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GENEVA — United Nations human rights experts have issued a strong condemnation of what they describe as intensifying repression against the Khmer Krom people in Vietnam, urging authorities to cease targeting Indigenous and religious minorities under vague security laws.
In a statement released Monday, the experts highlighted systemic harassment and criminalization of Khmer Krom rights defenders, including Theravada Buddhist monks, for peaceful efforts to promote cultural identity and religious freedom. They rejected claims that such expressions pose threats to national security or public order.
The report documents the arrest and sentencing of at least 17 individuals for exercising fundamental rights, including freedom of religion, expression, and peaceful assembly. Several detainees were allegedly tortured or mistreated during pretrial detention.
The crackdown centers on the Tro Nom Sek Temple in Vinh Long province, which has resisted integration into the state-sanctioned Vietnam Buddhist Sangha. Authorities have reportedly demolished parts of the temple, disrupted Khmer language instruction, and forcibly defrocked monks. Human rights defenders documenting these events have also been targeted.
UN experts called on Vietnam to uphold international human rights standards, end the use of ambiguous legal provisions against minority groups, and ensure detainees have access to legal counsel, family contact, and medical care.
The Khmer Krom, an Indigenous community in the Mekong Delta, have long reported discrimination and restrictions on religious and cultural practices. Similar concerns were raised with the Vietnamese government in 2021 and 2022.
Excerpts from jurist.org article by Anirudh Sharma | The West Bengal National U. of Juridical Sciences, IN
