The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, OHCHR spokesperson Marta Hurtado made the following comments on Vietnam:
“We are deeply troubled by the detention of prominent environmental human rights defender Hoang Thi Minh Hong in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, on Wednesday this week. According to credible sources, Hoang and several colleagues were detained for questioning by the Police Division for Economics Crimes on Wednesday. While others were subsequently released and asked to return to the police station for further questioning, she was presented with a temporary detention order with charges of tax evasion,” she said.
Hoang is the fifth prominent environmental human rights defenders arrested in Viet Nam for tax evasion in the last two years. Dang Dinh Bach, arrested last year on the same charge, is currently serving a five-year prison sentence.
“Following the arrests of other human rights defenders, Hoang had closed her environmental organization, saying that she feared she would also be prosecuted. The chilling effect of such detentions is palpable among civil society in Viet Nam, and risks halting back debate on issues of importance to society as a whole,” Hurtado said.
Arrests of environmental human rights defenders are taking place amid Viet Nam’s stated commitments to a just and sustainable energy transition. For a truly just and sustainable energy transition, human rights defenders and environmental organizations must be able to participate freely and actively in shaping climate and environmental policies and decision-making.
“We are also deeply concerned about a broader trend of arrests, arbitrary detention, and disproportionate sentencing of journalists, bloggers, Facebook users, social activists, land rights defenders, human rights defenders and leaders of registered civil society organizations,” the spokesperson said.
“We have reports that at least 20 such individuals have been arrested so far this year, although the real figure may be higher. Over the past few years, UN human rights mechanisms have addressed the application of restrictive legislation, including vague anti-State propaganda charges against human rights defenders or victims, including those who engage with the UN,” she said.
There are also serious concerns about the independence of the judiciary, the right to fair trial, standards of treatment in detention, and the severity of sentences imposed on those prosecuted for exercising their fundamental rights, in particular the freedom of expression.
“We call on the Government of Viet Nam to review relevant laws to ensure their full compliance with international human rights standards. We also urge the authorities to promptly release all those arbitrarily detained, and to ensure that environmental advocates and other human rights defenders are protected and can participate meaningfully in decision-making, without being subjected to intimidation or legal harassment. This is a call that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has particularly emphasized to all States, as we mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this year.” she said.
ENDS
For more information and media requests, please contact:
Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org or
Liz Throssell + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org or
Marta Hurtado - + 41 22 917 9466 / marta.hurtadogomez@un.org
Tag and share
Twitter @UNHumanRights
Facebook unitednationshumanrights
Instagram @unitednationshumanrights
Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
- Exterior shot: Wide shot Palais des Nations
- Wide Shot: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Marta Hurtado, Spokesperson United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): “We are deeply troubled by the detention of prominent environmental human rights defender Hoang Thi Minh Hong in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, on Wednesday this week. According to credible sources, Hoang and several colleagues were detained for questioning by the Police Division for Economics Crimes on Wednesday. While others were subsequently released and asked to return to the police station for further questioning, she was presented with a temporary detention order with charges of tax evasion.”
- Cut aways: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Marta Hurtado, Spokesperson United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): “Following the arrests of other human rights defenders, Hoang had closed her environmental organization, saying that she feared she would also be prosecuted. The chilling effect of such detentions is palpable among civil society in Viet Nam, and risks holding back debate on issues of importance to society as a whole.”
- Cut aways: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Marta Hurtado, Spokesperson United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): “We are also deeply concerned about a broader trend of arrests, arbitrary detention, and disproportionate sentencing of journalists, bloggers, Facebook users, social activists, land rights defenders, human rights defenders and leaders of registered civil society organizations.”
- Cut aways: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Marta Hurtado, Spokesperson United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): “We have reports that at least 20 such individuals have been arrested so far this year, although the real figure may be higher. Over the past few years, UN human rights mechanisms have addressed the application of restrictive legislation, including vague anti-State propaganda charges against human rights defenders or victims, including those who engage with the UN.”
- Cut aways: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Marta Hurtado, Spokesperson United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): “We call on the Government of Viet Nam to review relevant laws to ensure their full compliance with international human rights standards. We also urge the authorities to promptly release all those arbitrarily detained, and to ensure that environmental advocates and other human rights defenders are protected and can participate meaningfully in decision-making, without being subjected to intimidation or legal harassment. This is a call that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has particularly emphasized to all States, as we mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this year.”
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence urges Iranian authorities to end violent repression and calls for accountability.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Gaza: A ceasefire that ‘still buries children’ is not enough, says UNICEF
Airstrikes, drone strikes and hypothermia are among the lethal conditions prevailing in Gaza despite the ceasefire, with more than 100 children killed since early October, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNICEF , OHCHR , OCHA , WHO , WMO
Michele Zaccheo, Chief, UNTV, Radio and Webcast Section, United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of United Nations Children's Fund, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
At the UN bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Marta Hurtado commented on the widespread repression and intimidation against political opposition ahead of the general elections in Uganda.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OCHA , UNICEF , OHCHR
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Children's Fund and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
Aid agencies marked 1,000 days of war in Sudan on Friday with a grim reminder that the conflict has created the world’s biggest hunger crisis and largest displacement emergency. Every day, civilians have been “paying the price for a war they did not choose”, said the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Ravina Shamdasani, UN Human Rights spokesperson, made the following comments at the bi-weekly press briefing of the United Nations on the United States’ intervention in Venezuela.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , OHCHR
Venezuela: US military intervention ‘far from victory for human rights’, makes world less safe – UN rights office
The UN rights office (OHCHR) on Tuesday expressed concern over the situation in Venezuela following the United States military operation and seizure of President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend, insisting that the move runs counter to international law and damages global security.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OCHA , OHCHR , UNHCR
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OCHA
U.S. Mission in Geneva hosts MOU signing and funding event with key humanitarian speakers.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNHCR , IOM , FAO , WHO , OCHA , UNICEF
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of the United Nations Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM
As fighting spreads across Sudan in a dangerous new escalation, "people are scared, people are fleeing their homes," the UN migration agency, IOM, said on Friday, noting that more than 50,000 people have fled attacks and violence since late October in Kordofan region alone.