|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
📍 Geneva, July 8, 2025 — Ahead of Vietnam’s fourth periodic review by the UN Human Rights Committee, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on UN member states to press the Vietnamese government for concrete reforms to end its crackdown on civil and political rights. The review, held on July 7–8, assesses Vietnam’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which it ratified in 1982.
🗣️ Key Recommendations from HRW
- Release all political prisoners
- Repeal laws criminalizing peaceful dissent, including Penal Code Articles 117 and 331
- Permit independent labor unions and unregistered religious groups
- End internet censorship and surveillance under Decree 147
HRW emphasized that vague legislative promises are insufficient and urged member states to demand measurable progress. The organization cited the arrest of citizen journalist Nguyen Chi Tuyen in August 2024 and the expanded censorship powers granted under Decree 147 as emblematic of Vietnam’s deteriorating rights environment.
📉 Legal Tools of Repression
- Article 117: Criminalizes dissemination of content deemed critical of the state
- Article 331: Penalizes “abuse” of democratic freedoms that allegedly harm state interests
These provisions have been increasingly used to silence activists, bloggers, and critics. HRW reports that over 170 political prisoners remain incarcerated for exercising basic freedoms.
📡 Digital Surveillance and Censorship Decree 147, enacted in November 2024, requires internet providers to monitor and remove content deemed illegal and mandates user identification for online services. Critics argue it expands the scope of repression beyond the 2018 Cybersecurity Law, threatening online expression and privacy.
📊 UN Committee’s 2019 Findings During Vietnam’s last review in 2019, the Human Rights Committee welcomed constitutional reforms but urged the government to revise legislation that violates Article 19 of the ICCPR, which protects freedom of expression. HRW now warns that repression has worsened since then.
For full details, see the original report from Jurist.
Excerpts from jurist.org article by Hannah Fang | HKU Faculty of Law, CN/HK
