On 10 June, ARTICLE 19 joined 13 civil society and human rights organisations in sending a letter to the Presidents of the UN Human Rights Council and European Parliament concerning the recent arrest of journalists, bloggers, and human rights defenders in Vietnam.
The letter raised concerns about the arrests of Pham Chi Dung, Tran Duc Thach, Pham Chi Thanh, and Ngyuen Tuong Thuy. All four had been vocal critics of Vietnamese government policies. The arrests follow the conclusion of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement. During negotiations about the agreement, the Vietnamese government made commitments to defend human rights. The signatories to the letter called on the Human Rights Council to request that the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression be allowed to visit the country to assess the situation for bloggers and human rights defenders and the European Parliament to organize a public hearing on the human rights situation in Vietnam, among other actions.
Read the letter in Vietnamese.