Human Rights Recap for May 31st-June 14th, 2014: UN Human Rights Council in Session
In recent days, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that an imprisoned pastor, Nguyen Cong Chinh, has faced abuse at the hands of his prison guards after asking for better treatment for himself and his fellow prisoners.
Religious leaders in the country have sent a petition to the government asking for an end to harassment of these prisoners of conscience, including Nguyen Cong Chinh. RFA states, “The petition pointed also to increased incidents of “corruption and cuts in food rations, or asking for bribes from prisoners in exchange for better conditions.”
In international news, a UNESCO report on the role of media and freedom of expression in Asia highlights some of the larger trends now affecting the region, although specific country data is not directly included.
Additionally, the 26th session of the UN Human Rights Council is currently taking place and will last from June 10th to 27th. This session has incorporated some dialogue about Vietnam’s human rights violations. One report to the HRC is titled “Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on Viet Nam.”
On June 19th and 20th, the HRC will consider the final outcomes of its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) countries, which includes Vietnam. Vietnam will be considered on the 20th.
Moreover, there was a panel discussion on June 11th regarding the safety of journalists worldwide, and an annual report was also presented regarding the promotion of freedom of expression.
For a full schedule of the HRC session events, click here.
“In an open society, people feel free to blog. In a blocked society, we blog to be freer.” — A quote from Le Quoc Quan, taken from a The New Yorker article about blogging in Vietnam.
Act.
Let the HRC know your opinions about Vietnam’s human rights record. Follow #HRC26 on Twitter to join in on the updates and conversations surrounding the UN Human Rights Council session.
Also, English PEN has actions that you can take for Le Quoc Quan and Nguyen Xuan Nghia, two very influential imprisoned writers in Vietnam.
Tweet at us @The88Project to let us know what you think about #HRC26 and its stance on #Vietnam’s troubling track record. We want to hear from you!
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