," he said. "This is really important." Also
significant, Bastimar said, is that the U.N. body did not recognize Vietnam's
judicial authority as competent. "So, they
are not independent in the eyes of the U.N. Working Group," he said. Bastimar
said he also believes the U.N. opinion could assist Vietnamese lawyers, who can
use its findings on human rights violations and violations of international law
in cases they are defending. The
Vietnamese embassy in Washington did not respond to VOA's request for comment.
Neither the Ministry of Public Security nor the Hanoi City prosecutor's office
responded to a request for comment. Trang's
case was also highlighted by a coalition of human rights groups which called on
Vietnam to "immediately and unconditionally" release the journalist, who is due
to go on trial November 4. A joint
statement Tuesday from 28 civil society organizations, including
Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists and various Vietnamese
groups, said Trang had been denied access to her lawyers and family for over a
year. "It is
clear that Pham Doan Trang is being persecuted for her long-standing work as an
independent journalist, book publisher, and human rights defender, known for
writing about topics ranging from environmental rights to police violence, as
well as for her advocacy for press freedom," the statement said. Vietnam
has a poor record for media freedom, ranking 175 out of 180 countries, where 1
is freest, on the Reporters
Without Borders press freedom index.
"Vietnam's press freedom and the human rights are definitely under huge
pressure,"Bastimar said, adding that those who criticize the government or its
policies risk being arrested. Punishing
journalists is a barrier for democracy, Bastimar said.
"Fundamental rights, especially the right to freedom of expression, is a
cornerstone for a government to reach the democratic environment," he said.
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