Menschenrechte / Human Rights (2013/3)

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* Menschenrechte / Human Rights

LGBT Rights Blossom in Repressive Vietnam, but No Sign of Further Freedoms

31.07.2013 By Jak Phillips, Hanoi (Time) - “Oppressive.” “Brutal.” “Terrible and worsening.” These were some of the fierce editorial lightning bolts to scorch Vietnam’s human-rights reputation last week, hurled in the wake of a surprise 75-minute White House audience for the country’s President Truong Tan Sang. But in Hanoi, capital of the single-party communist state, a silver lining could come from an unlikely source: gay pride. Rainbows will be out in full force for the nation’s second ever Viet Pride festival on Sunday, when a 200-strong bicycle parade will cruise down streets still decorated with hammer-and-sickle billboards, passing landmarks like the resting place of national hero Ho Chi Minh and a statue of Lenin. [read more]

Documentation

Menschenrechte

Human Rights

Droits de l'Homme

Amnesty Internation

Annual Report 2013 - Vietnam

Repression of government critics and activists worsened, with severe restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly. At least 25 peaceful dissidents, including bloggers and songwriters, were sentenced to long prison terms in 14 trials that failed to meet international standards. Members of ethnic and religious groups faced human rights violations. At least 86 people were sentenced to death, with more than 500 on death row. [read more]

Report 2013 - Asien & Pazifik

... In Vietnam wurden mehr als 20 Blogger, Liedermacher und andere friedliche Dissidenten aufgrund konstruierter Anklagen inhaftiert, weil sie angeblich die nationale Sicherheit bedrohten... [Weiterlesen]

AI-Bericht 2012 Vietnam

Documentation

Landraub

Land grabbing

Vol de terres

Dân oan bị cướp đất

* Forum Mondial des Droits de l'Homme, Nante, France 22.05.2013

Land Ownership in Vietnam and Land Seizure in One-party State

* Der ewige Kampf ums Land

Land Grabbing ist auch in Vietnam ein Multifacetten-Problem

* Vietnam's land rights crisis

Friday, June 28, 2013 AFP

Corrupt officials and well-connected businessmen seize land in Vietnam with impunity, thanks to opaque land usage rights, according to activists. Duration: 01:04.

* Vietnam: la guerre des terres fait rage du nord au sud

27.06.2013 AFP - Les confiscations de terre se multiplient au Vietnam. Dans ce pays communiste, les terres sont détenues par l'Etat et les droits d'usage sont notoirement opaques. Une situation qui permet aux responsables locaux et hommes d'affaires peu scrupuleux de saisir ce que bon leur semble, selon des militants. Durée 00:49

Vietnam Upholds Fish Farmer’s Sentence in Land Clash

31.07.2013 By Vu Trong Khanh and Nguyen Anh Thu (The Wall Street Journal) - HANOI–An appeals court in Vietnam has upheld a five-year prison term for a fish farmer who, along with several family members, was found guilty of planting mines and firing homemade guns at police trying to evict them from the land where they ran a shrimp business. The case has been followed closely in Vietnam, where land disputes have become common in recent years, as local officials reclaim land from rural tenants, often at low compensation rates, for use as industrial parks or for redevelopment. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam: Religionsfreiheit noch mehr unterdrückt

07/2013 (HMK) wea-rlc. – Ein Beamter des Regierungskomitees für Religiöse Angelegenheiten erklärte voriges Jahr, der Premierminister habe in seiner Anweisung für einen „Durchbruch“ beim Umgang der Regierung mit der Religion dadurch gesorgt, dass er die „ungewöhnlich schnelle Entwicklung der protestantischen Religion begrenzt hat“. So steht es in der vietnamesischen Version einer offiziellen Pressemitteilung über ein hochrangiges Treffen zur Effektivität einer am 28. Februar 2012 erlassenen Direktive. [Weiterlesen]

Petition: RWB calls for the release of 35 jailed Vietnamese bloggers

10.07.2013 (Reporters without Borders) - Vietnam is the world’s second biggest prison for bloggers and cyber-dissidents, after China.

Vietnam’s bloggers are a source of independently-reported news and information that is an alternative to the government media. They write about corruption, environmental problems and the country’s political developments.

There have been several waves of arrests of bloggers, netizens and journalists in recent years. Mindful of the Arab uprisings, the Vietnamese authorities have been cracking down harder in order to suppress dissent and prevent any destabilization.

The 35 bloggers currently detained include the human rights activist Dieu Cay and the lawyer Le Quoc Quan. They also include Paulus Le Son, Ta Phong Tan, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc and Nguyen Tien Trung. They are all serving long sentences on such trumped-up charges as subversion, anti-government propaganda and trying to overthrow the government.

Their families are subjected to harassment and smear campaigns. The mother of the jailed blogger Ta Phong Tan took her own life by setting fire to herself in 2012 in an act of despair about the way her daughter has been treated.

Reporters Without Borders calls for the immediate release of imprisoned bloggers and netizens, the lifting of censorship and the repeal of the repressive laws that are used against news providers, especially article 88 and clause 1 of article 79 of the criminal code. [tiếng Việt]

Help us to combat cyber-censorship in Vietnam! Circulate this petition as widely as possible! [sign petition]

Petition: RSF demande la libération des 35 blogueurs vietnamiens emprisonnés

10.07.2013 (Reporters sans Frontières) - Le Vietnam est la 2ème prison du monde pour les blogueurs et cyberdissidents, après la Chine.

Au Vietnam, les blogueurs apportent une information alternative, indépendante du pouvoir. Ils enquêtent sur la corruption, les problèmes environnementaux, les perspectives politiques du pays, etc. Les vagues d’arrestations de blogueurs, net-citoyens et journalistes se succèdent depuis plusieurs années. Avec à l'esprit les révoltes arabes, les autorités vietnamiennes ont accru la répression pour réduire au silence les voix dissidentes et parer à toute déstabilisation du régime.

Parmi les 35 blogueurs emprisonnés à ce jour : le militant des droits de l’homme Dieu Cay, l’avocat Le Quoc Quan, et les blogueurs Paulus Lê Son, Ta Phong Tan, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc ainsi que Nguyen Tien Trung. Ils ont été condamnés à de lourdes peines de prison ferme pour “subversion”, “propagande contre l’Etat”, ou “tentative de renversement du gouvernement”, entre autres motifs fallacieux.

Leurs proches subissent les campagnes de diffamation et le harcèlement des autorités. Déséspérée par le sort de sa fille, la mère de la blogueuse emprisonnée Ta Phong Tan s'était immolée par le feu en 2012.

Reporters sans frontières demande la libération immédiate des blogueurs et net-citoyens emprisonnés par le régime, la levée de la censure et l’abrogation des textes législatifs répressifs utilisés contre les acteurs de l’information, en particulier l'article 88 et la clause 1 de l'article 79 du code pénal. [je signe] - [tiếng Việt]

Strasbourg: une centaine de personnes de tous horizons venues prier pour la liberté religieuse au Vietnam

11.07.2013 (DNA) - Une centaine de personnes dont des dignitaires européens de la Congrégation Bouddhique Unifiée du Vietnam sont venus prier jeudi matin devant le Parlement européen pour les droits de l’homme et la liberté religieuse au Vietnam... « Le Vietnam doit garder une façade propre, explique La Ngoc Lien à la fin de la prière. Les relations diplomatiques pourront peut-être aider à plus de respect des droits de l’homme au Vietnam. » Le Vietnam, qui est candidat à un siège du conseil des droits de l’homme des Nations Unies pour la période 2014-2016. [en savoir plus...]

Prozess gegen katholischen Blogger in Vietnam verschoben

09.07.2013 (KAP) - Hanoi, Ein Prozess gegen einen katholischen Blogger in Vietnam ist auf unbestimmte Zeit verschoben worden. Behörden in Hanoi begründeten dies mit einer Erkrankung des zuständigen Richters am Volksgericht, wie die deutsche katholische Nachrichtenagentur KNA am Dienstag berichtet. Der 42-jährige Internet-Aktivist Joseph Le Quoc Quan war am 27. Dezember festgenommen worden. [Weiterlesen]

"List of Shame": World's Worst Abusers Running for UN Human Rights Council Seats

09.07.2013 (UN Watch) - GENEVA, July 9 -- As a United Nations meeting is today set to hear live campaign pitches (webcast link) from the UK, France and other democracies running for seats on the world body's Human Rights Council, the Geneva-based non-governmental human rights group UN Watch revealed its "List of Shame" -- naming some of the world's worst abusers who are also running in the Nov. 2013 election and expected to win seats: Algeria, Chad, China, Cuba, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam. Though unconfirmed, reportedly Iran and Syria may also be running. [read more]

Dissident Vietnamese Lawyer’s Trial Abruptly Postponed

08.07.2013 (RFA) - Vietnamese authorities abruptly postponed the trial of prominent dissident lawyer Le Quoc Quan on Monday, saying the judge scheduled to hear the case is ill, while lawyers and relatives said the hearing was put off to avoid publicity and international attention.

The Hanoi People’s Court announced the delay less than 24 hours before Quan’s scheduled trial Tuesday on tax evasion charges that international rights groups contend are part of a political vendetta against the government critic. [read more]

Vinh : la veille de la date prévue, le procès de l’avocat catholique Lê Quôc Quân est reporté à une date ultérieure

08.07.2013 (Eglises d'Asie) - Dans la journée du 8 juillet 2013, un communiqué émanant du Tribunal populaire de Hanoi a annoncé que le procès de l’avocat catholique Lê Quôc Quân, qui devait avoir lieu le 9 juillet, était reporté à une date ultérieure non spécifiée. Le communiqué a précisé que la juge devant présider les débats du procès avait été admise d’urgence à l’hôpital.

Ce report intervient alors que, à l’approche de la date prévue pour le procès, la tension ne cessait de monter à l’intérieur de la communauté catholique du diocèse, mais aussi dans bien d’autres lieux. Un peu partout, les fidèles avaient tenu à exprimer leur solidarité et leur communion avec l’accusé en redoublant de prières. Dans de nombreuses paroisses de son diocèse d’origine, des eucharisties ont été célébrées à son intention. Les catholiques se sont rassemblés encore dans des veillées de prière aux flambeaux, et des adorations du Saint Sacrement pour marquer leur union avec l’avocat. [en savoir plus...]

Kurzmeldung - Prozess gegen den Anwalt und Blogger Le Quoc Quan wurde verschoben

08.07.2013 (FVN21) Nachrichten aus Vietnam zufolge wurde der Prozess gegen den Anwalt und Blogger Le Quoc Quan überraschend verschoben. Ein neuer Termin wurde nicht genannt.

Breaking news - Trial of the lawyer and blogger Le Quoc Quan postponed.

08.07.2013 (FVN21) According to news from Viet Nam the trial of the lawyer and blogger Le Quoc Quan was unexpectedly postponed. A new date was not announced.

Vietnam: Menschenrechtsaktivist und Blogger Le Quoc Quan vor Gericht

09.07.2013 Von Andrea Jonjic (netzpolitik) - Zwischen 38 und 46 Bloggerinen und Blogger sollen dieses Jahr in Vietnam bereits verhaftet und verurteilt worden sein, der Regierung wird vorgeworfen Sicherheitsgesetze zu missbrauchen um Regierungskritiker zum Schweigen zu bringen. So soll es auch bei Le Quoc Quan gewesen sein: Der bekannte Menschenrechtsaktivist wurde im Dezember letzten Jahres festgenommen, ihm wird Steuerhinterziehung vorgeworfen. Brad Adams, Geschäftsführer von Human Rights Watch für Asien, hält dies für einen vorgeschobenen Grund [Weiterlesen]

Le Quoc Quan trial puts Vietnamese activists in spotlight

The trial of a high-profile government critic in Vietnam is expected to focus renewed attention on the country's treatment of activists.

08.07.2013 South East Asia correspondent Zoe Daniel (ABC) - Le Quoc Quan was taking one of his three children to school when he was arrested late last year. He's been in jail since December and is to face court on Tuesday on what rights groups believe are trumped up charges of tax evasion. His wife, Nguyen Thu Thu Hien, has told AM the family has not been allowed to visit him.

"As for me, I miss him so much because I now have to take care of three children and to bring them up, especially when they are sick, and taking them to school," she said...

Last year, Mr Quan spoke to the ABC after three of his fellow bloggers were sentenced to hefty jail terms.

"These bloggers, they have only one thing they would like to do is to tell about the truth in Vietnam," he said.

"To tell about the current situation, about the social, economic and political system in Vietnam.

"You know, this is terrible." [read more] - Video Le Quoc Quan trial puts Vietnamese activists in spotlight - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam: Drop Charges Against Le Quoc Quan

End Political Trials of Human Rights Defenders

08.07.2013 (Human Rights Watch) - (New York) – The Vietnamese government should drop politically motivated charges against Le Quoc Quan, one of Vietnam’s most prominent and respected human rights defenders. Vietnam’s donors should communicate serious concern about Hanoi’s recent crackdown on rights defenders and bloggers, and publicly call for the unconditional release of Le Quoc Quan and other peaceful critics.

Le Quoc Quan’s trial is the most recent in a wave of government prosecutions of bloggers and activists. It follows the May convictions and harsh sentences of Nguyen Phuong Uyen and Dinh Nguyen Kha for circulating leaflets critical of the government and the arrests of popular bloggers Truong Duy Nhat and Pham Viet Dao in May and June. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnamese Dissident Vows to Defend Himself Against Tax Charges

05.07.2013 (RFA) - A detained prominent Vietnamese dissident lawyer has vowed to defend himself to the hilt against tax evasion charges leveled by the state during his trial scheduled next week, accusing the one-party Communist government of staging a campaign to victimize its opponents.

Le Quoc Quan, who is also a blogger, said in a note penned from his prison cell that he had paid up his taxes and was "totally innocent" of the tax evasion charges, which rights groups say are frequently used by the authorities to jail and silence government critics. [read more]

Wer in Vietnam seine Meinung bloggt, kommt in den Knast

03.07.2013 von Faisal Islam (Vice Media) - Vietnam ist kein schöner Ort für Blogger. Zumindest dann nicht, wenn man schreiben will, was man denkt. In den letzten drei Monaten wurden drei Blogger verhaftet, weil sie die kommunistische Regierung kritisiert haben, oder—wie es die Regierung selbst ausdrückt— „demokratische Freiheiten ausgenutzt haben“, indem sie ihre Meinungen online gepostet haben. So paradox das auch klingen mag, sehen ihre Aussichten nach der Verhaftung nicht gut aus. Am 16. Mai wurde ein anderer Blogger, Dinh Nguyen Kha, zu zehn Jahren Gefängnis verurteilt, weil er „Anti-Regierungs-Propaganda verteilte“ und „absichtlich Menschen zu schaden kommen ließ“. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnamese Authorities Raid Temple of 'Unofficial' Cao Dai Group

03.07.2013 (RFA) - Local authorities in southern Vietnam violently broke into the temple of an unofficial branch of the indigenous Cao Dai minority religious group on Wednesday, detaining a leader and several members of the sect, sources said. The raid on the Long Binh temple of the Cao Dai church in Tien Giang province in the Mekong Delta region came a week after a police raid on a temple belonging to an unsanctioned branch of another group, the Hoa Hao Buddhist Church, in southwestern Vietnam. [read more]

Vietnam: Letter Regarding Mr. Le Quoc Quan and his upcoming trial on 9 July 2013

01.07.2013 (Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada) - The trial of charges widely viewed as illegitimate against Le Quoc Quan is scheduled for July 9, 2013. In response to advice that the presence of international observers may encourage the Vietnamese Government to respect their international human rights obligations, LRWC and partner organizations encouraged observers to attend. The Canadian Embassy has applied for permission to attend the proceedings. Twelve NGOs including LRWC, sent letters to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the EU, Australia, Japan and the U.S. and to their respective embassies in Hanoi, asking that representatives be sent to observe the proceedings.

1 July 2013

Re: Mr. Le Quoc Quan and his upcoming trial on 9 July 2013

Your Excellency,

The signatory organisations respectfully request your special attention to the unlawful arrest and detention of the prominent Vietnamese lawyer, blogger and human rights defender Mr. Le Quoc Quan. [read more] - Letter in PDF - [tiếng Việt]

The predator who received an honorary Doctorate

In May Reporters without Borders called Nguyen Phu Trong a predator of Freedom of Information. Last week he received an honorary doctorate from Thammasat University in Thailand.

02.07.2013 Editorial by Jessica Ryan (uriks) - Once the news was known to bloggers and activists both in Vietnam and other countries, a group of activists led by the blog Dan Lam Bao sent an open letter to the Thammasat University, pointing out how inappropriate their decision was. All though 13 different organizations stood by this letter, Thammasat still chose to hand out the honorary doctorate in political science to Nguyen Phu Trong. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam intensifies crackdown on bloggers

02.07.2013 (CPJ) New York - The Committee to Protect Journalists is gravely concerned by the ongoing investigation into a critical Vietnamese blogger. Dinh Nhat Uy was the third blogger arrested in a month, signaling that the country's crackdown continues to intensify.

"These three arrests over the course of a month signal Vietnam's deepening crackdown on online journalists who express dissent," said Bob Dietz, CPJ Asia program coordinator. "Vietnam's human rights record continues to be dismal despite its economic success." [read more]

Carr raises human rights with Vietnam

02.07.2013 (World News Australia) AAP - Foreign Minister Bob Carr has asked the Vietnamese government to release three Australian activists from jail, where they've been held for three years.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr has asked the Vietnamese government to release three Australian trade union activists from prison.

Nguyen Hoang Quoc Hung, Doan Huy Chuong and Do Thi Minh Hanh were convicted in 2010 for their involvement in a strike at a shoe factory.

"We place great importance on the protection of freedom of association and the freedom to form labour unions," Senator Carr said in a statement. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Report: Order restored hours after inmates hold hostage in rare uprising at Vietnam prison

01.07.2013 (canada.com) - HANOI, Vietnam - A group of inmates at a prison in Vietnam staged a rare, yet brief uprising in which the prison chief was taken hostage before order was restored, state media reported Monday.

One inmate attacked a police officer with a metal rod Sunday morning and at least 50 others raided the kitchen and held the prison chief, the Thanh Nien newspaper reported. Police from other prisons near the Z 30A facility were mobilized and order was restored by evening. Officials at the prison in Dong Nai province declined to comment. [read more]

Inmates riot over conditions at Vietnam jail: reports

01.07.2013 (NDTV, India) - AFPresse - Hanoi: Rioting inmates seized control of a Vietnamese jail for several hours, taking the prison chief hostage in a protest demanding better treatment and conditions, state media said on Monday.

The disturbance started early Sunday at the Xuan Loc jail in Dong Nai province, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Ho Chi Minh City. According to reports on dissident blogs, the jail holds a number of high-profile political prisoners. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Aufruhr in Gefängnis in Vietnam

Anstaltsleiter als Geisel genommen

01.07.2013 (Neue Zürcher Zeitung) AP -Insassen eines vietnamesischen Gefängnisses haben bei einem Aufstand den Leiter der Anstalt als Geisel genommen. Der Aufruhr begann am Sonntagmorgen, als ein Häftling einen Wärter mit einer Metallstange angriff, wie die staatliche Zeitung «Thanh Nien» am Montag berichtete. Daraufhin hätten rund 50 Häftlinge die Küche der Anstalt in der Provinz Dong Nai gestürmt und den Gefängnisleiter als Geisel genommen. Die Behörden zogen Polizisten aus der Umgebung zusammen, um den Aufstand zu beenden. Am Abend war die Ordnung laut dem Bericht wieder hergestellt. Der Direktor sagte demnach, er sei von den Insassen weder bedroht noch misshandelt worden. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam: des détenus prennent le contrôle d'une prison

01.07.2013 (RTL/AFP) - Quelques dizaines de prisonniers politiques ont pris, dimanche matin, le contrôle d'une prison vietnamienne et retenu son directeur pour réclamer de meilleures conditions de détention.

L'insurrection a duré quelques heures. Dimanche matin, des prisonniers ont pris le contrôle d'une prison au sud du Vietnam pour réclamer de meilleures conditions de détention. Pendant la révolte, le directeur de l'établissement a été pris en otage, selon les informations de la presse officielle lundi.

La prison située à Xuan Loc, dans la province de Dong Nai près de Ho Chi Minh-Ville, abrite des prisonniers politiques de premier plan, selon plusieurs blogs de dissidents. Les détenus exigent une meilleure nourriture ou leur transfert dans d'autres établissements. [en savoir plus...] - [tiếng Việt]

Anti-corruption activist Le Hien Duc and Catholics hold candles during a mass prayer for lawyer Le Quoc Quan at Thai Ha church in Hanoi

30.06.2013 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Reuters - Anti-corruption activist Le Hien Duc (front R) and Catholics hold candles during a mass prayer for lawyer Le Quoc Quan at Thai Ha church in Hanoi June 30, 2013. Participants in the mass prayer were calling for justice for Quan, a political dissident and democracy activist, who was arrested in 2012 for tax evasion and will be sent to trial on July 9, 2013, according to Quan's brother Le Quoc Quyet. The banner reads, "Justice and Trust for lawyer Le Quoc Quan." [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam: Aufstand der politischen Gefangenen in Camp Xuan Loc, Dong Nai

30.06.2013 (Forum Vietnam 21) SAIGON - In dem Gefängnis Z30A in Xuan Loc, Provinz Dong Nai im Süden Vietnams hat es seit heute Morgen einen Aufstand gegeben. Im Camp Z30A mit ca. 1000 Gefangenen sitzen mehrere Regimekritiker, darunter die bekannten Blogger und Aktivisten wie der Dissident Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, der Songwriter Viet Khang, der Arbeiteraktivist Nguyen Hoang Quoc Hung Die Insassen haben das Gefängnis unter ihre Kontrolle gebracht und die Eingänge verbarrikadiert. Sie wollen gegen die drakonischen Haftbedingungen protestieren. Nach Angaben aus dem Dissidentenkreis in Saigon werden die Gefangenen in der letzten Zeit oft geschlagen, ihre Verpflegung wird ständig reduziert und sie müssen stets harte Zwangarbeit leisten. Trotz wiederholter Beschwerde wird die Situation nicht besser, im Gegenteil, den Gefangenen werden noch härtere Haftbedingungen als Strafe auferlegt.

Nach Informationen des Journalisten Tran Quang Thanh hatten die Gefangenen den Gefängnisaufseher Ho Phi Thang, aus anderer Quelle auch den stellvertretenden Aufseher Thai Duy Hong in ihre Gewalt gebracht.

Die Insassen hoffen nun auf Verhandlungen mit den Behörden über bessere Haftbedingungen. Alle Straßen nach Xuan Loc sind nach letzter Meldung aus Saigon von der Polizei gesperrt.

Turf wars: Vietnam's land rights crisis

29.06.2013 (Yahoo! New Zealand) - BUON MA THUOT, Vietnam (AFP) - Thi Sieu says her family lived for generations on a small plot of land studded with cashew trees until they fell victim to an alleged land grab by powerful local elites, a fate shared with many indigenous farmers in Vietnam's lush central hills. All land in the communist nation is owned by the state and usage rights are frequently opaque, allowing corrupt local officials and well-connected businessmen to seize land with impunity, according to activists. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam's bloggers test govt's limits

10.07.2013 Nirmal Ghosh (Asia News Network) - A fellow blogger calls the Anh Ba Sam blog the "pavement news agency", in a satirical reference to the official state-owned Vietnam News Agency.

Anh Ba Sam, which means "The Gossiper", was started in 2007 by former policeman Nguyen Huu Vinh, 57, and soon became a meeting point for people to discuss politics. It has been used to post videos and photographs of protests against land grabs, and also against China.

It is now one of the most popular blogs in Vietnam, drawing around 100,000 page hits daily. Some of the writers describe themselves as dissidents. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam: Regime verfolgt Kritiker

11.07.2013 (kath.net/jg) Die Verhaftung des Rechtsanwaltes und Bloggers Le Quoc Quan ist ein Beispiel für das harte Vorgehen der Regierung in Hanoi gegen Regimekritiker. Der Prozess gegen den katholischen Rechtsanwalt und Blogger Le Quoc Quan (Foto) zeigt das harte Vorgehen des kommunistischen Regimes in Vietnam gegen Kritiker. Der 41-jährige Quan ist einer der bekanntesten und meist respektierten Regimekritiker Vietnams. [Weiterlesen]

Fresh Appeal for Long-Serving Vietnamese Political Prisoner’s Release

16.07.2013 (RFA) - The son of one of Vietnam’s longest-serving political prisoners, Nguyen Huu Cau, who is in weak health, has warned that his father could die in prison as a new petition was sent to President Truong San seeking his freedom.

“He will not be able to live much longer in prison,” Tran Ngoc Bich told RFA’s Vietnamese Service as the medical condition of Cau, 67, who is serving a life sentence for “sabotage” over his writings, deteriorated.

Cau, who is at the ZA30 Xuan Loc prison in southern Vietnam’s Dong Nai province, has lost most of his vision and hearing, has heart trouble, has lost all but one of his teeth, suffers from gastritis, and faints frequently, according to relatives who have visited him at the facility. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam's government cracks down on critics

16/07/2013 Reporter: Zoe Daniels (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) - The Vietnamese government is routinely jailing political dissidents and internet bloggers who question the Communist Party's policies. [text & video] - [tiếng Việt]

Freedom of the Press, Vietnam Style

16.07.2013 By Pham Doan Trang (Asia Sentinel) - Every week in Hanoi, the Central Propaganda Commission of the Vietnamese Communist Party, and in Ho Chi Minh City, the commission’s southern regional office, convene “guidance meetings” with the managing editors of the country’s important national newspapers.

Not incidentally, the editors are all party members. Officials of the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Public Security are also present. Similar meetings take place in every province, a process emblematic of just how complete the control of the press is in Vietnam. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Jailed Vietnamese Blogger in Fourth Week of Hunger Strike

17.07.2013 (RFA) - One of Vietnam’s most prominent jailed dissidents, blogger Nguyen Van Hai, has gone on a hunger strike amid concerns over his prison treatment, his ex-wife said Wednesday, highlighting a trend of fasting protests by political prisoners in the one-party Communist state.

Hai, popularly known by his pen name Dieu Cay, has gone on the hunger protest for 25 days and has been “disciplined” by the prison authorities for “disturbing” order, Duong Thi Tan told RFA’s Vietnamese Service. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

STATEMENT FROM A NETWORK OF VIETNAMESE BLOGGERS

VIETNAM SHOULD AMEND LAW TO DEMONSTRATE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CANDIDACY COMMITMENT

The United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) is responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and making recommendations on them.

As a candidate for the HRC for the 2014-2016 tenure, Vietnam must demonstrate its commitment to cooperating with the HRC and upholding “the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights”.

These obligations and responsibilities do not only apply on the international arena, but also inside Vietnam. The Vietnamese government also needs to review the human rights situation in their own country and the Vietnamese people also have a right to freedom of opinion and expression, including on these matters.

In order to improve the protection of human rights in Vietnam, we will take HRC's principles as guidelines for our actions, which also comply with Vietnam’s obligations under international human rights law.

We will:

- Continue to promote and inform the Vietnamese people about their rights by publicly distributing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), organizing public forums to discuss human rights in Vietnam and advocating for necessary improvements of the respect and protection of human rights. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Internet Censorship Is Taking Root in Southeast Asia

18.07.2013 By Charlie Campbell (Time) - Every time Le Anh Hung starts to write he thinks of his three young children. The 38-year-old has already been imprisoned twice for blogging about human rights and corruption from his home in Hanoi and lives half-expecting another fateful knock at the door. And yet “I’m not scared,” he says, “I know what I choose to do is risky but I accept the fight.” Forty-six bloggers and democracy activists have been imprisoned so far this year in Vietnam — more than the whole of 2012 — amid a vicious crackdown. [read more]

VIET NAM: Pro-democracy blogger Dieu Cay is on hunger strike

19.07.2013 (FIDH) - Paris-Geneva, July 19, 2013. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), together with the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR), express deep concern for the health of human rights defender Mr. Nguyen Van Hai (aka Dieu Cay) who has reportedly been on hunger strike in prison for at least 25 days.

Mr. Dieu Cay, prominent blogger and founder of the “Club of Free Journalists of Vietnam”, well known for his online writings calling for greater respect for human rights and democratic reforms, is currently detained in Prison Camp No. 6 in Thanh Chuong District, Nghe An Province in Central Viet Nam. On July 16, 2013, Ms. Duong Thi Tan, the former wife of Mr. Dieu Cay, went to visit him in prison, but was refused the right to see him. A senior prison official (Lt.-Colonel of Security Police) told her that Mr. Dieu Cay was currently being punished for “disturbing order”. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nga, the wife of political prisoner Mr. Nguyen Xuan Nghia, who is detained in the same prison camp, visited her husband the same day and asked for news of Mr. Dieu Cay. Prison wardens immediately intervened and ordered her not to discuss this “sensitive question”. As she was about to leave, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Nghia shouted out “Did you know that Dieu Cay has been on hunger strike for the past 25 days?”. Wardens swiftly gagged him and dragged him away. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam’s Decree Silent On Local Offices for Foreign Internet Companies

19.07.2013 (RFA) - A new decree spelling out legal requirements for foreign Internet companies operating in Vietnam does not contain a clause from an earlier draft version compelling them to open offices inside the one-party Communist state.

A copy of Decree No. 72, which was signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on July 15 and will go into effect on Sept. 1, omits the clause found in a draft version of the document as recently as April, according to a copy of the law seen by RFA's Vietnamese Service.

Rights groups have complained that by forcing foreign companies to maintain offices or data centers in Vietnam, which media watchdog Reporters Without Borders has listed as an “Enemy of the Internet,” authorities would be able to make them obey domestic rules. [read more]

Vietnamese bloggers released a Statement, calling on the Vietnamese Communist Government to make changes to its laws, regarding freedom of opinion and expression

20.07.2013 Diệu Quyên (Dân Làm Báo) - A network of Vietnamese bloggers released a Statement demanding that the Vietnamese communist government make major and realistic changes to its laws concerning freedom of opinion and expression, if it wishes to be a candidate for the United Nations Human Rights Council for the term 2014-2016.

Their demands is loud and clear: Abolish Article 258...

This movement, the first of its kind, is their response to the communist government's latest violation of the freedom of expression of its citizens, by arresting three more bloggers: Truong Duy Nhat, Pham Viet Dao and Dinh Nhat Uy.

Over the last twelves months, the Vietnamese government attempted to silence the voices of its political dissidents with a series of arrests accompanied by heavy jail terms. Facebookers Nguyen Phuong Uyen and Dinh Nguyen Kha were arrested and sentenced to 6 and 8 years in prison respectively, for the distribution of the Yellow Flag and leaflets protesting against the Chinese invasion of Paracel and Spratly islands. Many others were arrested, beaten up savagely or put under constant supervision just for attending outdoor picnics where flyers bearing the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights were given out as topic for discussions. [read more] - [statement]

Abusing laws

20/07/2013 Đoan Trang (Blog Đoan Trang) - At 8 p.m. Thursday, July 18, 69 Vietnamese bloggers and facebookers (referred to as “bloggers”) released a statement, calling the government to “amend law todemonstrate Human Rights Council candidacy commitment.”

This is the first collective action by political bloggers in Vietnam who voice their opinions about Vietnam’s running for its membership in the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2014-2016 tenure and, during the process, ignoring the role of its people. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Cómo controla Vietnam a la prensa

22.07.2013 (Global Voices Español) - Asia Sentinel publica un artículo escrito por Pham Doan Trang sobre la situación de los periodistas [en] en Vietnam: El sistema de tarjeta de prensa es un método sofisticado de controlar a los reporteros. Sin tarjeta no hay acceso. Sin una tarjeta de prensa, los reporteros no tiene la esperanza de reunirse con funcionarios de alto rango, visitar contactos en oficinas públicas ni cubrir conferencias oficiales. [seguir leyendo]

Banco Mundial: Elude problemas de derechos humanos

Aunque se destinan miles de millones para el desarrollo, la falta de salvaguardias menoscaba los beneficios

22.07.2013 (Human Rights Watch) - (Washington, DC) – El Banco Mundial no toma en cuenta los riesgos en materia de derechos humanos que afectan a las personas a quienes pretende ayudar, señaló Human Rights Watch en un informe difundido hoy. El banco carece de controles adecuados para prevenir que se financien violaciones de derechos humanos. El 23 de julio de 2013, la Junta del Banco se reunirá en Washington en el marco de su revisión de políticas, y este evento podría ser una ocasión para subsanar esa falencia. [seguir leyendo] - [tiếng Việt]

Banque mondiale : Faux-fuyants sur les questions relatives aux droits humains

Des milliards de dollars sont accordés au développement, mais l’absence de garanties mine les efforts déployés

22.07.2013 (Human Rights Watch) - (Washington, le 22 juillet 2013) – La Banque mondiale a fermé les yeux sur les risques que son travail peut poser pour les droits humains des personnes qu’elle cherche au contraire à aider, a déclaré Human Rights Watch dans un rapport paru aujourd’hui. Cette institution manque de mesures adéquates pour se prémunir contre le risque de financer des violations des droits humains. La réunion du conseil d’administration de la Banque mondiale à Washington le 23 juillet 2013, prévue dans le cadre de l’examen récurrent de sa politique actuelle, fournira une occasion pour la banque de tâcher de remédier à cette lacune. [en savoir plus...] - [tiếng Việt]

Weltbank geht Menschenrechtsfragen aus dem Weg

Fehlende Schutzmechanismen untergraben Erfolge milliardenschwerer Entwicklungsprojekte

22.07.2013 (Human Rights Watch) - (Washington, DC) – Die Weltbank verschließt die Augen vor Gefahren für die Menschenrechte eben derjenigen Menschen, die sie unterstützen soll, so Human Rights Watch in einem heute veröffentlichten Bericht. Der Bank fehlt ein angemessenes Kontrollsystem, um nicht Menschenrechtsverletzungen zu finanzieren. Der Vorstand der Weltbank trifft sich am 23. Juli 2013 in Washington. Bei dem Treffen geht es um die derzeit laufende Überprüfung grundlegender Richtlinien, welche der Bank die Gelegenheit bietet, diese Lücke zu schließen. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

World Bank: Ducking Human Rights Issues

Billions for Development, but Lack of Safeguards Undermines Benefits

22.07.2013 (Human Rights Watch) - (Washington, DC) – The World Bank has closed its eyes to risks to the human rights of the very people it seeks to benefit, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The bank lacks adequate checks to guard against funding human rights abuse. The bank’s board will meet as part of its ongoing policy review, which provides an opportunity to remedy this policy gap, in Washington on July 23, 2013. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam: un blogueur très affaibli par sa grève de la faim

22.07.2013 (Romandie) - HANOI (Hanoï (province)) - L'un des plus célèbres blogueurs vietnamiens, condamné pour propagande contre l'Etat, est très affaibli par la grève de la faim qu'il observe depuis un mois, a annoncé sa famille lundi.

Nguyen Van Hai, alias Dieu Cay, ne s'alimente plus depuis 30 jours pour protester contre ses conditions de détention, selon son ex-femme, Duong Thi Tan.

Il est très faible (...). Il parlait avec un filet de voix et ne pouvait se lever sans aide, a-t-elle précisé à l'AFP après que le fils du couple l'eut rencontré samedi dans une prison de la province de Nghe An (centre). [en savoir plus...]

Imprisoned Vietnamese blogger said to be weak after 30-day hunger strike

22.07.2013 (The Washington Post) - HANOI, Vietnam — One of Vietnam’s most prominent dissidents is on the 30th day of a hunger strike in protest against being held under solitary confinement, family members said Monday, casting fresh attention on Vietnam’s human rights record ahead of trip by the country’s president this week to the White House.

Nguyen Van Hai, also known as Dieu Cay, is serving a 12-year prison term for conducting “propaganda against the state” in relation to his blogging and citizen media activities. His case has been mentioned by President Barack Obama, whose administration is appealing for the release of political prisoners. [read more]

Decree targets online freedoms in Vietnam

22.07.2013 (CPJ) Bangkok - A new decree aimed at regulating Internet-related information and services in Vietnam represents a significant new danger to online journalists and bloggers, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The decree was signed into law on July 15 and will be implemented on September 1, according to news reports.

"The restrictions outlined in this new decree aim to make global Internet companies like Google, Facebook, and others complicit in Vietnam's escalating crackdown on Internet freedoms," said Shawn Crispin, CPJ's senior Southeast Asia representative. "We call on Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's government to scrap this outrageous law and to immediately halt its campaign against online journalists and bloggers." [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam: President’s Visit to Washington Puts Rights in Spotlight

Obama Needs to Address Worsening Crackdown on Dissidents

22.07.2013 (Human Rights Watch) - (Washington, DC) – Vietnam’s intensifying crackdown on free expression should be a top agenda item during Vietnam President Truong Tan Sang’s summit with President Barack Obama this week, Human Rights Watch said today. Sang will be in the United States from July 24 to 26 and Obama will host him at the White House on Thursday, July 25, 2013. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

ERKLÄRUNG der vietnamesischen Organisationen

26/07/2013 (Forum Vietnam 21) - Anlässlich des Treffens zwischen dem US-Präsident Barack Obama und dem vietnamesischen Staatspräsident Truong Tan Sang im Weißen Haus geben wir als Vertreter der unten zeichnenden Volksorganisationen folgende Stellungnahme ab:

In der vergangenen Jahren wurde die Sozialistische Republik Vietnam (SRV) von zahlreichen bekannten internationalen Menschenrechtsorganisationen wie Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch (HRW), Freedom House, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) mehrmals als ein Land mit den schlimmsten Menschenrechtverletzungen in der Welt bezeichnet und insbesondere als Feind des freien Internets ( CPJ und RSF) angeprangert. Dies macht die Erklärung des vietnamesischen Blogger-Networks, am 18.07.2013 von 69 Bloggerm in Vietnam unterzeichnet, deutlich.

Die Sozialistische Republik Vietnam (SRV) hat die Grundfreiheiten des vietnamesischen Bürgers, die in den von Vietnam unterschriebenen internationalen Menschenrechtsabkommen verankert sind, total missachtet. Damit macht sich Vietnam unwürdig für die Bewerbung eines Sitzes im UN-Menschenrechtsrat. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Bekannter Blogger in kritischem Zustand

23.07.2013 (taz) - HANOI Ein prominenter Blogger in Vietnam ist nach 29 Tagen Hungerstreik nach Angaben von Menschenrechtlern "in kritischem Zustand". Die Menschenrechtsorganisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) verlangte seine sofortige Freilassung. Nguyen Van Hai (60), bekannt als Dieu Cay, verweigert laut seinen Angehörigen seit Mitte Juni die Nahrungsaufnahme. Er protestiere damit gegen Misshandlungen im Gefängnis Nummer 6 in der Provinz Nghe An. HRW forderte die Regierung auf, die Vorwürfe zu untersuchen. (dpa) [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam: Dissident Continues Hunger Strike in Prison

22.07.2013 (The New York Times) - AP. One of Vietnam’s most prominent dissidents is on the 30th day of a hunger strike to protest against being held in solitary confinement, family members said Monday, casting attention on Vietnam’s human rights record ahead of trip by the country’s president this week to the White House. The dissident, Nguyen Van Hai, also known as Dieu Cay, is serving a 12-year prison term for conducting “propaganda against the state” through his blogging and citizen media activities. His case has been mentioned by President Obama, whose administration is appealing for the release of political prisoners. It is unclear whether human rights will be discussed in talks scheduled for Thursday between Mr. Obama and President Truong Tan Sang of Vietnam. Administration officials have said in the past that closer ties between Vietnam would be difficult unless it releases dissidents and loosens its grip on freedom of expression. So far this year, 46 people have been convicted and sentenced for dissident activities, many of them bloggers. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

DECLARATION OF VIETNAMESE MASS ORGANIZATIONS

22/07/2013 (Forum Vietnam 21) - On the occasion of the meeting between US President Barack Obama and SRV President Truong Tan Sang in the White House, we, the undersigned Vietnamese mass organizations, issue to the public this declaration.

In recent years the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) has been identified by Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch (HRW), Freedom House, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), etc., as one of the worst perpetrators of human rights violations in the world and especially as an enemy of the Internet (CPJ and RSF, among others)–a finding supported by the latest “Statement from a Network of Vietnamese Bloggers” signed by 69 bloggers inside Vietnam (as of July 18, 2013).

The SRV’s total disregard of the most basic human rights for its citizens as guaranteed in international covenants to which Vietnam is a signatory made a farce of its international commitments and makes it unworthy of a place in the UN Human Rights Council which it is coveting. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Bloggers Demand Vietnam Comply with Human Rights Rules

23.07.2013 (Asia Sentinel) - Hanoi under consideration for UN Human Rights Council seat. A network of 65 Vietnamese bloggers are demanding that the country amend its laws to demonstrate a commitment to cooperate with the United Nations Human Rights Council on human rights before it can qualify to become a member of the UN organization. The group sent its petition to 17 major human rights and governmental organizations this week. The country is a candidate for the US Human Rights Commission for 2014-2016 despite the fact that it maintains one of Southeast Asia's strictest policies against dissent. On July 19, US State Department officials told a Congressional subcommittee that closer ties with Vietnam, in particular weapons sales, are on hold until there is "continued, demonstrable, sustained improvement in the human rights situation." [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnamese president’s White House visit alarms human rights advocates

23.07.2013 By Ashish Kumar Sen (The Washington Times) - President Obama is under pressure from members of Congress, human rights groups and union leaders to demand an end to the suppression of human rights in Vietnam when he meets with the leader of the Southeast Asian nation at the White House on Thursday. One of Mr. Obama’s biggest supporters, Teamsters union President James P. Hoffa, says the U.S. must stop negotiating a trade agreement with Vietnam because of human rights abuses. Mr. Hoffa plans to release a report Wednesday that details “major human rights and worker rights problems, such as forced labor” in Vietnam. [read more]

Dieu Cay en danger de mort : RSF et le blogueur Nguoi Buon Gio (Le marchand de vent) appellent à la mobilisation

23.07.2013 (Reporters Sans Frontières) - Emprisonné depuis le 19 avril 2008, le blogueur Dieu Cay (de son vrai nom Nguyen Van Hai) observe depuis 31 jours une grève de la faim, pour protester contre ses conditions de détention dans une prison de la province de Nghe An (centre). Son état de santé laisse aujourd’hui craindre le pire.

Dans une interview exclusive accordée à Reporters sans frontières, le blogueur Bui Thanh Hieu, également connu sous son pseudonyme, Nguoi Buon Gio (Marchand de vent), exprime son inquiétude pour l’état de santé de Dieu Cay et décrit notamment les conditions dans lesquelles la famille du blogueur a appris qu’il avait entrepris une grève de la faim, il y a un mois.

“L’état de santé de Dieu Cay appelle à une réaction urgente de la communauté internationale, qui doit condamner le traitement inhumain réservé par les autorités vietnamiennes à Dieu Cay et à sa famille et faire tout son possible pour obtenir la libération du blogueur. Nous demandons aux ambassades de soutenir, dans l’intervalle, les proches de Dieu Cay dans leur démarche pour obtenir l’autorisation de visites régulières”, a déclaré Reporters sans frontières. [en savoir plus] - [tiếng Việt]

Appeal for support for blogger on hunger strike who could die

23.07.2013 (Reporter Without Borders) - Nguyen Van Hai, a blogger known by the pen-name of Dieu Cay who has been jailed since April 2008, has been on hunger strike for the past 31 days in protest against his prison conditions in the central province of Nghe An. His current state of health is grave and we fear the worst.

Bui Thanh Hieu, a blogger also known as Nguoi Buon Gio (Windtrader), has given Reporters Without Borders an interview in which he voices concern about Dieu Cay’s health and describes how Dieu Cay’s family recently learned that he was on hunger strike.

“Dieu Cay’s state of health calls for an urgent reaction from the international community, which must condemn the inhuman treatment he and his family are receiving from the Vietnamese authorities, and must do everything possible to obtain his release,” Reporters Without Borders said. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Nguyen Van Hai: Vietnamese Hunger Striker “Very Weak”

24.07.2013 By Luke Hunt (The Diplomat) - Nguyen Van Hai – a Vietnamese blogger and a founding member of the Free Journalists Club – is reportedly in a very weak state after his hunger strike entered its 30th day. Nguyen is serving a 12-year jail term for anti-state propaganda. His condition is winning headlines around the world as Vietnamese President Truon Tan Sang prepares for talks in Washington this week with U.S. President Barack Obama, who has previously raised the dissident’s case. Forty-six political activists have been jailed in Vietnam so far this year. [read more]

Vietnam leader faces rights pressure on rare US visit

24.07.2013 (Yahoo! New Zealand) - WASHINGTON, District of Columbia (AFP) - Vietnam's president on Wednesday starts a rare visit to Washington to boost trade and security ties between the former war foes, but activists urged the United States to press him on human rights. President Truong Tan Sang will on Thursday become only the second Vietnamese head of state to visit the White House since the countries normalized ties. He will meet Wednesday with business leaders and Secretary of State John Kerry... "A free trade agreement - specifically the Trans-Pacific Partnership -- must be met with benchmarks and we call upon President Obama to carry this message on Thursday," said Representative Loretta Sanchez, a member of Obama's Democratic Party. Representative Ed Royce, a Republican who heads the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called Sang's visit "a unique opportunity to inspire the Vietnamese people who are yearning for freedom." [read more]

USCIRF Urges President Obama to Raise Concerns About Religious Freedom in Vietnam

22.07.2013 Press Release by USCIRF (Defend the Defenders) - WASHINGTON, D.C. — USCIRF urges President Obama to raise concerns about religious freedom violations in Vietnam when he meets at the White House with Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang on July 25. Raising these concerns as the U.S.-Vietnamese bilateral relationship is improving will underscore America’s support for this fundamental right.

“Because religious freedom conditions remain very poor in Vietnam, we respectfully urge President Obama to raise concerns about religious freedom and related human rights when he meets with President Truong Tan Sang,” said USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Obama Must Address Detention of Rights Defender with Vietnam's President

23.07.2013 (HRW) - Dear Mr President, The signatory organisations respectfully request that you raise with the Vietnamese Government the arrest and arbitrary detention of Mr Le Quoc Quan, prominent lawyer, blogger and human rights defender. We understand that President Truong Tan Sang of Vietnam will meet with you on 25 July 2013 and we sincerely hope that you will take this opportunity to discuss Mr Quan’s case with him.

Mr Quan is a qualified lawyer and active blogger who is currently detained for exercising his rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, and for his activities as a human rights defender. Prior to his arrest, Mr Quan exposed human rights abuses commonly ignored by Vietnamese state media on his popular blog. He defended human rights cases in the Vietnamese courts until he was disbarred in 2007, when he was arrested and detained for 100 days upon his return from the United States where he had been a Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington, D.C. In April 2011, Mr Quan was arrested again and ultimately released without charges. In August 2012, he was severely injured in a violent attack committed by what he believes were State agents. [read more]

Petición para reformar leyes de Vietnam que restringen libertad de medios

24.07.2013 (Global Voices Español) - Más de 60 blogueros vietnamitas han firmado una declaración de unidad [vi] instando al gobierno vietnamita a mejorar su registro y compromiso con los derechos humanos, mientras busca ser miembro del Consejo de Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas: [seguir leyendo]

Call to Put Human Rights at Front and Center of US-Vietnam Summit

24.07.2013 (RFA) - U.S. President Barack Obama has received a deluge of requests from lawmakers, families of detained dissidents, and nongovernmental organizations to put human rights at the front and center of his talks with Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang on Thursday. "With almost 50 human rights defenders jailed this year alone and the government of Vietnam cracking down on freedoms of expression, assembly and association, we hope that you will take this meeting as an opportunity to stand up for the people of Vietnam," the families of 35 key political prisoners said in a letter to Obama this week. [read more]

Vietnam: Religiöse Minderheiten werden unterdrückt

24.07.2013 (ead) - Washington (idea) – US-Präsident Barack Obama soll den vietnamesischen Staatspräsidenten Truong Tan Sang auf die mangelnde Religionsfreiheit in seinem Land ansprechen. Das empfiehlt die US-Kommission für Internationale Religionsfreiheit (Washington). Der Präsident des sozialistisch regierten Landes kommt am 25. Juli zu einem Staatsbesuch nach Washington. Nach Angaben der unabhängigen Kommission, die die US-Regierung über die Religionsfreiheit in einzelnen Ländern informiert, lässt die Lage in Vietnam sehr zu wünschen übrig. Der Staat weite seine Kontrolle über jegliche Religionsausübung aus und unterdrücke nicht-sanktionierte Aktivitäten. Dabei gingen die Behörden sowohl gegen Einzelpersonen wie auch gegen Gruppen unter anderem mit Hilfe der Religionspolizei vor. „Vage“ Sicherheitsgesetze dienten dazu, unerwünschte buddhistische und christliche Aktivitäten zu unterdrücken. [Weiterlesen]

Human rights in Vietnam on spotlight with imprisoned striking dissident and president visiting the USA

24.07.2013 by Dita Chovancová (New Europe) - The Vietnamese well-known dissident and co-founder of the Club for Free Journalists is on the 30th day of a hunger strike, in protest against being held under solitary confinement. Together with the visit of the country’s president to the White House this week, Nguyen Van Hai attracts attention to the alarming situation of human rights in Vietnam... Critics say that the Vietnam government systematically suppresses freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, and persecutes those who question government policies, expose official corruption, or call for democratic alternatives to one-party rule. The government does not allow independent or privately owned media outlets to operate, and exerts strict control over radio and TV stations, and publications. This is just an example of a long enumeration of Vietnamese human rights state from World Report 2013 made by Human Rights Watch. [read more]

Appeal to Obama: 'Ask the Vietnamese President for greater freedom for the people'

24.07.2013 by Nguyen Hung (AsiaNews) - Hanoi (AsiaNews) - An open letter, signed by 10 thousand Vietnamese, asking President Barack Obama to "intervene with Hanoi President Trương Tấn Sang, to release all prisoners of conscience and respect the democratic aspirations of the Vietnamese people." The letter was sent to the White House the day before the arrival of the Vietnamese leader in the United States where - at Obama's own invitation - he will stay for 3 days. [read more]

What You Need to Know About Vietnam’s Human Rights Record

25.07.2013 By Frank Jannuzi (Amnesty International) - President Truong Tan Sang of Vietnam visited the United States this week to meet with President Obama. At lunch Wednesday with Secretary of State John Kerry, he expressed his desire that Hanoi and Washington deepen their economic and security ties. I was pleased to visit Vietnam last spring on behalf of Amnesty International to launch a human rights dialogue – the first visit by a representative of AI since 1988. I saw first-hand a Vietnam that is engaged in a great national discussion of human rights. And I had the opportunity to exchange views with people in and out of government on many sensitive topics, from minority rights to land grabs to policing the blogosphere. [read more]

Obama must press Vietnam over rights abuses

25.07.2013 By Scott Flipse and Nguyen Dinh Thang, Special to CNN (CNN World) - Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang visits the White House on Thursday, and when he does, President Barack Obama should take the opportunity to deliver a clear message: If Vietnam wants expanded trade and security cooperation, then Hanoi will have to demonstrate concrete and substantial improvements in human rights. Prioritizing these rights may prompt some grumbling, but will be overwhelmingly welcomed by the Vietnamese people, the large majority of whom are pro-American and want more freedom. There is a recent precedent for this approach. In Burma, the administration prioritized human rights improvements as a condition for improved relations. Indeed, given Burma’s recent openness to reform, Vietnam has now been left with the worst human rights record in the Association of Southeast Asian Nation region.

By setting clear human rights benchmarks for Vietnam in exchange for new trade and security benefits from the administration, the U.S. can achieve similar results in Vietnam. In fact, such an approach worked for Vietnam nearly a decade ago, particularly in the arena of freedom of religion. [read more]

PEN - Vietnam: Journalist and blogger Dieu Cay ill-treated; fears for safety

25.07.2013 by Writers in Prison (PEN Deutschland) PEN International is gravely concerned for the health of blogger Nguyen Van Hai (aka Dieu Cay), who has been on hunger strike since 23 June 2013 in protest at his detention conditions. He is held in solitary confinement without access to family visits. Nguyen Van Hai who wrote articles and blogs critical of the authorities is serving a 12-year sentence for “conducting propaganda against the state’. PEN calls for his immediate and unconditional release, as he is held solely for peacefully expressing his opinions and on humanitarian grounds.

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Please send appeals:... [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

PEN - Vietnam: Sorgen um die Gesundheit von Journalist und Blogger Dieu Cay

25.07.2013 von Writers in Prison (PEN Deutschland) 24. Juli 2013 – RAN 27/13

Der internationale PEN ist in ernster Sorge um die Gesundheit des Bloggers Nguyen Van Hai (auch bekannt als Dieu Cay), der sich seit dem 23. Juni 2013 im Hungerstreik befindet, um gegen seine Haftbedingungen zu protestieren. Er sitzt in Isolationshaft und darf keine Familien-Besuche empfangen. Nguyen Van Hai hat regierungskritische Blogs und Artikel geschrieben und verbüßt eine zwölfjährige Haftstrafe wegen der Ausübung von “Propaganda gegen den Staat”. Der PEN fordert seine unverzügliche und bedingungslose Freilassung, zum einen da er lediglich wegen der friedlichen Äußerung seiner Meinung festgehalten wird, zum anderen aus humanitären Gründen.

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Bitte senden Sie Protestbriefe:... [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Police of Vinh City caused troubles to those who support family of blogger Dieu Cay

30.07.2013 CTV Danlambao (Dân Làm Báo) - Today, July 30, 2013, police in Vinh City summoned Ms. Pham Thi Kim Chi, a Good Samaritan who has been helping relatives of blogger Dieu Cay during their stay in Nghe An Province for visiting the blogger in Prison No. 6 in Thanh Chuong and filing complaints with the People's Procuracy of Nghe An Province.

Since family members of Mrs. Duong Thi Tan arrived in Nghe An, Ms. Pham has been providing them with room accommodation, catering and transportation in Vinh City. As a result, Ms. Pham received a notice from Vinh police, summoning her to police headquarters in Vinh on July 31, 2013, to "work on issues related to security and order." [read more]

UN Announces Nov. 12th For Human Rights Council Elections

30.07.2013 (Scoop Media, New Zealand) GENEVA, July 29 — The UN has announced that elections for 14 influential seats on its Human Rights Council will be held on November 12th, with the world body for the first time confirming UN Watch's report from earlier this month that candidates include China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and other regimes criticized for widespread human rights abuses. [read more]

USDS - Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor

UK Foreign & Commenwealth Office

Report on Human Rights and Democracy 2012 - Vietnam

Reporters sans frontières

Reporters without borders

Reporter ohne Grenzen

Kirche in Not

Christen in großen Bedrängnis - Länderbericht 2013 - Vietnam

Open Doors

Gefangenenliste 2012 - Vietnam

Committee to Protect Journalists

CPJ Special Reports Sept 19 2012
Vietnam's press freedom shrinks despite open economy

Vietnam: Letter Regarding Mr. Le Quoc Quan and his upcoming trial on 9 July 2013

Anti-corruption activist Le Hien Duc and Catholics hold candles during a mass prayer for lawyer Le Quoc Quan at Thai Ha church in Hanoi

30.06.2013 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Reuters - Anti-corruption activist Le Hien Duc and Catholics hold candles during a mass prayer for lawyer Le Quoc Quan at Thai Ha church in Hanoi June 30, 2013. Participants in the mass prayer were calling for justice for Quan, a political dissident and democracy activist, who was arrested in 2012 for tax evasion and will be sent to trial on July 9, 2013, according to Quan's brother Le Quoc Quyet. The banner reads, "Justice and Trust for lawyer Le Quoc Quan." [tiếng Việt]

Catholic lawyer in jail on false charges prays and fasts before his trial

Hunger strike is increasingly becoming a tool of civic protest against prison conditions and illegal arrests. Le Quoc Quan goes to court on 9 July on 'tax evasion' charges. For activists, this is a ploy the authorities used to imprison him. Barred from his profession, he has continued the fight for rights on his blog.

28.06.2013 (AsiaNews/EDA) Hanoi - ... Le Quoc Quan, 42, is a Catholic lawyer and a political prisoner. He has decided to fast and pray in the next few days to prepare himself, body and mind, to meet tax evasion charges levied against him under Article 161 of Vietnam's Penal Code. After he was arrested taking his children to school in Hanoi, Le Quoc was sent to Hoa Lo Prison No. 1. For a long time, neither his lawyer nor his family were able to see him. [read more]

Vietnam Letter to John Kerry for Le Quoc Quan

21.06.2013 (Lawyers for Lawyers) - On 27 June 2013, L4L, together with a broad coalition of other NGO’s, requested the US Secretary of State John Kerry in a letter to take action to free the Vietnamese lawyer Mr. Le Quoc Quan. Kerry will attend the ASEAN conference later this month. The organisations have requested him to seize the opportunity to request the Vietnamese Government to release Mr. Quan. ... His trial will start on the 9th of July 2013. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnamese Dissident’s Lawyers Face Obstructions Ahead of Trial

19.06.2013 (RFA) - The brother of a prominent Vietnamese dissident lawyer detained on tax evasion charges said attorneys have been refused access to court documents ahead of his trial next month, as rights groups appealed to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to pressure Hanoi for his release. [read more]

Vietnam: Joint Letter About Detained Human Rights Defender Le Quoc Quan Sent to John Kerry

18.06.2013 (Front Line Defenders) - On 17 June 2013, a joint letter was sent to US Secretary of State John Kerry requesting that he raise the issue of the unlawful arrest of the prominent lawyer, blogger and human rights defender Le Quoc Quan with the Vietnamese Government at the ASEAN conference due to take place later this month. The letter has been signed by 12 organisations including Front Line Defenders. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

The full joint letter, including the list of signatories can be found attached to this page in PDF format.

Vietnamese Human Rights Defender to go on Trial

17.06.2013 (World Movement for Democracy) - On June 17, 2013, the World Movement for Democracy joined a broad coalition of NGOs in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to pressure the Vietnamese government to free human rights defender Le Quoc Quan. The World Movement issued a previous alert following his arrest in December for “tax evasion.” NGOs following the case believe that Mr. Quan has been arbitrarily detained due to his human rights work. [read more]

Vietnamese Human Rights Defender Held Without Fair Trial, Medical Care

13.06.2013 (Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights) On June 13, 2013 the RFK Center sent a letter to Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng calling on the Vietnamese government to respect the well-established human rights standards of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders in protecting Vietnamese human rights defender Mr. Lê Quốc Quân from torture and other ill-treatment, allowing him immediate contact with his family and lawyer, and granting access to all necessary medical care. Mr. Quân is a human rights lawyer and blogger who has been held incommunicado at Hoa Lo No. 1 Prison since December 27, 2012. Despite the charges of tax evasion levied against him, it appears that Mr. Quân was arrested due to his legitimate exercise of his profession as a lawyer and defender of human rights. Prior to his arrest, Mr. Quân wrote extensively on freedom of religion, civil rights, and political pluralism and worked on pro-bono cases involving imprisoned human rights defenders, labor rights, land rights, and worker’s rights. Mr. Quân’s access to his attorney and family has been severely limited, and the condition of his health is unclear. His expected trial date is July 9, 2013.

The RFK Center is deeply concerned about the wellbeing of Mr. Quân and urges Vietnamese authorities to ensure that Mr. Quân is afforded a fair trial in accordance with international human rights standards.

Text of the letter from the RFK Center to Prime Minister of Vietnam is as follows: [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

NGO coalition, including RWB, urges UN to press for jailed blogger’s release

13.03.2013 (Reporters Without Borders) - 13 March 2013. Today, a broad coalition of human rights organisations has called for UN free speech and human rights watchdogs to intervene and secure the immediate release of Vietnamese blogger and human rights activist Le Quoc Quan.

Le Quoc Quan has been held in solitary detention by the Vietnamese authorities since his arrest on 27 December 2012 on trumped up allegations of tax evasion. He has been allowed to see his lawyer only twice and has been refused any access to his family. [read more]

[Vietnam] English PEN joins the call for the release of Le Quoc Quan

13.03.2013 by Cat Lucas (English PEN) - English PEN joins a broad coalition of human rights organisations to call for UN free speech and human rights watchdogs to intervene and secure the immediate release of Vietnamese blogger and human rights activist Le Quoc Quan... Le Quoc Quan has long been on the radar of the Vietnamese authorities for his human rights work. As a lawyer, he represented many victims of human rights violations, but was disbarred in 2007 on suspicion of engaging in “activities to overthrow the regime”. Despite such threats, he continued with his human rights advocacy and as a result he has been arrested several times since. In August 2012, he was hospitalised after being severely beaten near his home by unknown assailants. The assault has not been investigated. [read more]

Katholische Blogger in Vietnam zu hohen Haftstrafen verurteilt

12.01.2013 (kath.net/KAP) Hanoi - Ein Gericht in Vietnam hat 14 zumeist katholische Blogger wegen versuchten Umsturzes zu hohen Haftstrafen verurteilt. 13 der Angeklagten erhielten nach zweitägigem Prozess in der Provinz Nghe An Gefängnisstrafen zwischen 3 und 13 Jahren... Die vietnamesischen Behörden gehen seit geraumer Zeit massiv gegen katholische Dissidenten vor. Im Dezember wurde der katholische Anwalt und Blogger Le Quoc Quan wegen angeblicher Steuerhinterziehung verhaftet. Dies sei ein gängiger Vorwand, um Dissidenten und Aktivisten für Religionsfreiheit mundtot zu machen, sagte der Südostasien-Experte der Menschenrechtsorganisation Human Rights Watch, Phil Robertson. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam und die Glaubensfreiheit

08.01.2013 (freie-radios.net) - In den vergangenen Jahren gab es immer wieder ähnliche Nachrichten aus Vietnam. Diese haben uns davon berichtet, wie Menschenrechtler, die sich für mehr Religionsfreiheit in Vietnam einsetzen, fesgenommen und zu langjährigen Haftstrafen verurteilt worden sind. Wie zum Beispiel auch der Menschenrechtsanwalt Le Quoc Quan - und das war erst Ende Dezember vergangen Jahres. Der Grund für seine Festnahme war folgender: Er habe sich im Internet für mehr Glaubensfreiheit engagiert. Und nur wenige Tage später, nämlich am 1.1.2013, wurde ein Gesetz eingeführt, das die Religionsfreiheit eindeutig einschränkt. Dieses Gesetz trägt den Namen "Dekret 92". [Weiterlesen]

Viet Nam: Arbitrary detention of Mr. Le Quoc Quan

04.01.2013 (OMCT) The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Viet Nam. The Observatory has been informed by the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) about the arbitrary detention of Mr. Le Quoc Quan, a human rights lawyer and blogger. According to the information received, on December 27, 2012, Mr. Le Quoc Quan was arrested by the police in Hanoi while dropping off his daughter at school. [read more]

Menschenrechtsanwalt, der sich für Glaubensfreiheit einsetzt, verhaftet

Vietnam schränkt Religionsfreiheit mit neuem Dekret weiter ein

28.12.2012 (Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker) - In Vietnam wird die Religionsfreiheit im kommenden Jahr noch weiter eingeschränkt. „Wenn am 1. Januar 2013 das umstrittene Dekret 92 in Kraft tritt, haben die Behörden noch mehr Handhabe, religiöse Gemeinschaften willkürlich an ihrer Glaubensausübung zu hindern“, warnte der GfbV-Asienreferent Ulrich Delius am Freitag in Göttingen... So wurde erst am gestrigen Donnerstag der Menschenrechtsanwalt Le Quoc Quan in Hanoi verhaftet. Der bekannte Dissident hat sich in Blogs für mehr Glaubensfreiheit engagiert. [Weiterlesen]

* * *

Le Quoc Quan trial puts Vietnamese activists in spotlight

The trial of a high-profile government critic in Vietnam is expected to focus renewed attention on the country's treatment of activists.

"As for me, I miss him so much because I now have to take care of three children and to bring them up, especially when they are sick, and taking them to school," she said...

Last year, Mr Quan spoke to the ABC after three of his fellow bloggers were sentenced to hefty jail terms.

"These bloggers, they have only one thing they would like to do is to tell about the truth in Vietnam," he said.

"To tell about the current situation, about the social, economic and political system in Vietnam.

"You know, this is terrible." [read more]

Vietnam: Drop Charges Against Le Quoc Quan

End Political Trials of Human Rights Defenders

rights defenders. Facing constant police harassment before his arrest, my brother has stated that he would “welcome any challenges...as gifts that my Country has given me.” Just as my brother has stood up for the voiceless, now we should stand in solidarity and demand his uncondititional release!

During this difficult time, our family ask for your help. Please lend your voice and send a message to Secretary of State John Kerry. As he prepares to meet with Vietnamese leaders at an ASEAN summit, call on him to take action and ensure the release of not only my brother but all other prisoners of conscience in Vietnam.

On behalf of my brother and his family, I want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who has taken part in advocating for his freedom. Your commitment and ongoing support have brought much comfort to our family and many others.

Sincerely,

Le Quoc Quyet

Dearest friends,

My name is Le Quoc Quyet, the younger brother of human rights attorney Le Quoc Quan. On December 27, 2012 my brother was arbitrarily arrested as he was dropping off his daughter at school in Hanoi. His children and wife have been denied visitation rights and Quan is now expected to be tried on July 9, 2013.

My brother’s arrest and persecution comes during the Vietnamese government’s worsening crackdown on human

Free Le Quoc Quan

Vietnam: Joint Letter About Detained Human Rights Defender Le Quoc Quan Sent to John Kerry

The full joint letter, including the list of signatories can be found attached to this page in PDF format.

Catholic lawyer in jail on false charges prays and fasts before his trial

28.06.2013 (AsiaNews/EDA) Hanoi - For Vietnam's political prisoners and its prisoners of conscience, hunger strike has become the most powerful tool in the fight against abuse in prison and unjust sentences imposed by Communist authorities.

After Cu Huy Ha Vu, an activist who has not touched food for 27 days, and Paul Tran Minh Nhât, a Catholic who stopped eating to protest prison conditions, another Catholic, a lawyer by profession, has decided not to eat for the next week. Le Quoc Quan's reasons for his extreme protest are different. His goal is to fast, pray and meditate in order to prepare himself for his trial on 9 July.

Le Quoc Quan, 42, is a Catholic lawyer and a political prisoner. He has decided to fast and pray in the next few days to prepare himself, body and mind, to meet tax evasion charges levied against him under Article 161 of Vietnam's Penal Code. After he was arrested taking his children to school in Hanoi, Le Quoc was sent to Hoa Lo Prison No. 1. For a long time, neither his lawyer nor his family were able to see him. [read more]

Vietnam: la guerre des terres fait rage du nord au sud

27.06.2013 (DH.be) - Thi Sieu affirme que sa famille a vécu pendant des générations sur un lopin de terre couvert d'arbres à cajou, jusqu'à ce qu'il lui soit confisqué sans compensation. Une histoire dont elle sait qu'elle se répète un peu partout au Vietnam.

Cette M'nong, une des nombreuses minorités ethniques des Hauts-Plateaux du centre du pays, pleure encore les arbres abattus et les tombes de ses ancêtres détruites en 2011 pour qu'une société privée puisse s'installer, avec l'appui de cadres locaux.

"Ils disaient qu'ils nous frapperaient à mort si nous ne partions pas. Ils ont coupé les arbres. Nous avons tout perdu", explique cette femme de 42 ans à l'AFP. [en savoir plus...] - [tiếng Việt]

For auxiliary bishop of Vinh, Vietnamese Church needs Catholic media

27.06.2013 (AsiaNews/EDA) Hanoi - Vietnam's dioceses "are closely tied to each other" but they still cannot speak "with one voice," said Pierre Nguyen Van Vien, until recently the vicar general of the Diocese of Vinh, central Vietnam, home to half a million Catholics. Speaking to the Vietnamese section of Radio Free Asia (RFA), the newly appointed auxiliary bishop of Vinh said that the Catholic Church "cannot live on the margins of society" but has to play an important role in the great changes taking place in the country by enhancing its "means of communication and information." ... In recent months in fact, the authorities have cracked down on local Catholic activism, arresting dozens of people and sentencing them to many years in prison [read more]

Police Attack Hoa Hao Anniversary Gathering

26.06.2013 (RFA) A leader of an unsanctioned Hoa Hao Buddhist group in southwestern Vietnam slit his belly to protest a police attack on followers celebrating the anniversary of the sect's founding this week.

Vo Van Thanh Liem, the once-imprisoned head of the Quang Minh Tu pagoda in Choi Moi district of An Giang province, slashed his stomach after police blocked his followers from worshiping at the pagoda on Tuesday.

More than 100 police and security forces had beaten and thrown chairs at and sprayed dirty sewage water on worshipers on both Monday and Tuesday, followers said. [read more]

Vietnam Won't Stop Locking Up Its Bloggers

26.06.2013 By Faisal Mahdi (Vice Media) - Vietnam is not a good place to be a blogger. At least, it's not a good place to be a blogger if you actually want to write what's on your mind. In the last month or so, three bloggers have been arrested for criticising the communist government, or – as Vietnamese authorities deftly put it – "abusing democratic freedoms" by posting their opinions online. While that charge might seem like a bit of a paradox, their prospects post-arrest aren't looking great; on May the 16th, another blogger – Dinh Nguyen Kha – was sentenced to ten years in jail for "distributing anti-State propaganda" and "deliberately causing injuries"... Those arrests are just one of the issues that spurred former US congressman Joseph Cao into calling Vietnam, "The worst violator of human rights in Southeast Asia" (and that's including Burma, a country where the Rohingya Muslim minority are being systematically wiped out, allegedly with tacit approval from the government). Other issues worthy of some credit for that title include outlawing political opposition to the one-party state, repressing dissidents, severely restricting freedom of expression and arresting, imprisoning and torturing peaceful activists. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Catholic activist goes on hunger strike against prison conditions

Tran Minh Nhat is the second dissident in a few weeks to opt for this form of protest. He reports abuses and human rights violations, including the seizure of religious literature (such as a biography of John Paul II). Cu Huy Ha Vu's hunger strike just ended.

25.06.2013 (AsiaNews) Hanoi - A Vietnamese activist convicted for plotting to overthrow the government has begun a hunger strike to protest prison conditions. Tran Minh Nhat, a Catholic activist, sentenced to four years in January for his affiliation with the banned Viet Tan opposition party, started to refuse food after he was denied reading material, including books about Catholic saints, and subjected to psychological and physical abuse. [read more]

Another Vietnamese Dissident on Hunger Strike to Protest Prison Conditions

24.06.2013 (RFA) - A Vietnamese activist jailed for plotting to overthrow the government has begun a hunger strike to protest his conditions in prison, taking the cue from a fellow dissident who fasted for 25 days before the authorities relented and agreed to examine his complaint over prison abuses.

Tran Minh Nhat, a Catholic activist who received a four-year prison sentence in January for his affiliation with banned opposition party Viet Tan, started to fast after being refused reading material and subjected to harsh conditions in jail, a friend said Monday. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Freedom Now – Submission to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Universal Periodic Review (UPR): Socialist Republic of Vietnam

18th Session

Human Rights Council – UPR Working Group

07.06.2013 (Freedom Now) - 1. Freedom Now individually submits this report to assist the Human Rights Council in its review of the policies and practices of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam). Freedom Now is a non-partisan, non-governmental organization that works to free prisoners of conscience around the world through focused legal, political, and public relations advocacy.

2. This report describes the Vietnamese government’s use of arbitrary detention in violation of international law. As outlined below, the government uses national security laws to silence an ever-growing list of critical voices in the country. Despite the government’s assurances—often repeated in the course of interaction with international bodies and mandate holders—this practice violates Vietnam’s freely undertaken obligations under international law, including provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which it is a party. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Trafficking in Persons Report 2013 - Vietnam

19.06.2013 United States Department of State (refworld/UNHCR) - VIETNAM (Tier 2) - Vietnam is a source and, to a lesser extent, a destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Vietnam is a source country for men and women who migrate abroad for work either on their own or through state-owned, private, and joint-stock labor export recruitment companies. Vietnamese men and women also migrate through informal labor recruitment companies in the construction, fishing, agriculture, mining, logging, and manufacturing sectors primarily to Taiwan, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), Laos, the United Arab Emirates, and Japan, and also to a lesser extent to China, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, France, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, Russia, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa. Some of these workers subsequently face conditions of forced labor. Vietnamese women and children subjected to sex trafficking throughout Asia are often misled by fraudulent labor opportunities and sold to brothels on the borders of Cambodia, China, and Laos, with some eventually sent to third countries, including Thailand and Malaysia. Some Vietnamese women and children are forced into prostitution in South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Russia. [read more]

Vietnam Letter to John Kerry for Le Quoc Quan21.06.2013 (Lawyers for Lawyers) - On 27 June 2013, L4L, together with a broad coalition of other NGO’s, requested the US Secretary of State John Kerry in a letter to take action to free the Vietnamese lawyer Mr. Le Quoc Quan. Kerry will attend the ASEAN conference later this month. The organisations have requested him to seize the opportunity to request the Vietnamese Government to release Mr. Quan. ... His trial will start on the 9th of July 2013. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnamese Dissident’s Lawyers Face Obstructions Ahead of Trial 19.06.2013 (RFA) - The brother of a prominent Vietnamese dissident lawyer detained on tax evasion charges said attorneys have been refused access to court documents ahead of his trial next month, as rights groups appealed to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to pressure Hanoi for his release.

Le Quoc Quyet told RFA’s Vietnamese Service that the legal team representing his older brother Le Quoc Quan, who is also a blogger, had experienced frequent standoffs with the authorities over legal documents since his case was transferred to the Hanoi People’s Court in April.

“The lawyers have faced constant obstruction when trying to access case documents,” Quyet said, adding that the defense had only been notified last week by the court of his brother’s July 9 trial date. [read more]

Vietnam: ARTICLE 19's submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review

18.06.2013 ARTICLE 19 (refworld/UNHCR) - ARTICLE 19, Access, English PEN and PEN International welcome the opportunity to contribute to the second cycle of the UPR process of Viet Nam. Given the areas of expertise of these organisations, this submission focuses on Viet Nam's compliance with its international human rights obligations in respect to freedom of expression.

In the 2009 Universal Periodic Review, Viet Nam accepted 94 of the recommendations of the Working Group. However, the Vietnamese government has failed to implement a number of these recommendations and continued to face international criticism for its actions in a number of areas related to the respect and protection of the right to freedom of expression. For example, the US Congress, in October 2009, passed a resolution calling on the Vietnamese government to respect Internet freedom and release imprisoned bloggers. More recently, on 18 April 2013, the European Parliament adopted an Urgent Resolution on Viet Nam, a large part of which was devoted to freedom of expression issues. [read more]

Vietnam Arrests More Bloggers After Confidence Vote

17.06.2013 By James Hookway (The Wall Street Journal Southeast Asia) - Vietnam’s latest arrest of a Vietnamese blogger for criticizing the country’s Communist rulers could risk undermining its attempts to provide more accountability through other, more official channels, such as the National Assembly. The state-run Thanh Nien newspaper reported Monday that Dinh Nhat Uy was taken into custody in Long An province in southern Vietnam on Saturday for “abusing democratic freedoms” by posting “slanderous and erroneous” reports online, a charge that could lead to up to seven years in prison [read more]

Vietnamese Human Rights Defender Held Without Fair Trial, Medical Care

Text of the letter from the RFK Center to Prime Minister of Vietnam is as follows: [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam Urged to Release Bloggers on Journalism Day

21.06.2013 Marianne Brown (VOA) - HANOI — While journalists working for Vietnam's state-run media are receiving gifts for Revolutionary Journalism Day, bloggers and Internet activists are not so lucky. The Vietnamese government seems eager to celebrate the role of the media in the country's wars against France and the U.S., but it is not so tolerant of independent voices and has arrested several in a recent crackdown... Many observers say they expect more arrests in the coming weeks [read more]

Vietnam revolutionary's son ends prison hunger strike

21.06.2013 By Mike Ives, The Associated Press (The StarPhoenix, Canada) HANOI, Vietnam - Jailed legal scholar Cu Huy Ha Vu is ending a hunger strike linked to alleged poor treatment in a Vietnamese prison, his wife said Friday. Nguyen Thi Duong Ha said Vu told her Friday that he will resume eating because he had received a written reply to the complaints he sent to prison officials in recent months.

Vu began fasting on May 27 in an effort to force officials at Prison No. 5 in northern Thanh Hoa province to answer his complaints. Vietnamese law requires the government to respond to citizens' complaints within 90 days. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam: Blumen für Journalisten, Handschellen für Blogger

Es klingt wie ein Widerspruch. Während kritische Blogger in Vietnam die harte Hand der Regierung zu spüren bekommen, zelebriert das Land an diesem Freitag seine Journalisten. Doch Pressefreiheit gewährt Hanoi nicht allen.

20.06.2013 (CIO) - Hanoi (dpa) - Vietnam feiert an diesem Freitag den Journalismus, doch nicht für alle Schreiber wird es Blumensträuße und Geschenke geben. Gegen diejenigen, die frei und kritisch über die Ereignisse im Land berichten, greift die Regierung in Hanoi hart durch. Betroffen sind vor allem Blogger. Alleine im vergangenen Monat sind in Vietnam drei von ihnen festgenommen worden. Sie hätten "demokratische Freiheiten missbraucht", hieß es. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam Hunger Strike Tests Official Intimidation19.06.2013 (The Epoche Times) - HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Cu Huy Ha Vu’s books come with pages torn out by prison guards. Only some of his letters reach home. He is not allowed to access evidence from his trial or to see his wife alone.

This treatment, described by Vu’s wife, has driven the Vietnamese legal scholar to a hunger strike that is now in its fourth week. Nguyen Thi Duong Ha says her husband told her Saturday that he hasn’t eaten since May 27, even though she brings him orange juice and chicken stock, and that he won’t until the prison officially replies to his complaints.

Now she worries the hunger strike may exacerbate Vu’s longstanding heart problems and provoke a stroke.

“I live in fear,” she said. “I can’t fall asleep because I’m afraid there may be a phone call with bad news.” [read more]

Vietnam. Inhaftierter Christ zu Tode gefoltert?

18.06.2013 Josef Bordat (Blog jobo72) - Ich verweise auf einen Beitrag des Berliner Gebetskreis „Verfolgte Kirche“ vom 13. Juni 2013, der sich auf einen Bericht der Christian Solidarity Worldwide vom 11. Juni 2013 stützt.

Es geht um Hoang Van Ngai, der „als aufrechter und anständiger Christ […] die Interessen seiner Gemeinde auch unter Druck zu wahren verstand“ (so im Artikel des Berliner Gebetskreis „Verfolgte Kirche“), deswegen inhaftiert und bereits im März in seiner Zelle tot aufgefunden wurde. Die Umstände seines Todes sind unklar, auch eine Untersuchung gibt letztlich keine Gewissheit über die Todesursache. Die vietnamesischen Behörden sprechen von „Selbstmord“, Medien berichten davon, dass der Körper Hoang Van Ngais die Spuren von Schlägen und Elektroschocks trug.

Dazu noch einmal der Berliner Gebetskreis „Verfolgte Kirche“: „Internationale Beobachter und christliche Menschenrechtler vermuten in jedem Falle, dass hier ein ‘Unbequemer’ auf die in kommunistischen Ländern übliche Art und Weise mundtot gemacht wurde.“ Das steht in der Tat zu befürchten. [tiếng Việt]

Siehe in dieser Seite auch: Vietnam: police claim suicide in disputed case of Hmong Christian who died in police custody (CSW 11.06.2013), Vietnamese authorities rule Christian leader’s prison death a suicide (CWN 13.06.2013), Vietnam: Christ in Haft tot aufgefunden….Selbstmord? (Berliner Gebetskreis „Verfolgte Kirche“ 13.06.2013), Vietnam: Wo „Menschenrechte“ ein Fremdwort sind... (Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker 17.05.2013)

Und noch eine Verhaftung

18.06.2013 Josef Bordat (Blog jobo72) - Auch auf die Gefahr hin, dass es langsam nervt: Ich möchte über jeden Fall von Menschenrechtsverletzung in Vietnam, der meine Blogger-Kollegen betrifft, berichten, schon deshalb, weil es hierzulande kaum jemand sonst tut. Unterstützt werde ich dabei von vietnamesischen Freunden, die unermüdlich recherchieren und mich auf dem Laufenden halten.

Der neuste Fall: Dinh Nhat-Uy, Bruder des im Mai zu langjähriger Haftstrafe verurteilten Dinh Nguyen-Kha, wurde letzte Woche selbst verhaftet. Das berichtet die Washington Post.

Die Vietnam-Petition geht nun in die letzten zwei Wochen. Bereits mehr als 1500 Menschen haben unterschrieben. Bitte verbreiten Sie die Nachricht! Herzliche Einladung auch zum Begegnungstag „Den Glauben stärken und beten für Vietnam“ am 22. Juni 2013 im Benediktinerkloster St. Ottilien. [tiếng Việt]

Erneut Blogger in Vietnam verhaftet

17.06.2013 Josef Bordat (Blog jobo72) - Wieder Vietnam. Im Januar waren es 14 katholische Blogger, jetzt traf es „einen der bekanntesten Blogger des Landes“ (Neue Zürcher Zeitung), den 61-jährigen Pham Viet Dao, der – Achtung! – wegen „Verletzung demokratischer Freiheiten“ am Donnerstag in seinem Haus in Hanoi festgenommen wurde. Dao, ein Ex-Regierungsbeamter und Mitglied des vietnamesischen Autorenverbands, betreibt einen Internetblog, in dem er kritische Kommentare über die regierende Kommunistische Partei veröffentlicht. Und kritische Kommentare über die regierende Kommunistische Partei zu veröffentlichen ist in Vietnam eine „Verletzung demokratischer Freiheiten“. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam: Christ in Haft tot aufgefunden….Selbstmord ?

13.06.2013 (Berliner Gebetskreis „Verfolgte Kirche“) - Vietnam verschärft bereits seit Jahren sein Vorgehen gegen alle christlichen Kirchen im Lande. Im Rahmen einer immer rigider werdenden, Re-Nationalisierungspolitik sollen “fremde Einflüsse” bekämpft werden. Die katholische Kirche ist dabei ebenso davon betroffen, wie diverse evangelische Freikirchen.Man kennt dieses Verhalten auch aus anderen Ländern, die nicht allzuweit entfernt sind wie Sri Lanka und Indien. Christentum wird staatlicherseits zum “westlichen”, dekadenten und “die Einheit der Nation zersetzenden” Einfluss deklariert und dementsprechend politisch, juristisch und mit Gewalt bekämpft. Ein weiteres Beispiel für diesen Trend kommt nun aus Vietnam. In diesem südostasiatischen Land sind die Hmong eine ethnische Minderheit, die seit dem Ende des Vietnamkonfliktes vom Regime recht verachtungsvoll behandelt wird, da ihnen eine Kooperation mit den “bösen Amerikanern” unterstellt wurde. Einige Hmong-Familien hatten auch tatsächlich Anteil an der Bekämpfung der Pathet Lao in Laos. Teile der Hmong sind bereits seit Jahrhunderten christianisiert, was sie in den verschiedenen Ländern, in denen es Hmong-Minderheiten gibt (Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, z. T. China), immer wieder zu Zielen von Repressionen macht. [Weiterlesen] - Siehe in dieser Seite auch: Vietnam: police claim suicide in disputed case of Hmong Christian who died in police custody (CSW 11.06.2013), Vietnamese authorities rule Christian leader’s prison death a suicide (CWN 13.06.2013), Vietnam: Wo „Menschenrechte“ ein Fremdwort sind... (Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker 17.05.2013) - [xem thêm]

Vietnam: Escalating Persecution of Bloggers

Recent Arrests, Physical Attacks Require Strong Diplomatic Response

19.06.2013 (Human Rights Watch) New York – The Vietnamese government should unconditionally release recently arrested bloggers and end physical attacks on critics, Human Rights Watch said today. Vietnam’s donors and trading partners should publicly call on the government to end the use of the criminal law against peaceful activists.

Human Rights Watch called for the immediate and unconditional release of recently arrested bloggers Truong Duy Nhat and Pham Viet Dao, as well as internet activist Dinh Nhat Uy, and an investigation into allegations that police assaulted internet activists Nguyen Chi Duc, Nguyen Hoang Vi, and Pham Le Vuong Cac, whose security the authorities should protect. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Reporters Without Borders: Third blogger arrested in less than a month

17.06.2013 (RSF) - Reporters Without Borders condemns the blogger Dinh Nhat Uy’s arrest in the southern province of Long An on 15 June on a charge of posting photos and articles on his personal blog that “distort the truth and defame state organizations.” He is to be detained for three months while the authorities investigate his alleged “misuse of democratic freedoms to attack state interests.” [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Reporters sans frontières: Un troisième blogueur arrêté en moins d’un mois, la traque s’accélère

17.06.2013 (RSF) - Reporters sans frontières condamne fermement l’arrestation, le 15 juin 2013, dans la province de Long An (sud), du blogueur Dinh Nhat Uy, accusé d’avoir “posté des photos et des articles sur son blog personnel, déformant la vérité et portant atteinte au prestige des organisations de l’Etat”. Il demeurera en détention pendant les trois mois que durera l’enquête conduite à son encontre pour “abus des libertés démocratiques contre les intérêts de l’Etat”. [en savoir plus...] - [tiếng Việt]

Further clamp down on web as third blogger arrested in less than a month

17.06.2013 (AsiaNews) - On 15 June, 30 year-old Dinh Nhat Uy charged with "abusing democratic freedoms." He faces up to seven years in prison. In May, his brother was sentenced to eight years for propaganda against the state. In less than a year 46 people arrested for activism on line or on the streets. [read more]

Vietnam arrests third blogger in less than a month in intensifying crackdown on dissent

17.06.2013 (The Washington Post) - HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnamese police have arrested a blogger accused of posting “erroneous and slanderous” information about the communist government, state media reported Monday. The blogger is the third locked up in less than a month in an intensifying crackdown against dissent. Dinh Nhat Uy was taken into police custody in southern Long An province on Saturday, the state-run Thanh Nien newspaper reported. He is accused of “abusing democratic freedoms,” an offense punishable by up to seven years in prison. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Dritter Blogger wegen Regierungskritik festgenommen

17.06.2013 (Neue Zürcher Zeitung) - dpa - In Vietnam ist erneut ein regierungskritischer Blogger festgenommen worden, der dritte innerhalb eines Monats. Dinh Nhat Uy (30) wird wie den anderen «Missbrauch demokratischer Freiheiten» vorgeworfen, berichteten Lokalmedien am Montag. Vietnam ist ein kommunistischer Einparteistaat. Kritik an der Partei ist verboten. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam: Dritter regimekritischer Blogger innerhalb eines Monats verhaftet

17.06.2013 Von Andrea Jonjic (netzpolitik) - Nachdem Ende Mai Truong Duy Nhat wegen “Missbrauch demokratischer Freiheiten gegen das Staatsinteresse” in Vietnam verhaftet wurde und letzte Woche Pham Viet Dao, dem der gleiche Vorwurf gemacht wird, wurde nun ein dritter Blogger verhaftet, Dinh Nhat Uy. Ihm wird laut Washington Post vorgeworfen, falsche und verleumderische Informationen über die kommunistische Regierung verbreitet zu haben. Auch er kann wegen “Missbrauch demokratischer Freiheiten” zu maximal sieben Jahren Gefängnis verurteilt werden. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Dritter Blogger wegen Regierungskritik in Vietnam festgenommen

17.06.2013 (CIO) - Hanoi (dpa) - In Vietnam ist erneut ein regierungskritischer Blogger festgenommen worden, der dritte innerhalb eines Monats. Dinh Nhat Uy (30) wird wie den anderen "Missbrauch demokratischer Freiheiten" vorgeworfen, berichteten Lokalmedien am Montag. Vietnam ist ein kommunistischer Einparteienstaat. Kritik an der Partei ist verboten. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Internet: troisième blogueur vietnamien interpellé en un mois

16.06.2013 (Charente Libre) - Un blogueur vietnamien a été arrêté pour propagande contre l'Etat, ont indiqué dimanche les médias d'Etat, le troisième militant en ligne détenu en moins d'un mois alors que le gouvernement intensifie sa répression contre la dissidence. Dinh Nhat Uy, 30 ans, a été interpellé samedi et sera détenu pendant les trois mois d'enquête pour "abus des libertés démocratiques contre les intérêts de l'Etat", selon l'Agence vietnamienne d'information (AVI). L'accusation, régulièrement utilisée contre les dissidents par le régime communiste qui interdit tout débat politique, est passible de sept ans de prison. [en savoir plus...] - [tiếng Việt]

Detenido el tercer bloguero disidente en menos de un mes en Vietnam

17.06.2013 (El Confidencia) - La Policía vietnamita arrestó a un bloguero por realizar actividades contra el Estado, en el tercer caso en menos de un mes en el país asiático contra la disidencia en internet, informó hoy la prensa local. Dinh Nhat Uy, de 30 años, fue detenido en la provincia de Long An, en el sur del país, por "compilar y publicar artículos y fotografías falsas y distorsionadas, dañando el prestigio de instituciones del Estado", indicó la agencia Vietnam News. Uy permanecerá bajo arresto durante al menos tres meses acusado de "abuso de los derechos de libertad y democracia para dañar los intereses del Estado y los legítimos intereses de organizaciones y la ciudadanía". [seguir leyendo] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam detains third blogger in weeks

16.06.2013 (YahooNews New Zealand) HANOI (AFP) - A Vietnamese blogger has been arrested for anti-state activity, reports said Sunday, the third online government critic detained in less than a month in an intensifying crackdown on dissent. Dinh Nhat Uy, 30, was taken into custody Saturday and will be held for three months while he is investigated on suspicion of "abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on the interests of the State", the official Vietnam News Agency (VNA) said. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Blogger wegen Regimekritik in Vietnam festgenommen

14.06.2013 (Neue Zürcher Zeitung) - (ap) Die vietnamesische Polizei hat einen der bekanntesten Blogger des Landes wegen regimekritischer Kommentare festgenommen. Der 61-jährige Pham Viet Dao werde der «Verletzung demokratischer Freiheiten» verdächtigt, teilte das Ministerium für öffentliche Sicherheit zur Begründung mit. Demnach wurde Dao am Donnerstag in seinem Haus in Hanoi verhaftet. Im Falle einer Verurteilung drohen ihm bis zu sieben Jahren Gefängnis. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam arrests prominent blogger for 'abusing freedoms'

14.06.2013 (BBC) - Police in Vietnam have arrested a prominent blogger for anti-state activities, reports say.

Pham Viet Dao, 61, was arrested in Hanoi on Thursday for "abusing democratic freedoms", the Ministry of Public Security said.

Mr Dao ran a blog critical of government leaders and policies, and discussed sensitive issues like the territorial row with China.

His arrest comes after another blogger was detained in May on similar charges. [read more]

Outspoken blogger arrested in Vietnam

14.06.2013 (ABS-CBN, Philippines) - HANOI - Vietnamese police have arrested an author and blogger for posting anti-government comments online, according to authorities, the latest in a crackdown on critics of the country's Communist rulers. Pham Viet Dao, 61, was arrested on Thursday at his Hanoi home and accused of breaching a law prohibiting "abuse of democratic freedom" and "infringements against the state", according to the Ministry of Public Security. [read more]

Vietnam detains second blogger in weeks: Reports

14.06.2013 (The Hindu Business Line) - A prominent Vietnamese blogger has been arrested for anti-state activity, reports said today, the second online Government critic detained in less than a month in an intensifying crackdown on dissent. Pham Viet Dao, 61, was taken into custody yesterday in Hanoi accused of “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on the interests of the State”, state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper said. [read more]

Vietnam: 2 blogueurs arrêtés en 1 mois

14.06.2013 (Le Figaro) - Un célèbre blogueur vietnamien a été arrêté pour ses articles contre le régime communiste. Il s'agit du deuxième militant en ligne détenu en moins d'un mois alors que le gouvernement intensifie sa répression contre la dissidence. Pham Viet Dao, 61 ans, a été arrêté hier à Hanoï pour avoir "abusé des libertés démocratiques afin de porter atteinte aux intérêts de l'Etat", une accusation passible de sept ans de prison, selon la presse d'Etat. Dao, ex-fonctionnaire du ministère de la Culture et membre de longue date du Parti communiste au pouvoir (PCV), est devenu un commentateur réputé sur internet et ses articles sur son blog, signé de son nom, attirent des milliers de lecteurs. [en savoir plus...] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam arrests well-known blogger for criticism

13.06.2013 (The Washington Post) - HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnamese police have arrested one of the country’s best known bloggers for posting criticism of the communist government, intensifying a crackdown against Internet-fuelled dissent in the one-party, authoritarian state.

The arrest of Pham Viet Dao, 61, indicates the level of concern in the Communist Party over the threat posed by Internet activism in a country where until a few years ago it had a monopoly on information. Now, scores of blogs and Facebook report gleefully on its failings and internal feuding, reaching millions of people. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam: wieder ein Blogger verhaftet

13.06.2013 (Forum Vietnam 21) - Vietnams kommunistische Führung führt Verfolgung und Inhaftierung von Internet-Bloggern, religiösen und Menschenrechtsaktivisten fort.

Die Polizei in Hanoi habe heute den Blogger Pham Viet Dao verhaftet, berichtete die staatliche vietnamesische Nachrichtenagentur VNA. Sicherheitsbehörde in der Hauptstadt Hanoi habe einen "dringenden" Haftbefehl gegen den 61-jährigen Blogger Pham Viet Dao mit Wohnsitz in Hanoi ausgestellt, hiess es.

Dem Schriftsteller und Blogger werde der "Missbrauch demokratischer Freiheiten gegen das Staatsinteresse nach Artikel 258 des Strafgesetzbuchs der Sozialistischen Republik Vietnam" vorgeworfen. Er ist der zweite Blogger der innerhalb weniger als einem Monat verhaftet wird.

Pham Viet Dao war Soldat der Volksarmee, Hochschulabsolvent der Literatur in Rumanien, Mitarbeiter der Filmabteilung und 1992 bis 2007 Inspektor des Hanoier Kulturministeriums. Er war langjähriges Mitglied der vietnamesischen KP und ist Mitglied der vom Volksfront kontrollierten Schriftsteller- und Journalistenvereinigung.

Ein anderer bekannter Blogger, ehemaliger Journalist Truong Duy Nhat ist am 26. Mai in seiner Heimatstadt Da Nang festgenommen und am gleichen Tag nach Hanoi zur "Befragung" gebracht worden.

In den vergangenen Wochen ist die Regierung in dem sozialistischen Ein-Parteien-Land bereits mehrfach verschärft gegen Dissidenten vorgegangen. Allein in diesem Jahr haben die Volksgerichte mindestens 38 Aktivisten wegen angeblicher "staatsfeindlicher Handlungen" zu teilweise absurd hohen Haftstrafen verurteilt. Internationale Organisationen wie Amnesty International, Reporter sans frontières... haben das Hanoier Regime mehrfach aufgefordert, inhaftierte Blogger, religiöse und Menschenrechtsaktivisten freizulassen - [tiếng Việt]

Amnesty International -URGENT ACTION

JAILED SCHOLAR ON HUNGER STRIKE

13.06.2013 (Amnesty International) Dr Cu Huy Ha Vu, a Vietnamese legal scholar, has been on hunger strike since 27 May in protest at his treatment in prison. He is serving a seven-year sentence for “conducting propaganda” against the state. He has a chronic heart condition, and his health is at risk. Dr Cu Huy Ha Vu, a 56-year-old prisoner of conscience, was arrested in November 2010 and accused of calling for a multi-party political system in online articles and giving interviews to foreign media. In April 2011 he was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment and three years’ house arrest on release for “conducting propaganda” against the state. He had previously attempted to sue government officials, including the Prime Minister: once in an attempt to stop a controversial bauxite-mining project, and later – two months before his arrest – to challenge the legality of a decree banning class-action petitions. He is now in Prison No 5, Department of Police, Yen Dinh in the northern province of Thanh Hoa. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnamese authorities rule Christian leader’s prison death a suicide

13.06.2013 CWN (CatholicCulture.org) - Vietnamese police have ruled that a Christian leader’s March prison death was caused by suicide through electrocution. Hoang Van Ngai, an elder of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam, died in prison in Dak Nong Province, which is located in the southern part of the Communist nation. Ngai’s brother, who was imprisoned in an adjacent cell, heard him being beaten by prison authorities on the night of his death. “Ngai appears to have been targeted for his Christian faith and his determination to stand up to corrupt officials,” said an official of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, which monitors the persecution of Christians. [read more]

Vietnam: Christ in Haft tot aufgefunden….Selbstmord ?

13.06.2013 (Berliner Gebetskreis "verfolgte Kirche") - Vietnam verschärft bereits seit Jahren sein Vorgehen gegen alle christlichen Kirchen im Lande. Im Rahmen einer immer rigider werdenden, Re-Nationalisierungspolitik sollen “fremde Einflüsse” bekämpft werden. Die katholische Kirche ist dabei ebenso davon betroffen, wie diverse evangelische Freikirchen. [Weiterlesen]

Man concludes 3-day hunger strike in support of Vietnamese prisoner

13.06.2013 By Stephen Magagnini (The Sacramento) - Elk Grove pro-democracy activist Nguyen Quoc Quan completed a three-day hunger strike Wednesday night across from the White House in support of Vietnamese human rights lawyer Cu Huy Ha Vu. Vu is on the 18th day of a hunger strike demanding more humane conditions in Vietnam's jails and prisons. He has been imprisoned since last November on charges of trying to overthrow the communist government. [read more]

Textilindustrie in Kambodscha. Arbeiter nach Streik entlassen

13.06.2013 Sascha Zastiral, Bangkok (Neue Zürcher Zeitung) - Ein Zulieferer des Nike-Konzerns hat 300 Arbeiter entlassen, die für mehr Lohn demonstriert hatten. Kurz zuvor hatte die Polizei ihren Streik gewaltsam beendet. Die Behörden wahren damit die Interessen der politisch gut vernetzten Unternehmer. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam: police claim suicide in disputed case of Hmong Christian who died in police custody

11.06.2013 (Christian Solidarity Worldwide) - The family of Hoang Van Ngai, the Hmong Christian who died in police custody on 17 March, was notified in mid-May that the Vietnamese authorities’ investigation confirmed his death was caused by “suicide by self-electrocution.” However, the family believes that he was killed extra-judicially because of his defence of his church and determination to stand up to corrupt local officials. Hoang Van Ngai was an elder of Bui Tre Church, which belongs to the legally recognised Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South). Ngai’s older brother believes he made enemies amongst government officials because he stood up against abuses of power and refused to pay bribes. He also defended the church when the authorities tried to force them to close. [read more]

Diskrete Gespräche in Hanoi

12.06.2013 Anemi Wick, Hanoi (Neue Zürcher Zeitung) - Die Schweiz hat im Menschenrechtsdialog mit Vietnam über dessen Verfassungsrevision diskutiert. Noch in diesem Jahr will Vietnam die Anti-Folter-Konvention unterschreiben. Meinungsäusserungsfreiheit, Haftbedingungen und Todesstrafe sind die brennendsten Themen, die die Schweiz Ende Mai im jüngsten Menschenrechtsdialog mit vietnamesischen Regierungsvertretern besprochen hat. Besonders viel zu reden gab bei dem Treffen in Hanoi die Meinungsäusserungsfreiheit. Der Sonderbotschafter für Menschenrechte, Paul Koller, der die Schweizer Delegation leitete, stellte dabei «aufseiten der Regierung eine gewisse Unsicherheit im Umgang mit den sozialen Online-Medien» fest, die zu unberechtigten Verfolgungen von Bloggern geführt habe. [Weiterlesen]

Inhaftierter Menschenrechtsaktivist im Hungerstreik

Regierungskritischer Blogger in Vietnam inhaftiert14.06.2013 (Deutsche Welle) - "Missbrauch demokratischer Freiheiten" – das ist der Vorwurf, unter dem die Behörden in Vietnam einen namhaften Blogger festgesetzt haben. Pham Viet Dao hatte es gewagt, die kommunistische Führung zu kritisieren. Der 61-jährige Autor und Blogger Pham Viet Dao sei am Donnerstag in seinem Haus in Hanoi festgenommen worden, teilte das Ministerium für Öffentliche Sicherheit mit. Dao gilt als einer der prominentesten Blogger in seinem Heimatland. Offiziell wird ihm der "Missbrauch demokratischer Freiheiten" zur Last gelegt. [Weiterlesen]

10.06.2013 Josef Bordat (Blog jobo72) - Der vietnamesische Jurist und Menschenrechtsaktivist Dr. Cu, Huy Ha Vu befindet sich seit Tagen in einem Hungerstreik, um gegen die brutale Behandlung durch die Vollzugsbeamten zu protestieren. Nicht nur er, sondern auch die Mitgefangenen werden geschlagen und gefoltert. Mittlerweile hat sich auch seine Frau Nguyen, Thi Duong Ha in einem Offenen Brief an die Regierung Vietnams gewandt, um gegen die untragbaren Haftbedingungen zu protestieren. Sie bittet zudem die Öffentlichkeit im In- und Ausland inständig um Hilfe und Unterstützung für ihren Mann. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Freedom of Religion in Vietnam

04.06.2013 (VRNs) – Saigon – Given the signature and ratification of the ICCPR, Vietnam appears to have a complete legal framework to guarantee freedom of religion for its citizens. Even the Constitution of Vietnam stipulates that “Citizens have the right to freedom of belief and religion, and may practise or not practise any religion” (Article 70). However, State recognition of religious organizations is essential to ensure the development of religions in the statutory framework as well as to solve conflicts between (and within) religious organizations.

Although the Constitution provides that “all religions are equal before the law”, the implementation of the new legal framework creates conflicting results. For example, Decree 92, issued in 2012, providing further guidance on the Ordinance on Religion and Belief (Ordinance 2004), stipulates that the name of the registered religious organization must not coincide with the name of those that have been previously recognized. This regulation has been used by authority agencies to deny registration of some religious organizations such as the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam, the Evangelical Church Mennonite, and the Hoa Hao Central Buddhist Church. Decree 92 also goes further than Ordinance 2004 in restricting religious freedom by requiring religious organizations to operate for at least twenty continuous years if they wish to be recognized by the State. [read more]

Patriots continuously crushed by the police04.06.2013 (VRNs) - Sài Gòn – June 2nd, in Hà Nội there was a protest against Chinese invasion of the East Coast, with more than 200 attendees, including 29 people who were arrested and many people were assaulted by the police (with serious injuries).

A conspicuous banner of college student Nguyễn Phuong Uyên along with a sentence written in her blood was noticed by many people at the rally. The banner was also translated into both English and Chinese by the citizens of Hà Nội: “Damned Chinese, get away from the East Coast’. [read more]

Continuing Repression by the Vietnamese Government

04.06.2013 (HRW) - Testimony of John Sifton - Hearing of June 4, 2013 - Today’s date, June 4, is of course a day of infamy among human rights groups. Early in the morning on this day in 1989, the Chinese army, a vanguard of tanks, batons, and bullets, pushed through the streets of Beijing to end a massive protest in Tiananmen Square. Countless people were killed on that day 24 years ago, calling for democracy and freedom... Protests in Vietnam, however, do not go unmolested. Acts of dissent in Vietnam are met with repression, and over the last year, more and more Vietnamese dissidents have been convicted and sent to jail. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Urgent resolution on Human Rights in Vietnam

03.06.2013 (FIDH) - 38th FIDH Congress 23-27 May 2013 Istanbul (Turkey) - Présented by Vietnam Committee on Human Rights The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), meeting at its 38th Congress in Istanbul, Turkey.

Whereas Vietnam persistently invokes vague and broadly-defined “national security” provisions in the Criminal Code such as “spying”, “anti-State propaganda”, activities “aimed at overthrowing the people’s power”, or “abusing democratic freedoms and rights” in order to silence dissidents, human rights defenders and ordinary citizens who simply take part in demonstrations; [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Résolution d’urgence sur la situation des droits humains au Vietnam

03.06.2013 (FIDH) - 38ème Congrès de la FIDH 23-27 mai 2013 Istanbul (Turquie) Présentée par Vietnam Committee on Human Rights - La Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l’Homme (FIDH), réunie à son XXXVIII congrès à Istanbul,Turquie,

Considérant que le Vietnam persiste à utiliser des incriminations vagues et fourre-tout du Code Pénal concernant la « sécurité nationale » comme l’« espionnage », la « propagande contre l’Etat », les activités « visant à renverser le gouvernement », ou comme celle d’« abus des libertés démocratiques » pour faire taire les dissidents, les défenseurs des droits de l’Homme ou les simples manifestants ; [en savoir plus...] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnamese blogger detained on anti-state charges

30.05.2013 (CPJ) - Bangkok, May 30, 2013 - The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the detention of Vietnamese blogger Truong Duy Nhat on anti-state charges and calls for his immediate release.

"The arrest of Truong Duy Nhat is the latest instance of Vietnamese authorities using vague anti-state allegations to stifle a critical voice," said Shawn Crispin, CPJ's senior Southeast Asia representative. "Vietnam's prisons are bulging with innocent journalists and bloggers. It's time authorities halt this repressive practice and release all of the reporters now behind bars." [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnamese court convicts eight Montagnard as a "threat" to national unity

30.05.2013 (AsiaNews) - Hanoi - A court in Vietnam's Central Highlands has sentenced eight ethnic Montagnards, mostly Christians, to sentences ranging from three to 11 years in prison. Members of this ethnic group have often been the victim of persecution in the Asian country. The court ruled that they were a "threat to the unity of the state" because of their membership in a Catholic group "not recognised" by Communist authorities in Hanoi. In recent weeks, the government has stepped up its attacks against religious groups, bloggers and dissident groups. For the authorities in Hanoi, they are a "threat" because they want greater personal freedom and are against one-party rule. [read more]

Prominenter Dissident im Gefängnis in Vietnam im Hungerstreik

29.05.2013 (Neue Zürcher Zeitung) - In Vietnam ist ein prominenter Anwalt, der den Regierungschef wegen Zulassung einer chinesischen Bauxitgrube verklagt hatte, im Gefängnis in den Hungerstreik getreten. Cu Huy Ha Vu protestiere damit gegen die Haftbedingungen, sagte seine Frau Nguyen Thi Duong Ha am Mittwoch in Hanoi. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Jailed Vietnamese Dissident on Hunger Strike

28/05/2013 (RFA) - A prominent dissident jailed in Vietnam for trying to “overthrow the state” has begun a hunger strike after accusing the authorities of ignoring complaints of “unsuitable” prison conditions that have affected his health, according to his wife.

Nguyen Thi Duong Ha, the lawyer wife of imprisoned activist and legal expert Cu Huy Ha Vu, said that her husband had begun fasting on Monday for an indefinite period. She said that Vu felt that his heart condition had worsened due to unsatisfactory prison conditions which he had first raised with the authorities in November last year. Vu had singled out the actions of a prison guard, identified as Le Van Chien, who he said had left windows open at night as part of a bid to sicken him. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]