Dear all interested,

In the recent year, the Vietnamese Government has intensively suppressed the democratic and human rights voices in the country. Fundamental rights such as the right to speech freely, to think, and to react for defending own land properties and conscience, religious belief and the environment are extremely limited. Examples of these violations are listed below.

In light of these human rights violations, we need to support these voices about democracy and human rights. A coalition consisting of Vietnamese associations and individuals in Denmark; Support group for Human rights in Vietnam, will hold a seminar about human rights in Vietnam. 

Time: Friday, the 18th of September 2020, From 1 PM to 3.30 PM CEST
Place: Vesterbro Library & Culture House, Copenhagen, Denmark

The seminar has a limited capacity to 30 people for physical presence, due to the high infection pressure of COVID-19. However, the seminar will also be available via an online chat room for interested parties whom prefer online attendance.

Speakers and discussion panel with different aspects about human rights in Vietnam:
– Trine Christensen, General Secretary of Amnesty International Denmark
– Marianne Vind, Member of the European Parliament for The Danish Social Democrats
– Nguyen Van Dai, lawyer, human rights defender and former prisoner of conscience in Vietnam.
Moderator: Malene Haakansson, Press Manager, Amnesty International Denmark

Please sign up to the seminar on https://billetto.dk/e/441828

Please note “ON” after typing your name, for attending to the seminar online. A few days before the seminar, you will receive a link to the chat room for the seminar. The event is free.

Examples on violations of human rights that happened in Vietnam, in the recent years:

  • Land dispute cases; The government expropriates land properties to investment projects, without satisfying compensation to the landowners, e.g. in Thu Thiem, Tien Lang, Duong Noi with more, and the recent cases Loc Hung vegetable garden in 2019 and Dong Tam village 2020 (since 2016).
  • Economic development, foreign investment and resource utilization however, lack of sustainable development such as e.g. Bauxite mining on the central highlands (Tay Nguyen), pollution and drought in Mekong River and chemical spill from Formosa Ha Tinh Steel factory have resulted in serious consequences for the environment, coastal life, community and human life along the central coast. A young citizen journalist, Nguyen Van Hoa (born 1995) received a sentence of 7 years in 2017 for his video coverage of demonstrations and support to the victims of Formosa.
  • Religious belief being violated, when the state itself establishes state run religious organizations and imposes in all religious congregations to register and subject to the state administration. The Vietnamese authorities isolate and imprison prominent spiritual leaders with strong religious and nationalist faith, such as the Buddhist monks Thich Quang Do, Thich Huyen Quang and Thich Khong Tanh, catholic priests Nguyen Van Ly and Phan Van Loi, Protestant Pastor Nguyen Trung Ton, Nguyen Van Dien (Hoa Hao Buddhism) and Cao Dai’s Leader Hua Phi. Small local religions such as An Dan Dai Dao, different Protestant groups in The Central Highland, where members have been violated, followed, imprisoned, and these religious groups are about to be extinct. It should be mentioned that Thich Quang Do received many awards for human rights, among other Rafto Award in 2006 and nominated 9 times to the Nobel prize for his tireless work to promote justice, human rights and freedom of religion in Vietnam. He died in February this year, after many years of limited freedom of movement. Based on years of faith and religion violations in the country, the 5 largest religions and faiths established The Interfaith Council of Vietnam (Hoi Dong Lien Ton) and have since 2014 defended freedom of religion in the country. 
  • The intellectuals, writers, musicians, businessmen in the country such as e.g. Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, who is concerned about the development of the country has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for challenging the authorities to make a dialog on political and economic reforms.
  • Freedom of expression and press is suffocated, when the state’s official press is only allowed to convey news and opinions, from the Communist Party standpoint. The Vietnamese government has harassed, arrested and imprisoned independent journalists and bloggers, such as journalists Pham Chi Dung (the Vietnamese Independent Journalists Association) and Pham Doan Trang (The Liberal Publishing House). The Cyber security law which entered into force in January 2019, restricts people’s appearance on social media and networks. Since April this year, 4 more bloggers, writers and journalists have been arrested (Nguyen Tuong Thuy, Tran Duc Thach, Pham Thanh and Le Huu Minh Tuan). It is noted that this month (June) the Liberal Publishing House has received the International Publishers Association’s Prix Voltaire 2020, for members ’courage and sacrifice of their own everyday security to publish and distribute books on freedom and democratic values.
  • Vietnamese archipelagos, Paracel and Spratly Islands, have been annexed by China, with their unjustified “nine-dash line” requirement. The Chinese government is acting with increasingly aggressive behavior in the South China Sea. Vietnamese fishermen have been shot down in Vietnamese Sea by Chinese authorities. These incidents have happened without much resistance and backlash from the Vietnamese government. Many have been harassed, arrested and imprisoned for speaking up against the Chinese annexation of Vietnam’s land and sea, e.g. Nguyen Dang Minh Man. The 99-year land lease law for foreigners (mostly Chinese) has been quietly implemented, despite strong opposition from the people. These cases show that the Vietnamese government is more interested in caring for the good relationship with the government in Beijing than Vietnam’s sovereignty, the life of Vietnamese and the will of the people.
  • Those who spoke out for the above cases were persecuted and imprisoned with harsh sentences of up to 20 years in prison, as in the case of Le Dinh Luong, and members of the Brotherhood for Democracy such as Nguyen Trung Truc, Nguyen Bac Truyen, Pham Van Troi, and Nguyen Van Dai etc. The latter, Nguyen Van Dai, was released in 2017, and forced into exile in Germany. He will be among the speakers for the seminar. In May 2019, Amnesty International was able to confirm at least 128 prisoners of conscience in Vietnam. The real number is far higher according to several sources.

Help support and distribute these human rights voices to the global community.

Well met,

Support Group for Human Rights in Vietnam in Denmark
Contact person: Helena Huong Nguyen or Kim Huong Nguyen
Stotmenneskerettighedervn@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MenneskerettighederVN