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President Bush Urged to Discuss Human Rights Abuses in Vietnam with Vietnamese Leaders
Freedom House Washington, D.C.,November 16, 2006 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Amanda Abrams
During his visit to Vietnam, President Bush should raise the issue of continuing human rights problems in the country, Freedom House said today. While the Vietnamese government is to be commended for its recent decision to repeal a decade-old law allowing for detention without any prospect of a trial, major problems still remain. Vietnam is a one-party state in which political competition is banned. The press is tightly controlled by the ruling Communist Party, and use of the internet is highly constrained. Members of religious groups are harassed and imprisoned for practicing their faith. President Bush will make his first visit to Vietnam for the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit this week, and Freedom House urges him to use this opportunity to bring up some of the country's human rights issues with leaders there. "The Vietnamese government has undertaken some reforms of late, and civil society has a bit more space to operate than it has in previous years," said Jennifer Windsor, Executive Director of Freedom House. "Nonetheless, the political environment is extremely limited and there are still major restrictions on freedom of expression. President Bush's visit to Vietnam presents him with an ideal occasion to raise these issues with the country's leaders, and we strongly urge him to do so," she added. Vietnamese authorities recently abolished a 10-year-old administrative decree that allowed for detention for up to two years without due process or opportunity for legal defense. The decree was frequently used to detain dissidents and critics of the government. In 2006, Freedom House's annual report, Freedom in the World, gave Vietnam a 7 (out of a lowest possible 7) for political rights, and a 5 for civil liberties. The report enumerates a number of the country's problems. In particular, the press is tightly controlled, and the media environment worsened slightly in 2006. Journalists who write about sensitive political issues are routinely subject to harassment and imprisonment. Under a 2006 decree, they face large fines for transgressions of censorship laws, including "denying revolutionary achievements," spreading "harmful" information or "reactionary ideology." The government also maintains tight controls on use of the internet, and filtering and blocking of websites by authorities is common. Religious freedom has also historically been tightly restricted in Vietnam. Some improvements have been made in recent years in response to international pressure, and several imprisoned religious leaders were recently released. Although the U.S. just dropped Vietnam from its 2006 "Designation of Countries of Particular Concern for Severe Violations of Religious Freedom," members of religious groups still face harassment and detention, and all religious groups must join a Communist Party-controlled supervisory body. Freedom House, an independent non-governmental organization that supports the expansion of freedom in the world, has monitored political rights and civil liberties in Vietnam since 1972 and press freedoms since 1980. More information on Vietnam can be found at: Freedom in the World 2006: Vietnam
Vietnam Human Rights Network |