The number of prisoners of conscience unjustly jailed across Viet Nam has surged by one third to 128 in signs of a growing crackdown on peaceful activism, new research by Amnesty International reveals today.
The Vietnamese government holds at least 128 prisoners of conscience in prisons across the country, a sharp rise from the 97 identified last year. Detention conditions remain appalling, with evidence of prisoners being tortured and otherwise ill-treated, routinely held incommunicado and in solitary confinement, kept in squalid conditions, and denied medical care, clean water, and fresh air.
The Vietnamese authorities are clearly becoming more thin-skinned by the day. It’s their own citizens who are paying the terrible price, simply because of something they said or someone they met.
In advance of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR), eight Vietnamese and international human rights organizations will host a side event on May 6, 2024 to shine a spotlight on the continuing human rights violations in Vietnam today.
Analysts say this month’s resignation of Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, one year into his five-year term, indicates infighting within the Communist Party and shakes the country’s reputation for political stability, a key driver of foreign investment.
ACAT France, Freedom House and Viet Tan
February 2, 2024
This submission to the Human Rights Committee (HCR) on Vietnam highlights violations of the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR – “the Covenant”) prior to the adoption of the List of Issues, for its 140th Session.
I would like to welcome those attending today’s briefing marking 50 years of China’s invasion and occupation of Vietnam’s Paracel Islands. I would also like to recognize the Viet Tan organization for their efforts in promoting civil society, empowering youth, and raising awareness about human rights violations in Vietnam.
