Mr. President,
Human Rights Watch welcomes Vietnam’s acceptance of recommendations to ratify the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise. But ratification is only the first step. Vietnam needs to demonstrate that it respects the rights to freely associate and organize by allowing genuinely independent labor unions.
Although Vietnam boasted that as of December 2022, it had “72,000 associations” and “125,000 grass-roots trade unions,” it failed to mention that virtually all of these associations and unions are controlled by the government.
We are gravely disappointed that among the 49 recommendations not accepted by Vietnam, many of them are directly related to human rights defenders, including several calling for the release of human rights defenders imprisoned for exercising their fundamental rights. As of September 2024, Vietnam had at least 171 political prisoners and at least 21 political detainees pending trial—all of whom were prosecuted for the peaceful exercise of their civil and political rights.
In addition, Vietnam has rejected recommendations to revise rights-violating articles 117 (spreading information against the state) and 331 (abusing democratic freedoms) of its Penal Code, which Vietnamese authorities frequently use to silence critics. During the first nine months of 2024, courts convicted and sentenced at least 28 people under these two provisions. Vietnam also rejected recommendations to repeal legal provisions that restrict the rights to freedom of expression, and a recommendation to ratify the Convention Against Enforced Disappearance.
Vietnam did not accept a recommendation to “immediately end forced renunciations of faith,” saying that it did “not reflect the reality in Vietnam.” But Vietnamese authorities have said that they have “persuaded” people to “voluntarily renounce evil religions.” The government does not recognize about 140 religious organizations, many of which the authorities label “evil.” In addition to forced renunciation of faith, members of these religious groups (tà đạo) are subject to intrusive surveillance, harassment, intimidation, public criticism, physical assault, arrest, and lengthy imprisonment.
Vietnam even rejected a recommendation to immediately end all retaliation against people who cooperate with the United Nations on human rights issues, saying it also did “not reflect the reality in Vietnam,” even though such retaliation has been documented by the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Finally, as a true indication that its pledges to improve human rights remain empty promises, Vietnam rejected all recommendations related to the possibility of establishing an independent national human rights institution in accordance with the Paris Principles.
Human Rights Watch urges Vietnam to fulfill its international human rights obligations by ensuring the full and unhindered enjoyment of the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, and cease all forms of harassment, intimidation and retaliation against human rights defenders.
