Stress Need to Free Dissidents, Respect Religious Freedom, End Forced Labor
OCTOBER 29, 2012, New York – European Union President Herman Van Rompuy should publicly press Vietnam to release all political prisoners and detainees, respect freedom of religion, and abolish forced labor in drug detention centers during his visit from October 31 to November 2, 2012, Human Rights Watch said today.
Earlier in October Human Rights Watch sent a memo, summarized below, to the European Union outlining key recommendations on each of these issues. The memo includes the names of some political prisoners who should be immediately and unconditionally released.
“While Europe sees Vietnam as an important trading partner, President Van Rompuy should not relegate human rights to a secondary issue,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Right Watch. “Vietnam regularly imprisons its citizens for asking for democracy and the same freedoms that Europeans take for granted. Van Rompuy has an ethical obligation to make clear to the Vietnamese government that it cannot operate a repressive dictatorship without consequences for its relations with the EU.” Continue reading
Defend the Defenders 