The statement was made by Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga on April 5 while answering reporters’ question about Vietnam’s response to the Acting Deputy Spokesperson’s statement on the trial. 

“As the state of the rule of law, Vietnam handles law violations in accordance with regulations of the Vietnamese and international laws, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” she stressed. 

In Vietnam, citizens’ rights to freedom and democracy, including freedom of speech, are regulated clearly in the Constitution and other legal documents, Nga said, adding they are respected and enforced in reality. 

She also said that there is not a so-called ‘prisoner of consciousness’ in Vietnam.