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THE COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN VIETNAM P.O BOX 648 BƯU ĐIỆN BỜ HỒ, HÀ NỘI, VIỆT NAM Email: humanrightsvn@gmail.com www.humanrightsvn.blogspot.com http://uybannhanquyenvietnam.blogspot.com
Hanoi January 5, 2008
2007 REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN VIETNAM
Political situation 2007 was still a dark year concerning human rights, the worst in 20 years based on a Human Rights Watch evaluation. Oppression against democracy and human rights activists continued to be carried out by the communist dictators, contrary to their daily deceitful propaganda. An example of their human rights negligence was the election of the National Assembly on 5-20-2007 with elected members being mostly communist cadres. The authorities kept maintaining anti-constitutional Article 4 of the Constitution just to stay in power. Whereas the national economy progessed at 8.4% in 2007, inflation was 12.63%, even up to 15.5% at the end of the year, causing most people’s standard of living to lower significantly. Vietnam became a UN Security Council non-permanent member for 2008-2009, yet it has shown itself a shameful servant of Red China.regarding Vietnam’s integrity .
Workers issue Tens of thousands of workers went on strike to demand amelioration of working conditions and salaries against rising inflation. 387 cases took place, most of which occurred in factories owned by foreigners. As a result, a number of state-owned companies were prohibited from going on strike by the government.
Freedoms of speech, thought, press and use of Internet Early in February, directive No 06-CT/TW was issued to force the whole people to follow the so-called Ho Chi Minh’s moral examples for 5 years, mainly to prohibit government employees, except high ranking officials, from having contact with foreign press agencies. It was preceded by directive 37CP which permitted no private press to exist. In addition, several state-owned press editors were fired for having ‘gone astray’. Moreover, 3 press control offices will be set up in 2008 to restrict the freedom of press furthermore. In October, the ‘Intellasia.com’ website was ordered closed to deny the public’s access to democracy information.
Democracy movement and oppositon suppression Government suppression increased tremendously in 2007 with up to hundreds of dissidents detained without prospect of being tried in courts, except for a minimal number undergoing some kind of unlawful court proceedings in public or being released for long detention. Typically, democracy activist Nguyễn Phương Anh was brutally treated by the police in October, followed by similar cases during the final trial of lawyers Nguyễn Văn Đài and Lê Thị Công Nhân and the arrestation of many Viet Tan party members in November. Other known democracy activists such as Đỗ Nam Hải, Nguyễn Khắc Toàn, Vi Đức Hối, and Du Lam Tân Vĩnh Phát were constantly harrassed by the communist authorities.
In spite of these intolerances by the government, the democracy movement kept developing, evidenced by the awarding of 11 democracy activists by famous international organizations, including 8 by the Human Rights Watch and 3 by the Vietnam Human Rights Network.
Freedoms of association, demonstration Thousands of demonstrations were held by peasants to protest the illegal acquisition of private land in South Vietnam by communists, and all of them were ruthlessly crushed by the local police. Besides, hundreds of youngsters in Hanoi and Saigon gathered in front of diplomatic offices of Red China to loudly and legitimately protest against its occupation of Vietnam's Paracel and Spratley archipelagoes
Freedom of religion Religions, especially the Vietnam Unified Buddhist Church, continued to be harrassed and suppressed by the communist authorities. In July, 13 minority faithfuls of the Protestant Church in Central Highlands were severely sentenced, followed by the detention of six pastors in November. In Hanoi, over 5,000 Christians met in front of a former building owned by the Church to demand the government to stop its illegal decade-long occupation of the structure and return it to its legitimate owner.
Prisons and ill-treatment Lawyer Bùi Kim Thành, released in July, was treated during her detention like a mental patient with toxic medication, causing her health to deteriorate dangerously. Likewise, writer Trần Khải Thanh Thủy was reported in October to have been poisoned in her prison cell. Lawyer Lê Thị Công Nhân, a political dissident, was kept together with criminals who, according to her mother during her most recent visit, abused her orally for her courageous democracy activities. Lawyer Nguyễn Văn Đài, also a political dissident, suffered almost the same treatment. Other political prisoners shared similar fate too.
The voice of world opinions The ‘Reporters without Borders’ denounced Hanoi in September of re-using its barbaric ‘people’s court’ of the Land Reform era 50 years ago against democracy activists, contrary to modern international human rights standards. The whole world has unanimously voiced up its strong protest against the communist authorities in Hanoi, demanding them to release all political and conscientious prisoners. It is also reconsidering to put Vietnam back on the list of “Countries of Particular Concern”.
Vietnam Human Rights Network |