Recognized NGO Freedom House ranks Vietnam according to the Freedom House for the 20th place since the end. In the Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders, the country ranks 175th out of 180 states, and the international NGO Human Rights Watch describes the situation as "disastrous" in Vietnam .
In a country where political power is firmly in the hands of the Communist Party, the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion is strongly suppressed. A person who warns of something is threatening to be intimidated, violent and imprisoned. Every year, dozens of activists are arrested on the basis of vaguely defined laws, sometimes punishable by the death penalty, such as Article 79 of the Criminal Code on " activities aimed at the overthrow of the People 's Government ." This applies especially to those who associate in informal Organizations and have links to foreign affairs - bloggers and organizers of independent courses or human rights discussion platforms.
For example, on 15 May, the Catholic and activist Hoàng Đức Bình was arrested in Vietnam for blogging about the situation in the area affected by the environmental disaster and helping the local population, and was accused of "abusing democratic freedoms." Well-known businessman, blogger and prisoner of conscience, Trần Huỳnh Duy Thuc, on May 24th, was serving half of his sixteen-year sentence as "an act of overthrowing the people's administration, " ie writing texts about needed reforms and associating with people of similar minds.
On May 2, Le Mỹ Hạnh was assaulted and beaten by an unconscious in her own apartment. One of the attackers recorded the whole scene on a video that was then published on the facebook profile of this man with the threat of dissidents. The police did not investigate the matter properly. This is just one of the many cases when the police are hiring criminals to intimidate activists and provocate demonstrations. This time, however, an error occurred and the video was viewed by tens of thousands of people. (See HERE for a video.)
"We share experience with the Communist regime with Vietnam and there are ties between the two countries, so we decided to start supporting local activists for a long time," says Sylva Horáková.
People in Need is active in Vietnam since 2015. It focuses on supporting small civic initiatives that recognize human rights and democratic values, promotes their growth, mutual convergence, and links to larger organizations or institutions. The aim is to make their activities more effective, to contribute to their recognition by local authorities and to provide them with links with foreign countries.
Source: tz ČvT
