Geneva,
Paris, May 22, 2017: Vietnamese authorities must stop harassing human rights
defenders and allow them to exercise their fundamental right to freedom of
expression, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (an
FIDH-OMCT partnership) said today.
“It
is unacceptable that Vietnamese authorities treat individuals who merely seek
to improve their professional skills as dangerous criminals. Vietnam’s
relentless crackdown on human rights defenders must end,”
said FIDH President Dimitris Christopoulos.
Last
week, Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security prevented a workshop on information
management from taking place in Hanoi and warned that if the participants went
ahead with the event, there would be “serious consequences”. Approximately 20
human rights defenders, bloggers, and independent journalists were expected to
attend the workshop.
On
the morning of May 20, 2017, police prevented several persons who were expected
to participate from leaving their homes in Hanoi and a large group of officers
were deployed just outside the workshop’s venue. As a result of the severe
restrictions and serious risks faced by the participants, the organizers
decided to cancel the event.
“The
Vietnamese Government must uphold its human rights obligations and ensure that
human rights defenders are able to carry out their activities without hindrance. Vietnamese authorities should encourage,
not criminalize, capacity building initiatives for their civil society,” said OMCT Secretary General Gerald Staberock.
The
Observatory condemns the ongoing attacks, threats, and acts of harassment and
intimidation against human rights defenders across Vietnam. The Observatory
urges the authorities to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms in
accordance with international human rights instruments ratified by Vietnam.
The
right to freedom of expression is guaranteed by Article 19 of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Article 19 states that everyone
has the right to freedom of expression, which includes “freedom to seek,
receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds […].” Vietnam is a State
party to the ICCPR.
The
Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was
created in 1997 by FIDH and OMCT. The objective of this programme is to prevent
or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH and
OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights
Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.
For more
information, please contact:
• FIDH:
Samuel Hanryon: +33 6 72 28 42 94 / Audrey Couprie: +33 6 48 05 91 57
• OMCT: Delphine Reculeau: +41 22 809 49 39
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