HRW distorts Vietnam’s human rights

HRW’s latest report dated June 19 shields bloggers and other internet users who abused freedom of speech and saboteurs of national security and public order. The organization accuses Vietnam of tightly censoring the media and the internet, arresting dissidents, former prisoners of conscience, and bloggers.

Fabricated information

Human Rights Watch is based in the US and has offices in several countries. Its main activity is to connect human rights activists and organizations, collect documents, compile an annual report, and encourage individuals who “fight for human rights”. 

In fact, HRW’s reports have not referred to the official news sources of Vietnamese State agencies, organizations, and media, and UN organizations like UNDP, UNESCO, and the Human Rights Council, or international institutions like the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank. 

HRW’s reports are completely based on news sources which discriminate against Communist regimes. Its goal is to use human rights as a tool to weaken the regime led by the Communist Party of Vietnam. HRW blatantly interferes into Vietnam’s sovereignty by demanding that Vietnam end what it call “a crackdown on rights activists,” annul or amend articles of its Criminal Code, and institute a multi-party political system.

Vietnam respects and promotes human rights

The Vietnamese State’s unwavering policy is to protect and promote human rights in accordance with the Vietnamese Constitution, Vietnamese law, and international conventions of which Vietnam is a member. 

Since 2014, dozens of human rights-related legal documents have been approved in line with the 2013 Constitution, the Convention Against Torture (CAT), the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD), and the UN Convention on Human Rights. 

Vietnam also fulfills its international duties and commitments on human rights in its role as a member of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for the 2016-2018 tenure and the Executive Council of UNESCO for the 2015-2019 tenure, and by participating in a proactive and responsible manner in the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR).

In Vietnam, people’s lives steadily improve, and social organizations and the public are involved in oversight of law enforcement. Religious organizations enjoy favorable conditions. The media and the internet are growing robustly.

 Vietnam is one of the 20 countries in the world that have the largest number of internet users, ranking 8th in Asia, and 2nd in ASEAN. 50 million people (about half of Vietnam’s population) use the internet and exercise their freedom of speech through social media.

The Vietnamese State’s respect for and protection of human rights are an undeniable fact recognized by the world community. But Vietnam deals strictly with law breakers, who abuse freedom of speech to create social instability that is detrimental to national interests. HRW’s recent report on human rights in Vietnam is invalid because it is not based on objective data and goes against the interests of the Vietnamese people and pacifists around the world.