Information about Vietnam

Reporters Without Borders has written to US assistant of state John Kerry before his formal visit to Hanoi for the twentieth anniversary associated with the resumption of diplomatic relations involving the US and Vietnam. The page asks him to hit the Vietnamese government to release all imprisoned journalists and bloggers and end hounding and attacking news and information providers.

United States Secretary of State John Kerry
Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington DC 20520
American

As you are planning to take a three-day official visit to Hanoi on August 6-8 to go over bilateral and regional dilemmas, as well as to attend the twentieth anniversary regarding the establishment of US-Vietnam diplomatic relations, Reporters Without Borders want to give out its problems about freedom of information in Vietnam, rated 175th out of 180 countries in our 2015 World Press Freedom Index. We'd additionally choose to ask you to improve the essential issue of freedom of information and of the press during your speaks with Deputy Prime Minister and international Minister Pham Binh Minh.

Vietnam remains one of the greatest prisons for journalists and resident reporters worldwide, with two journalists and twenty-six resident reporters currently behind taverns. Three bloggers, Le Thi Phuong Anh, Do Nam Trung and Pham Minh Vu, had been sentenced to 12 to eighteen months in jail on February 12, 2015 for “abusing democratic freedoms.” They certainly were arrested for making use of their particular Facebook reports to “disseminate content that incited and led to anti-state demonstrations, ” based on the legal. These “crimes” had been committed on 15 2014, as the bloggers were covering an anti-Chinese demonstration by South Asia water oil rig employees. The offending content contains 157 Twitter posts of articles and photos of demonstration which “insulted the status associated with state and Communist celebration and undermined the trust of the people, specially workers, pupils and young adults, within the celebration.”

The same argument ended up being regularly remove the Newspaper Nguoi Cao Tuoi (Elderly People) of its license in January of this 12 months. Proceedings had been started against its editor Kim Quoc Hoa, which before has gotten threats through the highest levels of government regarding the their coverage of corruption among senior officials.

Situations of harassment against reporters also have continued in Vietnam, especially during the 40th anniversary associated with the end of Vietnam War. On April 30, 2015, the separate reporter Pham Chi Dung and his family were targeted by Vietnamese police at his Ho Chi Minh City home. Dung, who's on Reporters Without Borders’ set of “information heroes”, complained to local Communist celebration assistant Le Thanh Hai and Ho Chi Minh City police main Nguyen Chi Thanh about the harassment and limitations on no-cost action he'd already been subjected to for months. Dung promotes news freedom and constantly criticizes the celebration’s control of the media, for which he always work. His instance is by no means isolated; numerous citizen reporters and bloggers were placed directly under close surveillance, subjected to intimidation and in some cases also outdone. House arrest steps were reinforced and independent reporters had been prevented from addressing anniversary festivities and demonstrations. In addition to crackdown on freedom regarding the press as well as appearance does not stop there. The occasions surrounding the anniversary regarding the end associated with war only highlight an over-all trend of repression, imprisonment, violence and intimidation in Vietnam.