Vietnam votes against UN Resolution protecting peaceful protests

 

VNRN- April 8, 2014

Vietnam was one of only 9 countries on the UN Human Rights Council to vote against a Resolution calling for the protection of peaceful protests.

Resolution HRC 25/L.20, officially entitled “The promotion and protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protests,” received overwhelming support and passed March 28 with 31 votes in favor and only 9 opposed with 3 absentees.

The no votes included those from China, Cuba, Russia, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

As demonstrations and protests are on the rise in Vietnam against government forceful forceful confiscation of land and against pollution caused by excessive mining operations, peaceful protests are often met with violent suppression.

Commenting on Vietnam’s no vote on peaceful protests, the independent news site Dan Luan commented, “The authorities in Vietnam appear to have no interest in a peaceful communication with their people. Is it true that that Vietnam government wants these peaceful demonstrations to become violent protests advocating violence?”

Among other things, the resolution requires countries, “in the context of peaceful protests, to … prevent human rights violations, including … arbitrary arrest and detention, … (and) to avoid the abuse of criminal and civil proceedings or threats of such acts.”

It also calls on countries to “promote a safe and enabling environment for individuals and groups to exercise their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, of expression and of association, including by ensuring that their domestic legislation and procedures … clearly and explicitly establish a presumption in favour of the exercise of these rights.” As a result, it “urges States to facility peaceful protests by providing protestors with access to public space and protecting them, without discrimination.”

The resolution specifically “recognizes the key role played by … journalists, writers and other media workers, Internet users and human rights defenders, and other relevant stakeholders, in documenting human rights violations or abuses committed in the context of peaceful protests.”

Submitted by Costa Rica, Switzerland and Turkey, the resolution was the subject of years of discussion during several Council sessions, “with objections being raised about the obligation of states and protesters, the categories of persons to be protected, and the behavior of police and protesters,” as Reporters Without Borders reported.

 

 

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