Vietnam
Vietnam is a one-party communist state and has one of south-east Asia's fastest-growing economies. It has within its sights the target of becoming a fully developed nation by 2020. It became a unified country in 1976 after the armed forces of the communist north had seized the south of the country in the previous year. This followed three decades of bitter independence wars, which the communists fought first against the colonial power France, then against US-backed South Vietnam. Overall, the majority of Vietnamese people enjoy greater security, prosperity and personal liberty than previously in their history. Vietnam has also made strides in terms of economic and social rights over recent decades.
Vietnam has a poor record with regard to civil and political rights, however, notwithstanding gradual improvements over recent years. Restrictions on freedom of expression, freedom of religion and the high number of executions are particular causes for concern. Human rights in Vietnam are an issue which have attracted considerable public attention from human rights organisations and the British Parliament in recent times. In its 2005 Annual Report on Human Rights, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office cited Vietnam as a country of particular human rights concern.
There are tight controls on freedom of expression in Vietnam, where the state-run media is considered an official mouthpiece and journalists may not cover sensitive stories. Access to non-state approved sources of information is restricted, whilst the Law on Publications outlaws publications that express opposition to the government. After several journalists reported on an embezzlement scandal, the government passed a new law in 2006, Decree No. 56, which places heavy fines for certain activities such as defaming the nation or national heroes, or circulating harmful information.
A number of 'cyber-dissidents' have been imprisoned for expressing opinions unwelcome to the government on the internet or by e-mail. While Foreign Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are prohibited from operating in Vietnam, local ISPs are required to install monitoring software that traces internet users and their online activities, and the ISPs are required to store the information for a year. Internet material on human rights, democracy groups, and independent media and website owners must obtain government approval. In March 2002, internet publisher Pham Hong Son was arrested and later sentenced to thirteen years in prison and three years' house arrest by the Ha Noi People's Court on charges of espionage and pro-democracy activities. He was freed under a Presidential Amnesty to mark Vietnam's National Day on 2 September 2006.
Writers face harassment, detainment or imprisonment if critical of the government. 2007 saw the harshest crackdown on peaceful dissent in 20 years. The government was emboldened by international recognition after joining the World Trade Organization in late 2006 and this reversed a temporary easing of restrictions in 2006, prior to Vietnam's hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, when independent activism and opposition political parties had surfaced, according to Human Rights Watch. The Communist Party moved to suppress all challenges, arresting dozens of democracy and human rights activists, independent trade union leaders, underground publishers, and members of unsanctioned religious groups. Of nearly 40 dissidents arrested since the crackdown began, more than 20 were sentenced to prison in 2007, most under Penal Code article 88, conducting anti-government propaganda as Human Rights watch has documented.
On 19 February 2007, the editor of the online magazine Free Speech, and founder of the Bloc 8406 democracy group, Catholic priest Father Nguyen Van Ly was arrested during an 'administrative check' at the archdiocesan building where he lives in the central city of Hue. According to media rights group Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), about 60 police officers searched the building and removed electronic equipment and documents. In March 2007 he was given an 8-year prison sentence. Internet writer and human rights lawyer Tran Quoc Hien was arrested on 12 January 2007, the day after being nominated as the spokesperson for the Workers-Farmers Organisation (UWFO), an organisation which represents workers and farmers' rights and which is not recognised by the government. Tran Quoc Hien is also known for his critical writings published on the Internet, including a short story 'The Tail' about the experience of life under surveillance. He was charged with 'spreading anti-government propaganda' and 'endangering state security' and was found guilty of both charges by a court in Ho Chi Minh City on 15 May 2007, following a trial that reportedly only lasted four hours. He was sentenced to five-years in prison.
One of our Honorary Members was Le Dinh Nhan, Head of the Institute For The Propagation Of The Dharma, Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, and regarded by many as one of the most respected religious leaders in Vietnam. Le Dinh Nhan was the author of renowned books on Buddhism and Oriental philosophy. He was arrested in December 1994 for publishing an open letter criticising government policy on freedom of speech and religious expression and was placed under 'temple arrest'. His health deteriorated due to inadequate medical attention, and he sadly passed away on 5 July 2008. English PEN was deeply saddened by the loss of this great writer, human rights defender and religious leader.
Leading dissident writer Nguyen Vu Binh was arrested in 2002 after police searched his home and seized books and other materials. He had written several documents such as an open letter calling for governmental reform and the release of political prisoners and an online essay entitled "Some thoughts on the China-Vietnam Border Agreement". On 10 June 2007, after serving four years of a seven-year prison on espionage charges for his critical writings, he was released, although he will still have to serve three years of house arrest. He was among three leading dissidents to be granted an amnesty by President Nguyen Minh Triet, two weeks ahead of his planned visit to the United States. Sustained international pressure is thought to have contributed to his early release.
On 11 July 2008 English PEN welcomed the release of internet writer, dissident and lawyer Bui Kim Thành, after being held for several months in psychiatric detention, apparently without any medical basis. Bui Kim Thành is a member of the banned Democratic Party of Vietnam. She is also well-known for her reporting on issues of social injustice and human rights violations in Vietnam, and particularly for her defence of destitute women farmers made homeless by illegal land expropriation. She reportedly left Vietnam for the United States on 21 July 2008 under extreme pressure from the authorities.
Sources: For further information, based on primary research, see the annual reports from Amnesty International (http://www.amnesty.org/), the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (http://www.cpj.org/), Reporters Without Borders (http://www.rsf.fr/) and the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (http://ifex.org/) . See also Human Rights Watch (http://www.hrw.org/). For more general information on Vietnam, see the Foreign and Commonwealth Office country profile (www.fco.gov.uk).
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