Menschenrechte / Human Rights (2015/2)

Vietnam Releases Imprisoned Writer Ahead of Party Chief’s US Visit

30.06.2015 (RFA) - Authorities in Vietnam have released a writer linked to a banned political group from prison five months ahead of the end of his four-year sentence for anti-state crimes,  a move one fellow activist suggested was linked to an upcoming visit by a high-ranking official to the U.S.

Le Thanh Tung, 46, was freed Monday and escorted by police officers to his home in the Soc Son district of the capital Hanoi, he told RFA’s Vietnamese Service, a day after his release.

The ex-soldier and freelance journalist was sentenced in August 2012 by a Hanoi court under Article 88 of the Criminal Code, which prohibits “conducting propaganda against the state,” a charge rights groups say Vietnam routinely uses to silence dissent. [read more]

Menschenrechtsbeauftragter Strässer zur Freilassung des vietnamesischen Menschenrechtsverteidigers Le Quoc Quan

29.06.2015 (Auswärtiges Amt) - Anlässlich der Freilassung des vietnamesischen Menschenrechtsverteidigers Le Quoc Quan erklärte der Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Menschenrechtspolitik und Humanitäre Hilfe, Christoph Strässer, heute (29.06.):

"Ich begrüße es sehr, dass der vietnamesische Menschenrechtsverteidiger und Anwalt Le Quoc Quan am vergangenen Samstag nach Verbüßen seiner Haftstrafe entlassen wurde. Anfang Juni konnte ich ihn im Gefängnis besuchen und habe ihn als ungebrochenen und engagierten Gesprächspartner erlebt. Le Quoc Quan will nun nach seiner Entlassung seine Arbeit wieder aufnehmen. Ich appelliere daher an die vietnamesischen Behörden, seine Lizenz als Anwalt zu erneuern und ihm den Wiedereinstieg ins Berufsleben zu ermöglichen.

Zudem fordere ich die vietnamesische Regierung auf, alle Menschen, die aus politischen Gründen im Gefängnis sind, unverzüglich freizulassen."

Hintergrund

Bei Le Quoc Quan handelt es sich um den derzeit wohl prominentesten Menschenrechtsverteidiger Vietnams. Er setzt sich für Bürgerrechte, Pluralismus und religiöse Freiheit ein. Le Quoc Quan  wurde im Oktober 2013 in Hanoi wegen Steuerhinterziehung zu 30 Monaten Haft verurteilt. Bereits 2013 hatte die VN-Arbeitsgruppe zu willkürlicher Haft die Verurteilung des damals 41-jährigen Juristen, aktiven Katholiken und bekannten Bloggers wegen schwerer Verfahrensfehler kritisiert. [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam frees high-profile dissident lawyer

27.06.2015 By Cat Barton (digitaljournal) - AFP - One of Vietnam's most prominent dissidents vowed to continue his anti-China activism after being released from prison on Saturday after serving two and a half years on tax evasion charges.

Le Quoc Quan, a Catholic blogger and lawyer from the communist nation, was freed from jail early Saturday in central Quang Nam province and met by family members who had long campaigned for his release. "I am very happy," he told AFP in his first interview since being freed, saying he would head straight to a hospital for a health check before spending time with his loved ones. Quan, who blogged on a range of sensitive topics including civil rights, political pluralism and religious freedom, had been in detention since December 2012. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]Vietnamesischer Blogger und Anwalt aus Haft entlassen 27.06.2015 (Die Zeit) - Hanoi (AFP) Der prominente vietnamesische Dissident Le Quoc Quan ist am Samstag aus der Haft entlassen worden. Der katholische Blogger und Anwalt sagte der Nachrichtenagentur AFP, er sei am Morgen aus dem Gefängnis in der zentralen Provinz Quang Nam freigelassen worden und habe seine Angehörigen und Unterstützer getroffen. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]Vietnam: un important dissident sort de prison 27.06.2015 (DH.be) - HANOÏ - L'avocat vietnamien Le Quoc Quan, l'un des dissidents les plus importants du pays, est sorti samedi de prison, à l'expiration de sa peine de deux ans et demi d'emprisonnement. Ce dissident de 43 ans a été libéré samedi matin d'une prison de la province de Quang Nam et a pu retrouver sa famille. Quan avait fait une grève de la faim à cinq reprises en prison. Il avait été reconnu coupable de "fraude fiscale" en octobre 2013 lors d'un procès dénoncé comme politique où des centaines de manifestants avaient réclamé sa libération. Il était accusé d'avoir tenté de contourner le fisc et avait été arrêté en décembre 2012. Il s'est dit "très inquiet" de la politique agressive de Pékin en mer de Chine méridionale, autour d'îles également revendiquées par Hanoï. [en savoir plus] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnamese Blogger Le Quoc Quan to be Released

26.06.2015 By Eva Galperin (Electronic Frontier Foundation) - EFF has long condemned the Vietnamese government's crackdown on bloggers, including the imprisonment of high-profile blogger and activist Le Quoc Quan. Our support for freedom of expression in Vietnam has even earned us the attention of the Vietnamese government, which attempted to compromise our employees' computers by sending them links to malware. We are pleased to anticipate Quan's imminent release from prison on June 27, though we are sad to note that Quan owes his release not to a change of heart on the part of the Vietnamese government, but the fact that he has served the full term of his 30-month prison sentence related to politically-motivated charges of tax evasion.

EFF joins with a coalition of NGO's including Amnesty International, English PEN, and Frontline Defenders, urging the Vietnamese government to respect and protect Quan's rights in the wake of his release. Specifically, we call on the government to refrain from any further persecution or harassment and/or unlawful arrest, reinstate his license to work as a lawyer and undo his disbarment, and grant him reparations for the arbitrary detention he has suffered. The full text of the letter is available in the PDF. [read more]

Christenverfolgung: Thailand verbietet Report von Human Rights Watch

26.06.2015 (Deutschlandfunk) - Thailands Militärregierung hat der Menschenrechtsorganisation Human Rights Watch verboten, einen Bericht über die Verfolgung einer christlichen Minderheit zu veröffentlichen. Eine Pressekonferenz wurde kurzfristig unterbunden. Dabei steht gar nicht die eigene Regierung am Pranger.

In dem 33-seitigen Bericht von Human Rights Watch wird die Verfolgung von Christen der Minderheit der Montagnards in den Bergregionen beschrieben. Die vietnamesische Regierung bezeichnete die religiöse Praktiken des Bergvolks als "böse". Die Organisation fordert in dem Report, das Vorgehen gegen die Minderheit, vor der Hunderte geflohen seien, müsse aufhören.

Der Report der Menschenrechtsgruppe könnte die nationale Sicherheit und bilaterale Beziehungen zwischen den beiden südostasiatischen Ländern gefährden, erklärte die thailändische Polizei. [Weiterlesen]

Persecution of Christian Montagnards continues in Vietnam

26.06.2015 Michael Sainsbury, Vientiane (UCAnews) - The Vietnamese government has come under fire for its ongoing persecution of Christian Montagnards in a comprehensive report on the plight of the ethnic group by New York-based Human Rights Watch.

The sensitivity of the subject was made more pointed after Thailand’s military junta cancelled its launch at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on Friday, citing diplomatic relations with Vietnam.

The closure marked the third time in less than a month that the junta has canceled an FCCT press event, but previous Thai regimes have also shut down Montagnard-related report launches under pressure from Hanoi. [read more]

Vietnam CSOs’ Joint Statement On The International Day In Support Of Victims Of Torture (JUNE 26, 2015)

26.06.2015 (VRNs) - Now we hear again the voice of UN Secretary Ban Ki-Moon in 2012: On this International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, we express our solidarity with, and support for, the hundreds of thousands of victims of torture and their family members throughout the world who endure such suffering.   We also note the obligation of States not only to prevent torture but to provide all torture victims with effective and prompt redress, compensation and appropriate social, psychological, medical and other forms of rehabilitation... Today, on the occasion of the 17th anniversary (1998-2015) of the international day in support of victims of torture, we publish this joint statement as:

1. A sharing with the international community on the most serious and painful human rights issues in the conscience and humanity civilization.

2. An alarm with the whole Vietnamese fellows about the evil link of police, public security police and thugs to beat citizens rampantly even in the daytime. [read more]

Vietnam: End “Evil Way” Persecution of Montagnard Christians

26.06.2015 (HRW) - (Bangkok) – The Vietnamese government’s persecution of ethnic Montagnard Christians in Vietnam’s Central Highlands reflects broader rights violations against religious minorities in the country, Human Rights Watch said today in a new report. The head of Vietnam’s ruling party, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, is slated to visit Washington, DC, in early July.

The 33-page report, “Persecuting ‘Evil Way’ Religion: Abuses against Montagnards in Vietnam,” is based on official Vietnamese media reports and Human Rights Watch interviews with Montagnards seeking asylum abroad. It describes religious and political persecution of Montagnards, highlanders who practice De Ga and Ha Mon forms of Christianity that the government calls “evil way” religions. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

HRW denuncia la persecución de los montagnard en Vietnam

26.06.2015 (terra.cl) - La organización defensora de los derechos humnanos "Human Rights Watch" (HRW) denunció hoy la persecución de la minoría montagnard por parte del Gobierno de Vietnam, a pesar del veto de la junta militar tailandesa a la presentación del informe que iba a tener lugar en Bangkok.

HRW refleja en su informe, titulado "Persiguiendo 'el camino maligno' de la religión: Abusos contra los montagnard en Vietnam", las continuas violaciones contra esta minoría cristiana que reside en la región central del país.

Brad Adams, director para Asia de HRW, instó al Gobierno de Vietnam a respetar "el derecho a la libertad religiosa" de los montagnard y reclamó que dejen de tratarlos como un "enemigo interno" por su pensamiento de "Guerra Fría". [seguir leyendo] - [tiếng Việt]

Thailand cancels rights group's report launch on Vietnam

26.06.2015 (AP) - BANGKOK -- Thai authorities have forced a human rights group to cancel the launch of its report on the Vietnamese government's persecution of an ethnic minority.

The 33-page report by Human Rights Watch describes persecution of Montagnard Christians in Vietnam's Central Highlands, whose religious practices have been described by the government as "evil."

Thai police said in a statement Friday the scheduled event at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand could impact national security or the relations between Thailand and Vietnam. [read more]

Vietnamese Land-Grab Victims Say Plainclothes Police Beat Them

25.06.2015 (RFA) - A group of activists and land-grab victims from the Hanoi area of Vietnam said they were beaten by plainclothes policemen on Thursday in Nghe An province as they were on their way home from meeting one of their colleagues who was released early from prison.

This group had gone to a prison in Thanh Chuong, a rural district of Nghe An province in the north-central coastal region of Vietnam, to meet Trinh Ba Khiem, a farmer who had been jailed for protesting a land grab and released a month before his sentence had ended. [read more]

It's Time for the Obama Administration to Get Tough on Human Rights in Vietnam

24.06.2015 By John Sifton (The Diplomat) - Nguyen Dang Minh Man’s story reminds us that Vietnam’s record on human rights remains deeply troubling.

Nguyen Dang Minh Man is 30 years old, and has been in prison in Vietnam for a third of her adult life.

This month, I met her father, Nguyen Van Loi, who had come to Washington to talk about the fate of his daughter. Minh Man is one of at least 160 political prisoners the Vietnamese government convicted in the last few years under penal code provisions that criminalize criticism of the government.

Minh Man was only 26 when she was arrested in 2011, charged under a provision that ostensibly blocks attempts to overthrow the government. The specific allegation against her? Painting graffiti “in order to incite people to protest.” The authorities also said she was a member of the exile dissident party Viet Tan. Minh Man was sentenced in 2013 to eight years in prison. Today she lives at Prison Camp # 5 at Thanh Hoa, a province in northern Vietnam. [read more]

Vietnam dissidents urge US to boost human rights

18.06.2015 (PTI) - Washington (AFP) - Vietnamese dissidents have pleaded for international help for prisoners of conscience jailed inside their country and warned that warming US ties with Hanoi may send the wrong message to the ruling communists.

Prominent blogger Nguyen Van Hai, who was released from prison in late October and sent into exile in America, told US lawmakers that "his fellow prisoners entrusted me to relay their cries for help."

They wanted the international community to "understand that the persecution of prisoners of conscience in Vietnam is systemic, to lay bare the deceit of Vietnam authorities when they commit to revise Vietnamese laws in order to participate in trade agreements but do not implement such laws." [read more]

Dieu Cay on solitary confinement, hunger strikes, and his fight for press freedom

16.06.2015 By Nguyen Van Hai/CPJ Guest Blogger (CPJ) - EDITOR'S NOTE: Held in solitary confinement and stripped of his human rights, Vietnamese blogger Nguyen Van Hai suffered greatly during his six and a half years in prison. The 63-year-old outspoken critic of the repressive Vietnamese government was granted early release from a 12-year sentence last year, thanks in part to campaigning by CPJ. Hai, who writes under the name Dieu Cay (Peasant's Pipe), was awarded CPJ's International Press Freedom Award in 2013. Here, he gives a grim account of life as a political prisoner and pledges to use his new-found freedom to continue his fight against injustice.

I remember the day clearly-- October 21, 2014. As the plane took off, I looked back at my home country, where I had been held in bitter conditions in communist prisons, and where my friends are still seeking freedom for our country. I had just been released from jail and immediately forced into exile in the U.S. [read more]

Vietnam und Vietnamesen

15.06.2015 Josef Bordat (Blog jobo72) - Ob als Boatpeople in der Bundesrepublik oder als Vertragsarbeiter in der DDR: Die Integration der Vietnamesen in die deutsche Gesellschaft gilt als gelungen. Und das, obwohl die kulturellen Unterschiede zwischen Südostasien und Mitteleuropa größer kaum sein könnten.

Schaut man sich den Anteil der Gymnasiasten an unterschiedlichen soziokulturell definierten Gruppen der deutschen Gegenwartsgesellschaft an, so fällt auf, dass dieser unter den Vietnamesen mit 58 Prozent extrem hoch liegt.

Umso tragischer, dass dieses Potential in der Heimat nicht zur Entfaltung kommen kann, weil ein sozialistisches Regime die Voraussetzungen für eine erfolgreiche Bildungsarbeit torpediert. Statt Freiheit gibt es strenge Auflagen. Gerade da, wo sich der Intellekt entfalten könnte, in politischer Meinungsbildung, im publizistischen Wirken, im Handeln für die Menschenrechte, zieht der vietnamesische Staat eine Grenze.

Nun ist eine der verurteilten Bloggerinnen, Maria Ta Phong-Tan, in den Hungerstreik getreten, aus Protest gegen die unmenschlichen Haftbedingungen, unter denen die politischen Gefangenen zu leiden haben.

Schließen wir Maria Ta Phong-Tan und ihre Angehörigen und Freunde, die sich sehr um ihre Gesundheit sorgen und bislang vergeblich versuchten, die mutige Frau zur Beendigung ihres Hungestreiks zu bewegen, in unsere Gedanken und Gebete ein. [Weiterlesen]

Interview: 'The Government Violated the Human Rights of Political Prisoners Severely'

15.06.2015 (RFA) - Truong Minh Tam served a one year prison term because of his democracy advocacy before joining the pro-democracy group Con Duong Vietnam. With that group's founder, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, now serving a prison sentence, Truong visited the United States to call for great attention to the plight of the estimated 150-200 political prisoners in Vietnam, a one-party state which lacks an independent judiciary and a free press.

RFA: What should the outside world know about the plight of political prisoners in Vietnam?

Truong: There is no clear distinction in the treatment of political prisoners and other prisoners in Vietnamese law. However during my one year in a Vietnamese prison, I saw that the government violated the human rights of political prisoners severely. [read more]

Sanchez, a no on trade, points to Vietnam rights violations

11.06.2015 (Washington Times) - WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez says she’ll vote against President Barack Obama’s trade agenda because his administration has not addressed Vietnam’s human rights violations.

The California Democrat, who is running for Senate, said Thursday that Congress should not give Obama the power to agree to an historic accord with 11 Pacific nations, including Vietnam. Sanchez, the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam, has called on the country’s leaders to reform policies restricting Internet access and permitting the imprisonment of social and political activists.

“I have yet to see any significant moves by the administration … to address the alarming human rights situation in Vietnam through the (trade legislation), and I cannot support such a trade agreement,” Sanchez said. [read more]

Inhaftierte Bloggerin Ta Phong Tan im Hungerstreik aus Protest gegen Misshandlung von politischen Gefangenen

10.06.2015 (Forum Vietnam 21)  - Die bekannte Bloggerin Ta Phong Tan ist seit dem 13. Mai im Hungerstreik, um gegen die Misshandlung von politischen Gefangenen und miserable Haftbedingung zu protestieren. Die Nachricht von Tans Hungerstreik erreichte die Öffentlichkeit als ihre Schwester Ta Minh Tu nach dem Haftbesuch mit Reportern und Menschenrechtsaktivisten sprach. Es soll sich bereits um ihren dritten Protest dieser Art handeln. Familienangehörige durften sie am 3. Juni im Gefängnis besuchen und berichteten danach, dass Ta Phong Tan "sehr schwach" sei und sich ihr Gesundheitszustand drastisch verschlechtert habe. Amnesty International zufolge leidet Tan an Arthritis, Bluthochdruck, und Magenproblem.

Ta Phong Tan hat früher als Polizistin gearbeitet und gewann dadurch einen Einblick in die Funktionsweise des Systems. Im Jahr 2006 begann sie in ihrem eigenen Weblog „Gerechtigkeit und Wahrheit“ ("Công Lý và Sự Thật") über soziale Probleme zu berichten. Später schrieb sie über Machtmissbrauch und Willkür der vietnamesischen Polizei sowie ungerechte Besteuerung und illegalen Landraub durch lokale Parteifunktionäre. Sie ist Mitbegründerin des unabhängigen „Club der freien Journalisten“ in Vietnam (Free Journalists' Club of Viet Nam), der sich seit September 2007 für Meinungsfreiheit und Alternativen zu den staatlich kontrollierten Medien einsetzt. Jahrelang war Ta Phong Tan immer wieder verhört und vorübergehend festgenommen worden, bis sie im September 2011 verhaftet und wegen "Verbreitung von Propaganda gegen den Staat" nach Artikel 88 des Strafgesetzbuches angeklagt wurde. Nach einem Prozess der nur einen Tag dauerte, wurde sie am 4. Oktober 2012 zu zehn Jahren Gefängnisstrafe mit zusätzlicher drei Jahren Hausarrest nach Entlassung verurteilt. Sie weigerte sich, sich schuldig zu bekennen. In dem selben Prozess sind zwei Bloggerkollegen verurteilt worden.

Am 30. Juli 2012 steckte sich Dang Thi Kim Lieng, die Mutter von Ta Phong Tan, vor dem Büro des Volkskomitees der Provinz Bac Lieu aus Verzweiflung über die Drangsalierung ihrer Tochter und anderer Familienmitglieder durch die Sicherheitsbehörden selbst in Brand. Dang Thi Kim Lieng starb an ihren Verbrennungen. Man setzte Ta Phong Tan über den Tod ihrer Mutter in Kenntnis, erlaubte ihr jedoch nicht, an der Beerdigung teilzunehmen.

Ta Phong Tan verbüßt derzeit die zehnjährige Haftstrafe im Gefängnis Nr.5 der Provinz Thanh Hoa, wo sie mehrere Monate in einer fensterlosen Einzelzelle festgehalten wurde und die Gefängniswärter ihr in dieser Zeit nicht erlaubten, mit anderen Gefangenen zu sprechen.

Am internationalen Frauentag hat die US-First Lady Michelle Obama Ta Phong Tan als eine der zehn meist mutigen Frauen in der Welt mit dem Preis «International Woman of Courage Awards Winners 2013 » ausgezeichnet.

Ta Phong Tan wurde am 21. März 2013 mit dem Preis „Journalism Award“ von Index of Censorship geehrt.

Der Journalist Nguyen Van Hai, Bloggername "Dieu Cay", Mitbegründer des "Club der Freien Journalisten" mit Tan, wurde im letzten Oktober aus der 12 Jahren Haftstrafe vorzeitig entlassen und in die USA abgeschoben.

"Die Regierung muss ihr hartes Vorgehen gegen Menschen, die ihr Recht auf freie Meinungsäußerung wahrnehmen, beenden. Sie muss aufhören, gegen friedliche Aktivistinnen und Aktivisten vorzugehen, und zivilgesellschaftliches Engagement erlauben", fordert Amnesty International. (td) - Bildquelle: VRNs. - [tiếng Việt]

Jailed Vietnamese blogger Ta Phong Tan on hunger strike over mistreatment

09.06.2015 By Shawn W. Crispin / Senior Southeast Asia Representative (CPJ) - Incarcerated blogger Ta Phong Tan has been on hunger strike since May 13 to protest the mistreatment of political prisoners at the prison where she is being held in Vietnam's central Thanh Hoa province, according to news reports. It is believed to be the third time Tan has fasted in protest at poor prison conditions since she was detained in September 2011 for her critical reporting.

News of Tan's protest broke Monday when her sister, Ta Minh Tu, spoke with reporters and press freedom activists after a June 3 prison visit. Tu said Tan is currently being held in solitary confinement in a stifling windowless jail cell and that her health has declined as a result of the hunger strike. Despite pleas from her family, Tan has refused to end her protest, according to reports quoting Tu.

Tan is serving a ten-year sentence for "propagandizing against the government," an anti-state offense under Article 88 of Vietnam's criminal code. A former police officer, Tan published several articles about human rights abuses and corruption among police and the judiciary on her Justice and Truth blog. Some press freedom activists have suggested to CPJ that Tan's harsh treatment in prison is retribution for her critical reporting on police and judicial abuse.

Vietnam 'fifth worst jailer of journalists'  [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam : grève de la faim d’une blogueuse catholique emprisonnée

09.06.2015 (L'observatoire de la Christianophobie) - Ancien agent de police et journaliste indépendante depuis 2004, Maria Tạ Phong Tần, qui s’est convertie adulte au catholicisme, fut arrêtée en septembre 2011 puis condamnée le 4 octobre 2012 à dix ans de prison pour avoir sur son blogue Justice et Vérité (Công Lý và Sự Thật) mené des campagnes pour défendre l’intégrité territoriale de son pays – menacée par la Chine communiste en Mer de Chine –, les droits de l’homme et la démocratie au Vietnam. Sa mère s’immola par le feu pour protester contre l’arrestation de sa fille deux mois avant son procès. Maria Tạ Phong Tần est incarcérée dans une cellule sans fenêtre d’une prison de la province de Thanh Hoa. Bien que les communications avec l’extérieur lui soient pratiquement impossibles, elle a eu l’autorisation de recevoir sa sœur le 3 juin dernier, laquelle a fait savoir que Maria avait entamé une grève de la faim depuis trois semaines pour protester contre les conditions de détentions et les mauvais traitements qu’elle et les autres détenus d’opinion subissent dans cette prison. - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnamese Police Detain Six Petitioners Seeking Justice in Land Disputes

09.06.2015 (RFA) - Police arrested six petitioners seeking justice in land rights disputes, and detained several others on Tuesday in Hanoi and Ben Tre province, according to a family member of one of the petitioners.

Four of 22 people protesting in front of the National Assembly building in Hanoi were hauled away after the group attempted to ask politicians for help resolving disputes over land, a daughter of one of the petitioners told RFA’s Vietnamese Service.

“Congressmen arrived in cars, so we rushed toward them and asked for justice,” said the woman who declined to give her name. “They then called the police to deal with us. Four people were forced into a police car and taken to a police station on Ngo Thi Nham Street.”

Among those arrested were a woman named Hai, a woman in her 70s named Hoa, a man named Nguyen Dinh Tu and a petitioner from Daknong province in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, she said. [read more]

Activista católica vietnamita hace huelga de hambre para protestar contra los abuso en la cárcel

08.06.2015 (AsiaNews) - Hanói - La activista vietnamita católica María Ta Phong Tan, encarcelada por “propaganda anti-gubernamental” a través de su blog, inició desde hace al menos 3 semanas una huelga de hambre para protestar contra los abusos sufridos en la celda. La mujer, ex -policía y conocida a nivel internacional por su trabajo en red, denuncia los define “malos tratos” a los prisioneros políticos por parte de las autoridades, encerradas en un centro de detención de la provincia de Thanh Hoa. En el año 2012 fue condenada a 10 años de cárcel por su actividad política y social.

Quien hizo conocer la huelga de hambre fue la hermana de María, Ta Minh Tu, que la visitó en la cárcel el pasado 3 de junio. “Quiere protestar-agrega- contra los malos tratos a los prisioneros políticos por parte de la policía carcelaria”. [seguir leyendo] - [tiếng Việt]

Le projet de loi N° 4 sur les croyances et la religion aura-t-il une suite ?

06.06.2015, (Églises d'Asie) - Un grand silence a suivi la brusque explosion de critiques déclenchée par un projet de loi sur la religion et les croyances, appelé projet N° 4, sans que l’on ait jamais eu vent des projets précédents. Les responsables religieux, catholiques et autres, ont fait connaître leur opinion, entièrement négative, sans prendre de précautions et, quelquefois, avec une pointe d’ironie.

Rien n’a filtré des réactions gouvernementales à cette mauvaise humeur des responsables religieux. Pour le moment, on ne trouve rien à ce sujet sur le site Internet du Bureau gouvernemental des Affaires religieuses, site qui avait annoncé l’élaboration de ce projet d’une manière très discrète quelque temps avant qu’il ne soit communiqué aux principales communautés religieuses du pays.

triple définition du religieux par « la vie religieuse » et « les œuvres religieuses » nous instruit sur ce que les textes officiels appellent eux-mêmes « la gestion du religieux par l’Etat ». L’Etat n’est pas seulement concerné par les aspects sociaux du domaine religieux, mais aussi par sa vie intérieure (culte, prière, expression de la foi). C’est notamment cette ingérence dans la vie intérieure des communautés religieuses qui a provoqué les fortes réactions des communautés religieuses. [en savoir plus]

Menschenrechtsbeauftragter Christoph Strässer zu Besuch in Vietnam vom 03.-09. Juni

04.06.2015 (Deutsche Botschaft Hanoi) - Der Beauftragte für Menschenrechtspolitik und Humanitäre Hilfe Christoph Strässer ist gestern (03.06.) nach Hanoi  gereist. Er wird sich bis zum 09. Juni in Vietnam aufhalten und sich über die Lage der Menschenrechte informieren. Auf dem Programm stehen neben offiziellen Gesprächen in der Hauptstadt mit Ministerien und dem Parlament verschiedene Treffen mit der Zivilgesellschaft. In Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt, der zweiten Station der Reise, liegt der Schwerpunkt auf den Themen Wirtschaft und Menschenrechte sowie Fragen der Religionsfreiheit.

Zu Beginn seiner Reise erklärte Strässer:

"Deutschland und Vietnam feiern dieses Jahr den 40. Jahrestag der Aufnahme diplomatischer Beziehungen. Vietnam ist für uns ein wichtiger Partner in Südostasien, mit dem wir intensive Kontakte in den unterschiedlichsten Feldern pflegen. Integraler Bestandteil unserer Beziehungen sind auch Fragen im Bereich der Menschenrechte, wo unsere Ansichten in vielen Aspekten noch weit auseinanderliegen.

Vietnam hat in den vergangenen Jahren enorme Fortschritte bei verschiedenen Menschenrechtsthemen erreicht. Diese verdienen unseren Respekt und Anerkennung. Wir sehen jedoch mit großer Sorge auch starke Defizite, insbesondere im Bereich der bürgerlichen und politischen Rechte.

Ich freue mich auf einen offenen und konstruktiven Austausch zu diesen Fragen, sowohl bei offiziellen Gesprächen als auch im Rahmen von Treffen mit der Zivilgesellschaft." - [tiếng Việt]

Bishop of Kontum calls for patience and dialogue to stem attacks on religious freedom

03.06.2015, by Paul N. Hung (AsiaNews) - Ho Chi Minh City - "In our life, difficulties are a constant daily, everywhere and at all times. There are difficulties that affect individuals, families and the community as a whole. [...] But when you face a number of problems, you need to show patience, become promoters of dialogue with the authorities. It is the only way to really solve most issues”, says Msgr. Michael Hoàng Duc Oanh, bishop of Kontum, in Kontum province, Vietnam’s Central Highlands.

Recently, a district of the diocese has been the object of the attack of the local Communist authorities, who have threatened to tear down 22 chapels used for functions and prayers. Therefore, even amid constraints and restrictions on religious freedom, the prelate urges restraint and use dialogue to solve conflicts.

Religious freedom has steadily eroded in recent years. Under Decree 92, more controls and restrictions have been imposed on religious practice, boosting the power of the Communist Party and the one-party state.

The authorities have targeted religious leaders, including Buddhist and Catholic leaders, as well as entire communities.

In 2013, media and government carried out a smear campaign and targeted attacks against the bishop and ordinary Catholics in the Diocese of Vinh. [read more]

Cambodia refuses asylum to Montagnard refugees from Vietnam

03.06.2015 Lindsay Murdoch (The Sydney Morning Herald) - Phnom Penh: Cambodia is refusing protection for almost 100 Montagnard asylum seekers fleeing persecution in Vietnam as four refugees travel from Nauru to the impoverished nation under a controversial $55.5 million agreement with Australia.

Human rights and refugee advocacy groups say Cambodia's treatment of the Montagnards, including children, as "illegal migrants" violates its obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention and other international laws.

Australia has used Cambodia's signatory to the convention to justify sending refugees from its detention centre in Nauru to the impoverished nation. [read more]

Vietnamese Activist ‘Savagely’ Beaten by Plainclothes Officers

02.06.2015 (RFA) - Plainclothes police officers in Vietnam “savagely” beat civil society activist Pham Thanh Nghien Tuesday after a prominent blogger and her two colleagues tried to meet with her to discuss a nationwide campaign to free the country’s political prisoners.

Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh—who blogs as Me Nam, meaning “Mother Mushroom”—said that she, and fellow bloggers Nguyen Tien Nam and Duong Lam, traveled Tuesday morning from the capital Hanoi to Nghien’s home in Haiphong where they were confronted by plainclothes officers at her gate.

“They would not allow the taxi in on the pretext that the driveway was under renovation, but when we got out, they rushed toward us and ordered us to leave or go to the local security office,” Quynh told RFA’s Vietnamese Service, after returning to Hanoi later that evening. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Human rights blogger is freed and promises renewed battle

27.05.2015 (AsiaNews) - Hanoi -  The Vietnamese Authorities yesterday released a prominent blogger and activist, previously sentenced to two years in prison for "abusing democratic freedoms" with the aim of  "targeting state interests".  He is the 51 year old Truong Duy Nhat, indicted in March 2014 on the basis of Article 258 of the Criminal Code, an offense that can cost up to seven years in prison.

In recent years the communist government in Hanoi has used this law - written in a generic way and used to strike critical voices - to imprison dozens of activists, bloggers, personalities who fight for human rights and religious freedom in the Asian country.

Active in the panorama of national media until 2011, he is famous for having given birth to a popular blog titled "A different point of view" (Mot Cach Nhin Khac).

Interviewed by Radio Free Asia (RFA) in the hours following his release, Nath said that despite cervical hernia he received in prison, "nothing can bring me down." He added that "I am now out of jail" and "I hope that those who want to destroy this country are incarcerated instead of me." [read more]

Lo liberan y promete nuevas batallas el blogger vietnamita pro derechos humanos

27.05.2015 (AsiaNews) - Hanoi - La autoridades vietnamitas han liberado ayer a un blogger y activista de primer plano, condenado en precedencia a 2 años de cárcel por “abuso de las libertades democráticas”, finalizado a “atacar intereses del Estado”. Se trata del Truong Duy Nhat , de 51 años, incriminado en marzo de 2014 en base al art. 258 del Código penal, un reato que puede costar hasta 7 años de prisión. En los últimos años el gobierno comunista de Hanói aprovechó de esta norma-escrita en modo genérico y usada para atacar a los que critican al gobierno- para encarcelar a decenas de activistas, blogger, personalidades que se baten por los derechos humanos y la libertad religiosa en el país asiático.

Activo en el interior del apnorama de los medios nacionales hasta el 2011, él es famoso por haber dado vida a un popular blog que lleva por título: “Un punto de vista diverso” (Mot Cach Nhin Khac). Sus escritos ofrecen una visión diversa respecto a la prensa oficial, controlada por las autoridades y esto habría desencadenado “debates caracterizados por el odio”.

Entrevistado por la Radio Free Asia (Rfa) en las horas sucesivas a su liberación, Nhat declaró que a despecho de la hernia cervical que se le declaró en la cárcel, “nada puede vencerme”. Y agregó que “ahora estoy fuera de la prisión” y “espero que cuántos quieran destruir este país sean encarcelados en mi lugar”. “No tengo nada que temer”, continuó el activista [seguir leyendo]

Popular Vietnamese Blogger Released From Jail After Two Years

26.05.2015 (RFA) - A prominent Vietnamese blogger and rights campaigner serving a two-year prison sentence for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state” was released on Tuesday, according to the blogger.

Truong Duy Nhat, 51, was sentenced in early March 2014, charged under Article 258 of Vietnam’s penal code. Scores of bloggers and dissidents have been charged under Article 258 in recent years, which rights groups say is deliberately vague and used to prosecute critics of Vietnam’s one-party communist government.

Following his release, Nhat told RFA’s Vietnamese Service that although he now had a herniated cervical disc, “nothing can keep me down.”

“Now that I’m out of prison, I hope that those who try to destroy this country will be jailed instead of me,” he said. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Violence Against Viet Protesters Extends to the Streets

25.05.2015 (Asia Sentinel) - Western governments look only at those jailed. There is considerable intimidation outside.

Despite warnings that the country’s stance on civil rights could harm its international standing in connection with a major trade pact, Vietnam’s security forces continue to attack dissidents, staging 31 physical attacks in 2014 and another 17 this year, according to a dissident group based in Hanoi.

The latest occurred on May 19 – the birthday of the country’s liberator, Ho Chi Minh – when Human rights defender Dinh Quang Tuyen (aka Tuyen Xich Lo) was riding his bicycle for exercise when he was set upon by two masked men on a motorcycle who overtook him and punched him in the middle of his face, breaking his nose. [read more]

JOINT STATEMENT CALLING FOR THE RELEASE OF VIETNAMESE PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE, TRAN HUYNH DUY THUC

24.05.2015 - On 24 May 2009, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Vietnamese ICT entrepreneur and blogger, was arrested under the initial charge of “promoting anti-government propaganda” under Article 88 of the Vietnamese Penal Code for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression. On 20 January 2010, in a one-day trial, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc and his three co-defendants – Le Cong Dinh, Nguyen Tien Trung and Le Thang Long – were prosecuted at the People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City for “conducting activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration” under Article 79 of the Penal Code. Thuc was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment followed by 5 years of house arrest, while Dinh, Trung and Long, were sentenced to 5 years, 7 years and 5 years’ imprisonment followed by 3 years of house arrest, respectively

Contrary to being found guilty of aiming to “overthrow” the state, the activities for which Thuc and his co-defendants were prosecuted comprised only blogging that called for political reform and respect for human rights (e.g. https://tranfami.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/hewing_quest_for_democracy_and_pro sperity/) They did not receive a fair trial and relatives of the defendants and foreign journalists were not allowed in the courtroom. The defendants’ microphones did not function when Thuc’s defense counsel tried to speak on his behalf or when Long attempted to inform the court that the defendants’ confessions were written under duress. According to eyewitnesses, the judges deliberated for only 15 minutes before returning with the judgment, which took 45 minutes to read, suggesting it had been prepared in advance of the hearing....

Today, 24 May 2015, marks Thuc’s 6th year of imprisonment. Until now, Thuc remains in prison while his three co-defendants have been released early. As such, we would like to call on the Vietnamese government to abide by their international and domestic obligations by ensuring that Thuc is immediately released. Only when the relevant authorities have taken the necessary steps so that his conviction is overturned, will justice to Thuc be restored. The international community and human rights organizations will be watching.

SIGNED:

1. Amnesty International – ENGLAND

2. Civil Rights Defenders – SWEDEN

3. Freedom House – USA

4. International Commission of Jurists – SWITZERLAND ... [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam: Visiting UN Secretary-General must press government on human rights

21.05.2015 (FIDH) - Paris: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon must press the Vietnamese government to address serious human rights violations during his upcoming visit to the country, FIDH and its member organization Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) said today. Ban Ki-moon will visit Vietnam from 22-23 May at the invitation of President Truong Tan Sang.

“The Secretary-General must use the UN’s moral authority to demand that Hanoi urgently address serious human rights violations and release all political prisoners,” said FIDH President Karim Lahidji.

In recent months, plainclothes police and hired thugs have repeatedly attacked activists on the streets of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. On 19 May, plainclothes police beat blogger Dinh Quang Tuyen in Ho Chi Min City after he denounced similar brutality against activists Nguyen Chi Tuyen (Anh Chi), Tran Thi Nga, Trinh Anh Tuan, Truong Minh Duc and others on his Facebook page. On 11 May, Anh Chi was attacked with metal pipes by unknown individuals near his home in Hanoi. He was involved in a successful campaign against a tree-cutting plan in Vietnam’s capital. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Hue: sacerdotes y fieles en defensa del monasterio de Thien An, en la mira de las autoridades comunistas

20.05.2015 de Truong Anh (AsiaNews) - Hue - Nuevo ataque de parte de las autoridades comunistas contra la propiedad de la Iglesia vietnamita, desde hace tiempo en el centro de una campaña de confiscación y expropiaciones forzadas. En el centro de la controversia el monasterio de Thien An, fundado el 10 de junio de 1940 por los misioneros franceses, en la diócesis de Hue, en el centro de Vietnam. La estructura es visitada por los fieles y hospeda a sacerdotes, hermanas, religiosos y seminaristas que desarrollan actividades pastorales (al servicio de católicos y fieles de otras religiones), en 3 diversas iglesias de la ciudad. La administración loc al quiere confiscar la zona de un centenar de hectáreas y la anexa estructura, poniéndola a disposición de la agencia de viajes “Antigua capital Hue”, para la construcción de un centro recreativo y un parque de diversiones.

En los últimos días el monasterio fue objeto de ataques por parte de gánster y matones pagados por las autoridades locales para asustar a los católicos y convencerlos que deben abandonar el lugar. [seguir leyendo]

Hue priests and faithful defend Thien An monastery targeted by communist authorities

20.05.2015 By Truong Anh (AsiaNews) - Hue - Another attack of the communist authorities against a property of the Vietnamese Church, long at the center of a campaign of requisitions and forced evictions. This time round the local administration has set its sights onae monastery of Thien An, founded 10 June 1940 by French missionaries in the diocese of Hue, in central Vietnam.

The local administration intends to seize the area of ​​a hundred acres and the adjacent structure, making it available to the travel agency "Hue Ancient Capital" for the construction of a leisure center and an amusement park.

In recent days the monastery has been the subject of attacks by gangsters and thugs hired by local authorities to frighten the Catholics and convince them to leave the area. Added to this violent intimidation are frequent police raids, during which agents broke into the facility and threatened to occupy it. [read more]

Authorities Detain Vietnamese Blogger in Hanoi Airport

18.05.2015 (RFA) - Authorities in Vietnam briefly detained a prominent blogger shortly after his return to the capital Hanoi from Singapore, where he had attended a workshop on the use of a new mobile tool to promote citizen journalism, his daughter said Monday.

Dung Mai was arrested Monday shortly after deplaning at the Noi Bai International Airport at around 6:00 p.m., his daughter Thao Teresa told RFA’s Vietnamese Service.

“My father sent me only one text, saying 'security officers in Noi Bai have arrested me’,” Thao said from the airport, where she was waiting to receive Mai along with two of her friends.

“We tried to speak with different [security] departments, but they have avoided telling us who was responsible [for his arrest].” [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnamese Anti-China Activist Freed After Year-Long Jail Term

15.05.2015 (RFA) - Well-known anti-China activist and government critic Le Thi Phuong Anh was released from a prison in Vietnam on Friday after serving a 12-month sentence for anti-state activity, she said, calling her experience in jail “the most horrible year of my life.”

Speaking to RFA’s Vietnamese Service on Friday, the mother of three and member of Vietnamese Women for Human Rights expressed thanks to her supporters who greeted her on her release.

“It was the most horrible year of my life—I don’t know how to describe it, other than truly horrible,” she said of her time in jail.

Phuong Anh was arrested in May 2014 along with two other activists and accused of disrupting traffic in southern Vietnam’s Dong Nai province after stopping to take pictures of anti-China protests sparked by Beijing’s deployment of an oil rig into contested waters in the South China Sea. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnamese editor faces anti-state charges for reporting on corruption

13.05.2015 (CPJ) - Bangkok - Authorities in Vietnam today levied anti-state charges against a former news editor who published reports on official corruption, according to news reports. The accusations mark a trend of legal harassment against journalists who probe sensitive corruption issues in Vietnam, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.

"We call on Vietnam to drop these spurious charges and allow for the media to play a checking and balancing role without fear of reprisal," said Shawn Crispin, CPJ's senior Southeast Asia representative. "

Kim Quoc Hoa, former editor-in-chief of the local-language, state-controlled print and online magazine The Elderly, was charged with "revealing confidential information related to national security" and "abusing freedoms and democratic rights in publishing articles that disseminated false information," a criminal offense under Article 258 of Vietnam's penal code, according to news reports. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

#CollateralFreedom: RSF desbloquea otros dos sitios web

13.05.2015 (RSF) - El 12 de marzo pasado, con ocasión del Día Mundial contra la censura en línea, Reporteros sin Fronteras (RSF) emprendió la operación Collateral Freedom y desbloqueó sitios web censurados en 11 países. Ahora, nuestra organización permite que de nuevo se pueda acceder a otros dos sitios: el de la Asociación de Periodistas Independientes de Vietnam, Vietnam Thoi Bao, bloqueado en Vietnam, y el de Crónicas de Turkmenistán, bloqueado en Turkmenistán.

La operación Collateral Freedom se basa en la técnica de sitios espejo (mirroring http://12mars.rsf.org/2015-es/).

Los dos sitios web desbloqueados.  Así, RSF ha creado una copia de cada sitio bloqueado y la ha albergado en servicios de alojamiento web, en nubes de empresas como Fastly, Amazon, Microsoft o Google.

Tras haber desbloqueado nueve sitios web censurados en once países, RSF continúa con la operación Collateral Freedom y desbloquea otros dos sitios: Vietnam Thoi Bao (Vietnam Times) y Crónicas de Turkmenistán. [seguir leyendo]

#CollateralFreedom: RSF unblocks two more websites

12.05.2015 (RWB) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is unblocking two more websites as part of Collateral Freedom, the operation it launched on 12 March, World Press Freedom Day, when it unblocked sites censored in 11 countries. Today it is unblocking the website of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam, Vietnam Thoi Bao, which is blocked in Vietnam, and Chronicles of Turkmenistan, blocked in Turkmenistan.

Operation Collateral Freedom is based on the technique of mirroring. RSF creates a copy of the blocked site on a website hosting service provided by a big Internet company such as Fastly, Amazon, Microsoft or Google.

Two new sites unblocked

After unblocking nine censored sites in 11 countries, RSF is pressing ahead with Operation Collateral Freedom and unblocking two more sites: Vietnam Thoi Bao (Vietnam Times) and Chronicles of Turkmenistan. [read more]

RSF débloque deux nouveaux sites

12.05.2015 (RSF) - Le 12 mars dernier, à l’occasion de la journée mondiale contre la censure en ligne, Reporters sans frontières (RSF) a lancé l’opération Collateral Freedom et débloqué des sites censurés dans 11 pays. L’organisation rend accessible aujourd’hui deux nouveaux sites : l’association des journalistes vietnamiens indépendants, Vietnam Thoi Bao, bloqué au Vietnam, et Chroniques du Turkménistan, bloqué au Turkménistan.

L’opération Collateral Freedom repose sur la technique du mirroring. RSF crée une copie du site bloqué sur des services d’hébergement informatique dans les nuages tels que Fastly, Amazon, Microsoft ou Google.

Après avoir débloqué 9 sites censurés dans 11 pays, RSF poursuit l’opération CollateralFreedom et débloque deux nouveaux sites : Vietnam Thoi Bao (Vietnam Times) et Chroniques du Turkménistan. [en savoir plus]

Social Activist Beaten as US Rights Envoy Visits Vietnam

12.05.2015 Colin Nguyen (VOA) - A Vietnamese dissident known for leading anti-Chinese and environmental protests says he was attacked by a group of unidentified men allegedly linked to the authorities.

Anh Chi told VOA’s Vietnamese Service he was hit Monday with a metal pipe without provocation near his home in Hanoi.

Photos of his bloodied head and face have been widely circulated on activist web sites, but none of the photos have been seen on state-owned media.

Chi believes he has been harassed by local authorities in recent weeks for being outspoken against state officials. [read more]

Thugs Attack Vietnamese Anti-China Activist on Hanoi Street

11.05.2015 (RFA) - An activist in Vietnam who has spoken out extensively against Chinese aggression in the South China Sea was brutally beaten by thugs in the capital Hanoi on Monday, in the latest attack against public campaigners in the one-party communist nation, where dissent is not tolerated.

Activist Nguyen Chi Tuyen, who has participated in several anti-China rallies expressing anger over Beijing’s claims to the disputed Paracel islands, told RFA’s Vietnamese Service he was attacked in the morning after driving his son to elementary school around three kilometers (two miles) from his home. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

U.S. rights envoy says Vietnam still lagging, cites trade pact risk

11.05.2015 By Martin Petty (Yahoo News) -  HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam is showing progress on human rights but must signal stronger commitment to win over hesitant U.S. legislators who could complicate the country's accession to a lucrative Pacific trade pact, a top American official said on Monday.

Tom Malinowski said he had seen Vietnam show more restraint this year, with fewer political prisoners and no new dissident prosecutions, but gains were fragile and "very significant problems" remained.

Human rights has been a sticking point, with Washington critical of Vietnam's zero-tolerance handling of dissent. Malinowski said harassment, threats and violence were still happening. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Prisoner of Conscience Freed From Vietnamese Jail

11.05.2015 (RFA) - Vietnamese authorities have terminated the jail term of prisoner of conscience who was arrested in November 2011 for helping other injustice petitioners and sentenced for ‘propagating against the state” in the one-party communist country.

Pham Thi Loc, was serving a 42-month sentence at the number 5 prison in Yen Dinh district of Thanh Hoa province in the north central Vietnam, which authorities handed down in November 2012.

“I was indicted on political charges, but in fact I did not do anything wrong,” she told RFA’s Vietnamese Service. “Bac Giang province authorities charged me for propagating against the state, but my activities were just helping victims of injustice.”

Loc had shared a prison cell with three other female political prisoners—Ta Phong Tan, Nguyen Dang Minh Man, and Can Thi Theu. [read more] -[tiếng Việt]

Vietnam Human Rights Network Released its Report on Human Rights in Vietnam 2014

09.05.2015 (VNHRN) - Little Saigon - Today the Vietnam Human Rights Network (VNHRN) published its annual Report on Human Rights in Vietnam 2014 during a press conference with the participation of representatives from major Vietnamese media outlet agencies and grass root community organizations in the area.

As in previous years, the 2014 report is the result of a collaborative work between VNHRN and a number of human rights activists in Vietnam. The report aims at covering common human rights violations in Vietnam in 2014 based on the criteria set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and other international human rights instruments that Vietnam has ratified. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Why Google and other tech giants are creating tools for political dissidents

08.05.2015 (The Guardian) - After taking fire for caving to repressive regimes on data privacy, can the tech industry rehabilitate its reputation?

How and why did a company that has taken fire for its alleged partnerships in government surveillance end up creating tech used by dissident groups concerned with free speech?

Despite lofty rhetoric about the power of the internet to enable open societies and free expression, three of tech’s biggest companies – Google, Yahoo and Microsoft – all found themselves in the hot seat for complying with Chinese authorities in 2006.

While some tech giants have scrambled to rehabilitate their reputations, a growing number of smaller companies and startups have deliberately reached out to human rights activists to offer support. [read more]

2015 U.S.-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue

05.05.2015 (U.S. State Department) - The 19th session of the U.S.-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue will be held on May 7 in Hanoi, Vietnam. U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius and Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski will lead the U.S. delegation. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General for International Organizations Vu Anh Quang will lead the Vietnamese delegation.

The Dialogue will cover a wide range of human rights issues, including legal reform, rule of law, freedom of expression and assembly, religious freedom, labor rights, and disability rights. The U.S delegation will also visit the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam, where they will hold discussions with local government officials and members of civil society. [read more]

Justice and Peace: migrants, priority for the Vietnamese Church

05.05.2015 (AsiaNews/EDA) - Hanoi– Internal and external migration are increasingly important in Vietnam. In view of this, the bishops addressed the issue at a round table in their first annual meeting held in mid-April in Saigon.

Vietnam’s Catholic Church is looking for "answers" to the increasing challenges. However, through the president of the Justice and Peace Commission, Catholic leaders noted that "the highest offices of the State" must be involved as well; in particular, "the bodies responsible for the defence of travellers" and those fighting against human trafficking.

Although it is "a recent phenomenon," migration affects thousands of people, men and women, often victims of violence and abuse. [read more]

PEN-Autoren tagen zu Verfolgungs-Themen

04.05.2015 (Mittelhessen) - Magdeburg (dpa) - Der eingeschränkten Meinungsfreiheit in Vietnam und dem armenischen Massaker vor 100 Jahren widmet sich die deutsche Schriftstellervereinigung PEN bei ihrer Jahrestagung in Magdeburg (7. bis 10. Mai).

«Unsere Hauptaufgabe ist es, dass wir verfolgten Kollegen helfen», sagte PEN-Präsident Josef Haslinger der Deutschen Presse-Agentur. Dem «Writers-in-Exile»-Programm widme die Vereinigung einen großen Teil ihrer personellen und finanziellen Möglichkeiten.

Wie stark die Meinungsfreiheit in Vietnam eingeschränkt ist, soll beim Auftakt der Tagung am Donnerstag deutlich gemacht werden. Dort werden auch die aktuellen Stipendiaten vorgestellt. [Weiterlesen]

Hanoi consults bishops on a new law on faiths that violates religious freedom

04.05.2015 (AsiaNews) - Hanoi - The government’s unusual initiative, for a bishop, feeds a suspicion of an attempt to “appear democratic”. The new laws violate "the right to freedom of religion", go against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, show that the purpose of government is "to profoundly interfere with religious affairs", continuing policies that encourage corruption and allows abuse by local authorities.

The Vietnamese government's draft laws on "faith and religion" are in violation of "the right to freedom of religion", go against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, show that the purpose of government is "to profoundly interfere with religious affairs", continuing policies that encourage corruption and allows abuse by local authorities.

This is the harsh- and courageous - response of some Vietnamese bishops to the government request that the prelates comment on new rules proposed by the Committee for Religious Affairs. This - quite unusual - decision by the Government department to consult the bishops and the shortness of the time allowed for a response - 13 days - feeds a suspicion of the government’s attempt to “appear democratic” or an attempt to give officials who deal with religion means to "tighten their grip". [read more]

Vietnam: „Damit es demokratisch aussieht“

04.05.2015 (Radio Vatikan) - Das Regime fragt die katholische Kirche nach ihrer Meinung zum neuen Religionsgesetz – und bekommt prompt harsche Kritik zu hören. Die Regierung führe die Befragung doch nur durch, „damit es demokratisch aussieht“, äußert ein katholischer Bischof nach Angaben der Nachrichtenagentur asianews. Der Entwurf zum Religionsgesetz verstoße gegen die Religionsfreiheit, gegen die UNO-Menschenrechtserklärung und auch gegen die Verfassung Vietnams, urteilen weitere Bischöfe, die asianews teilweise mit Namensnennung zitiert. Offenbar gehe es dem Regime darum, „sich nachhaltig in die religiösen Angelegenheiten“ im Land „einzumischen“.

Dass die Regierung einen Gesetzvorschlag überhaupt zur Debatte stellt, ist ein Novum in Vietnam. Den Kirchenleuten hat sie nur 13 Tage Zeit zum Antworten gelassen. Die Reaktion aus dem Bistum Kontum weist darauf hin, dass es „in entwickelten Ländern überhaupt keinen Bedarf an einer irgendwie gearteten Religionsbehörde“ gebe, und fragt dann: „Wie absurd ist es, dass Nichtglaubende glaubenden Menschen Regeln setzen wollen?“

Hanoi pide a los obispos opiniones sobre una nueva ley sobre las religiones que viola la libertad religiosa

04.05.2015 (AsiaNews) - Hanoi - Insólita iniciativa del gobierno que, para un obispo, alimenta la sospecha de que quieren "hacer las cosas para que se vea democrático". Las nuevas normas violan "el derecho a la libertad de religión", va en contra de la Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos y la Constitución de la República Socialista de Vietnam, muestran que el propósito del gobierno es "interferir profundamente con los asuntos religiosos", continuando con una política que fomenta la corrupción y permite el abuso a las autoridades locales.

Los proyectos de ley del gobierno vietnamita sobre "Fe y religión" violan el "derecho a la libertad de religión", va en contra de la Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos y la Constitución de la República Socialista de Vietnam, muestran que el propósito del gobierno es ""interferir profundamente con los asuntos religiosos", continuando con una política que fomenta la corrupción y permite el abuso a las autoridades locales.

Son duras - y valientes - las respuestas de algunos obispos vietnamitas a la solicitud que el gobierno ha hecho a los prelados de un comentario a algunas nuevas normas propuestas por el Comité de Asuntos Religiosos. La misma - bastante inusual - decisión del departamento de Gobierno para escuchar la opinión de los obispos y la brevedad del plazo concedido para contestar - 13 días - alimenta la sospecha de que quieren "hacer las cosas para que se vea democrática" o que desean proporcionar a los funcionarios que se ocupan de la religión instrumentos para "reforzar su control". [seguir leyendo]

Welttag für freie Presse - Das sind die schlimmsten Feinde der Freiheit

02.05.2015 Von Antje Schippmann (BILD) - Das Recht auf freie Meinungsäußerung, die Freiheit der Meinung und der Presse wurden 1948 als grundlegende Menschenrechte festgelegt. Doch weltweit steht es sehr schlecht um sie.

Am „Internationalen Tag der Pressefreiheit“ (Sonntag, 3. Mai) wird weltweit derjenigen Journalisten und Blogger gedacht, die Verfolgung, Haft und Lebensgefahr in Kauf nehmen, weil sie für etwas kämpfen, was für uns selbstverständlich geworden ist.

In 20 Ländern sei die Lage „sehr ernst“, resümiert „Reporter ohne Grenzen“. Die schlimmsten zehn sind Laos, Somalia, Iran, Sudan, Vietnam, China, Syrien, Turkmenistan, Nordkorea und Eritrea.

BILD zeigt die Staatschefs, die das Recht auf freie Meinungsäußerung mit Füßen treten....

"Nguyen Phu Trong (Vietnam): In der sozialistischen Republik Vietnam gibt es laut Verfassung zwar Meinungsfreiheit, doch wird jede Kritik an der Regierung verfolgt, Themen wie Demokratie und Reformen sind tabu. Derzeit sind mehr als 30 Blogger und zwei Journalisten inhaftiert, ihnen werden Vorwürfe wie „Umsturz des Staates“ gemacht". [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Obama Praises Work of 3 Immigrant Journalists

02.05.2015 (VOA) - President Barack Obama met with three immigrant journalists at the White House Friday to praise them for their work ahead of World Press Freedom Day, May 3. In attendance: Dieu Cay (his pen name) a blogger from Vietnam recently released from prison; Lily Mengesha from Ethiopia who was harassed and detained for exposing the marrying off of young girls as child brides, and Fatima Tlisova, an ethnic Circassian from the North Caucasus region of Russia, who works for VOA's Russian Service. [read more]

Barack Obama dénonce les attaques contre la liberté de la presse

01.05.2015 (L'Express) - Washington - Le président Barack Obama a dénoncé vendredi les attaques contre la liberté de la presse à travers le monde, recevant trois journalistes originaires de pays qui "limitent sévèrement" cette composante "cruciale" de la démocratie: l'Ethiopie, le Vietnam et la Russie.

"Dans trop d'endroits à travers le monde, la presse libre est attaquée par des gouvernements qui veulent cacher la vérité ou qui n'ont pas confiance dans les citoyens pour décider par eux-mêmes", a déclaré M. Obama en présence du blogueur vietnamien Dieu Cay, de la journaliste russe Fatima Tlisova et de la journaliste éthiopienne Lily Mengesha.

A l'approche de la Journée mondiale de la liberté de la presse, dimanche, M. Obama a salué le rôle des journalistes qui "donnent une voix à ceux qui n'en ont pas, exposent les injustices et obligent les dirigeants comme moi à rendre des comptes". [en savoir plus]