Leading partners including the United States and European Union can and should do more to discourage Vietnam’s fierce crackdown on dissent. By Judith Bergman from the Diplomat “We are like fish under the blade, always ready to be arrested,” Vietnamese journalist and dissident Pham Chi Dung said in 2015. “Up until 2012, if you …
Vietnam’s Prisoners of Conscience: ‘Like Fish Under the Blade’ Read More »
Press freedom is at a low in Southeast Asia – and the region’s governments all seem to be following the same playbook. By Emilie Lehmann-Jacobsen from the Diplomat 2020 was not a good year for journalism in Southeast Asia – nor for the entire Asian region for that matter. But even before COVID-19 entered …
How to Control the Masses by Silencing the Press Read More »
By Human Rights Watch Vietnam continued to systematically violate basic civil and political rights in 2020. The government, under the one-party rule of the Communist Party of Vietnam, tightened restrictions on freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, movement, and religion. Prohibitions remained on the formation or operation of independent unions and any other organizations …
Numerous New Arrests in Lead-up to Party Congress Vietnamese Political Detainees and Prisoners: Pham Chi Dung; Pham Doan Trang; Le Huu Minh Tuan; Can Thi Theu; Tran Duc Thach; Trinh Ba Phuong and Trinh Ba Tu; Dinh Thi Thu Thuy; and Nguyen Tuong Thuy. © 2020 Private (New York, January 13, 2021) – Vietnamese …
By Human Rights Watch Governments Should Hold Beijing Accountable for Arbitrary Action (New York) – The Hong Kong government should not file charges against the 53 pro-democracy politicians arbitrarily arrested on January 6, 2021, Human Rights Watch said today. All were arrested for “subversion” under Hong Kong’s draconian National Security Law (NSL), which the …
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By Zen Soo from the Sydney Morning Herald Hong Kong: Jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been arrested on a new charge under the national security law while an American rights lawyer who was detained in a sweeping crackdown was granted bail. Friends and family of Wong, who is serving a 13½-month …
Joshua Wong arrested on new charge in Hong Kong crackdown Read More »
By OHCHR Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Ravina Shamdasani Location: Geneva Date: 8 January 2021 On Tuesday, 5 January, three independent journalists in Viet Nam received severe sentences of between 11 and 15 years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of national security offences – a disturbing development that appears to …
The verdicts are the latest in a continuing crackdown on dissent ahead of a key ruling party meeting this month. By Al Jazeera A court in Vietnam has found three journalists guilty of charges of spreading propaganda against the state, handing them jail sentences of between 11 and 15 years. Pham Chi Dung, …
Three Vietnamese journalists jailed for ‘anti-state propaganda’ Read More »
Jitters are setting in as the Vietnamese Communist Party prepares for the country’s paramount political event. By Sebastian Strangio of the Diplomat In the year leading up to the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP)’s quinquennial national congresses, it has long been common for the government to tighten up on dissidents as it seeks to forestall …
As National Congress Approaches, Vietnam Begins Trial of Dissident Journalists Read More »
By European Council The Council today adopted a decision and a regulation establishing a global human rights sanctions regime. For the first time, the EU is equipping itself with a framework that will allow it to target individuals, entities and bodies – including state and non-state actors – responsible for, involved in or associated with …
EU adopts a global human rights sanctions regime Read More »
