Don't 'measure a gentleman's heart with a petty person's mind'

Distorted reports, far from reality

HRW accuses 2023 of being a bleak year for human rights in Vietnam. The report alleges that in 2023, Vietnam will expand its crackdown on civil society activists. The report accuses “the authorities of severely restricting basic rights, including freedom of expression and media, assembly, and association.”

The report cites unsubstantiated figures of human rights activists who have been tried and sentenced to long prison terms. Among them are Truong Van Dung, Nguyen Lan Thang, Tran Van Bang, Bui Tuan Lam and Dang Dang Phuoc. The report also alleges that bloggers and human rights activists have been subjected to threats, harassment, travel restrictions, arbitrary arrests and solitary confinement.

In particular, HRW also accused Vietnam of increasing its repression of civil society activists, such as arresting and trying “leading environmentalist Hoang Thi Minh Hong on trumped-up charges of tax evasion”; or “environmental activist Dang Dinh Bach”…

HRW also claims that the criminal justice system, including courts in Vietnam, lacks independence, and imposes long prison sentences on dissidents and civil society activists based on trumped-up national security charges...

Mr. Robertson, Deputy Asia Director of HRW continued to fabricate: “All civil and political rights, whether freedom of speech, right of assembly or right of association are being systematically violated by the Vietnamese government. The government has gone too far back on human rights, not following any international human rights conventions that it has ratified”!

Obviously, these are accusations that clearly show HRW’s prejudice against the political system in Vietnam. The annual reports of this organization are one-sided, fabricated, and “rehashing” false content.

Practice in Vietnam strongly refutes HRW's accusations

Denying these false accusations, on January 25, 2024, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang stated: “Vietnam completely rejects and condemns the so-called Human Rights Watch organization for its false and fabricated content in its report.”

Not only rejecting it through diplomatic rules, Vietnam also refuted HRW through its practice of caring for and protecting human rights. For decades, Vietnam has continuously built and perfected a socialist rule-of-law state of the people, by the people and for the people, actively and proactively integrating into the international community.

Vietnam's achievements and reputation in protecting human rights have been recognized and highly appreciated by the international community. Therefore, with a high number of votes, Vietnam was elected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the second term (2023-2025). By the end of 2023, Vietnam had ratified and joined most of the United Nations' basic conventions on human rights; joined 25 conventions of the ILO (International Labor Organization - a specialized agency of the United Nations related to labor issues) such as: International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD); International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR); International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR); Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)...

Vietnam is a responsible, active and progressive member of human rights. Even the United States is currently a country that has not yet ratified the 1989 International Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 1966 International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Meanwhile, Vietnam has committed to, implemented and considered it a political and legal responsibility.

Investigation, prosecution, trial, execution of sentences, arrest, detention, and rehabilitation are carried out strictly, democratically, transparently, limiting wrongful convictions and criminals, contributing to promoting socio-economic development and international integration. From there, people are guaranteed rights to employment, income, ownership, social security, the right to health care, the right to study, education, and the right to participate in cultural life. In particular, Vietnam is a country that respects and recognizes freedom of religion and belief. By 2023, Vietnam had granted registration of activities to 43 organizations of 16 religions, with over 26.5 million followers, accounting for 27% of the population, more than 54,000 dignitaries, over 135,000 officials and nearly 30,000 places of worship...

Vietnam's achievements in human rights are undeniable, yet HRW still turns a blind eye, distorts and slanders Vietnam in a completely denying manner.

Not only for Vietnam, HRW also has one-sided reports on the human rights situation in many countries around the world. Therefore, HRW is increasingly boycotted; the reports and reports on human rights of this organization are often considered by the foreign ministries of many countries to be untrue, politically colored and subjectively imposed. Russia, China, Thailand, Singapore, Cuba, Sri Lanka, North Korea, Ethiopia, Syria, etc. continuously reject, oppose and criticize HRW's reports. Many countries have even "banned" HRW's website because this organization often disguises itself as a "human rights monitor" to propagate distortions, disseminate false information, incite, and violate national security regulations.

Even in the United States - where HRW was born - they boycotted HRW; Mr. Geoffrey Corn - Professor of Law at South Texas College of Law Houston, member of the Center for Defense & Strategy of the Jewish Institute for National Security of the United States (JINSA), wrote an article exposing HRW's false reports and asserted: "HRW did not possess the facts, was heavily speculative and had many errors".

Obviously, for a discredited organization like HRW to openly report on human rights in Vietnam is like "measuring a gentleman's heart with a petty person's heart."