There is no such thing as religious prisoners or political prisoners in Vietnam: Official
WVR - This assertion was made by Major General Nguyen Van Ky, Deputy Chief of the Permanent Office of the Government's Steering Committee for Human Rights while responding to questions regarding certain individuals who exploit democratic freedoms to violate Vietnamese law.
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Following the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (June 26), the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. House of Representatives requested Vietnam to release four individuals including Pham Thi Doan Trang, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Y Yich, and Y Pum Bya.
In a recent press briefing on the matter, Major General Nguyen Van Ky stated, "In Vietnam, there are no such entities as religious or political prisoners as some organizations and individuals have alleged in the past."
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| Major General Nguyen Van Ky, Deputy Chief of the standing office of the Government's Steering Committee for Human Rights. |
Convicting the right person with the right offense
Firstly, it must be affirmed that all Vietnamese citizens are equal before the law. No one is discriminated against in political, civil, economic, cultural, or social life. Equality before the law is a fundamental principle, institutionalized in numerous national documents.
Citizens have democratic freedoms but must operate within the legal framework. This is not unique to Vietnam; in any country, citizens must respect the law. Respecting and complying with legal regulations also means respecting the rights and duties granted to citizens by the law.
Any actions that violate the law, exploit individual freedoms to oppose the state, harm national interests, or infringe on the rights and interests of others are unacceptable and must be appropriately dealt with.
According to Major General Nguyen Van Ky, the cases of Pham Doan Trang, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Y Yich, and Y Pum Bya were handled appropriately by Vietnamese authorities. These individuals exploited their democratic freedoms to severely violate the interests of the state and the legal rights and interests of people, breaching specific laws. The arrest, investigation, prosecution, and trial of these individuals were conducted with strict adherence to legal procedures, being rigorous and impartial.
Therefore, the Deputy Chief of the Permanent office of the Government's Steering Committee for Human Rights believes that the actions of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. House of Representatives in demanding the release of these individuals are an interference in Vietnam's internal affairs, inconsistent with international law, lacking legal basis, and completely invalid.
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| In Vietnam, there is no such thing as religious prisoners or political prisoners. Defendant Pham Thi Doan Trang was sentenced to 9 years in prison for propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam during a trial on December 14, 2021. (Source: CAND) |
Undisputable achievements
The Party and the State of Vietnam consistently adhere to the policy of "respecting, ensuring, and protecting the rights and duties of citizens", according to the documents of the 13 th Party National Congress. All policy decisions are made in putting people at the center; all development achievements are aimed at ensuring the best human rights.
Vietnam has continuously achieved numerous milestones in ensuring human rights. These achievements have been widely publicized in Vietnam and highly regarded by many countries worldwide.
Despite this reality, hostile forces frequently distort and slander Vietnam, particularly focusing on the freedoms of speech, press, and religion.
With regard to freedom of speech and press, practice has shown that the Party and the State of Vietnam consistently facilitate conditions to ensure that the people's freedom of speech and press is exercised according to legal regulations.
This is an evidence by the fact that Vietnam ranks among the top countries in terms of internet users and social media engagement. As of early 2024, Vietnam had 78.44 million internet users, with an internet penetration rate of 79.1%. Vietnam had 72.70 million social media users as of January 2024, equivalent to 73.3% of the total population.
According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, by 2023, the country had 6 leading multimedia communication agencies, 127 newspapers, 671 magazines, and 72 radio and television stations. About 41,000 people were employed in the journalism sector, a sixfold increase from 2000.
Every citizen has the right to speak out and discuss concerning issues. These are clear, convincing proofs that freedom of speech and press in Vietnam is well protected.
Regarding freedom of religion and belief, the Party and the State of Vietnam consistently respect the freedom of religion and belief of the people; every citizen has the right to follow or not follow any religion or belief.
Vietnam currently recognizes 40 organizations from 16 religions with registered operations. The total number of religious followers is about 26.5 million, accounting for 27% of the population; there are more than 54,000 clergy, over 135,000 clerical positions, over 29,000 places of worship, and thousands of registered concentrated religious activity points.
It is an undeniable fact that in Vietnam, no one is imprisoned for exercising their freedom of speech, press freedom, nor are any religious or belief organizations operating according to the law prohibited. Cases that face criminal prosecution are those involved in actions that severely violate the law, harming the rights and interests of the state as well as individuals and organizations, causing public discontent.
The arrest and criminal prosecution of individuals who used the pretext of freedom of speech, press, and freedom of religion and belief to oppose the Party and the State, causing political instability, are in accordance with legal regulations.
Therefore, the intervention by organizations and individuals demanding the release of certain individuals deliberately denies Vietnam's human rights achievements, intentionally misrepresents the situation to accuse and distort Vietnam of violating democracy and human rights, thereby diminishing Vietnam's international reputation.
