March 4, 2015

Vietnam Works to Ensure Human Rights for People: Deputy FM

by • [Human Rights]

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The communist government in Vietnam has continued to tighten control over the media and the judiciary, as well as political and religious institutions, said the Amnesty International, adding scores of prisoners of conscience, including bloggers, labor and land rights activists, political activists, religious followers, members of ethnic groups and advocates for human rights and social justice, remained imprisoned in harsh conditions after unfair trials in previous years.
By Vu Quoc Ngu | Mar 04, 2015
Vietnam has been doing its utmost to ensure the human rights and freedoms for its population, said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Cuong when addressing the high level segment of the 28th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 3.
In his speech, Mr. Cuong affirmed that Vietnam has placed the protection and promotion of human rights and freedoms one of the three pillars of the Doi Moi (Renovation) and its national development.
Vietnam has been implementing actively, proactively and with the highest level of responsibility its Universal Periodic Review’s accepted recommendations, as well as the voluntary pledges it had made in support of its candidacy to the council, he noted.
As a demonstration of its strong commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights in accordance with the international standards, in 2014, Vietnam ratified the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, presented its National Report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, he said.
At present, Vietnam is intensively preparing for its National Report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women.
“Our highest priority currently is to improve the legal system, policies and institutions to ensure the protection and promotion of human rights, particularly build legislations on human rights to implement the Constitution as amended in 2013,” he said.
Vietnam supports dialogues and cooperation, upholds international laws, promotes consensus, works to reduce confrontation and imposition of opinion in discussions at the council, he added.
Meanwhile, the New York-based Amnesty International, in its 2014/2015 Report released on Feb 25, said Vietnam has continued to impose “severe restrictions on freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly.”
The communist government in Vietnam has continued to tighten control over the media and the judiciary, as well as political and religious institutions, said the Amnesty International, adding scores of prisoners of conscience, including bloggers, labor and land rights activists, political activists, religious followers, members of ethnic groups and advocates for human rights and social justice, remained imprisoned in harsh conditions after unfair trials in previous years.
New arrests and trials of bloggers and human rights activists took place. The authorities attempted to curtail the activities of unauthorized civil society groups through harassment, surveillance and restrictions on freedom of movement. Security officers harassed and physically attacked peaceful activists, and held them in short-term detention, the human right body noted.
The death penalty was retained for a wide range of offences, it added.
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