'Discordant Voice' Intentionally Distorting the Situation in Vietnam

Every year, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) releases a so-called World Report, deliberately distorting the situation of human rights implementation in many countries, including Vietnam. This year is no different, the 761-page 2021 World Report of Human Rights Watch (HRW) has many incorrect contents, which are inconsistent with the reality in Vietnam. We resolutely reject this distortion.

The public is all too familiar with the so-called “Annual World Report” or “Annual Report” released by Human Rights Watch (HRW). In the 2021 report that they claim to update and evaluate the human rights situation of hundreds of countries around the world, as usual, Human Rights Watch continues to wear the “judge’s robe” to judge the human rights issue in Vietnam.

In fact, the World Report 2021 has nothing new. It is still the same baseless accusations about the so-called “Vietnam increasing repression against those advocating for basic civil and political rights”; or the so-called “Vietnam fears democracy, independent media and freedoms”.

In this report, Human Rights Watch continues to cover up and tolerate those who abuse freedom of speech, press, and use social networks to violate national security and social order, and promote propaganda against the country and the achievements of our entire nation's innovation, including names such as Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, Le Huu Minh Tuan - who claim to be journalists of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam; or Pham Thi Doan Trang, who claims to be a famous writer-blogger...

It must be affirmed that in Vietnam there are absolutely no so-called “activists and dissidents” who are arrested and tried. In Vietnam, only citizens who violate Vietnamese law are arrested, prosecuted and tried, such as Nguyen Tuong Thuy, who, in his self-proclaimed role as Vice President of the so-called “Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam”, regularly criticizes and distorts the Party’s guidelines and policies, the State’s policies and laws; calls for pluralism and multi-party system, posted on his personal blog; personal Facebook page and website of the “Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam”; or Pham Thi Doan Trang, who, due to the influence and enticement of anti-regime ideologies, participated in protests, disrupting security and order…

Obviously, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, Pham Thi Doan Trang... or many other subjects who consider themselves democrats or dissidents, who violate the law, must be punished. This is the correct and necessary action because violating the law cannot be tolerated in any country. Even in the US, recently, when a leader made statements and actions that incited the crowd, American public opinion reacted strongly, and even the leader's account was permanently locked. Also in this incident, many American politicians and citizens spoke up, demanding strict punishment for extremists, troublemakers, and those who violated the US political system. That is to say, Human Rights Watch has deliberately provided ambiguous information, completely misjudging the human rights situation in Vietnam. This organization has interfered in the internal affairs of a country, violating international standards.

In fact, the Vietnamese State always respects and ensures democratic rights and human rights, including freedom of speech and expression of opinions. Human rights are clearly and specifically stipulated in the Constitution and laws of Vietnam; ensuring human rights is a consistent policy of the Party and State of Vietnam; human rights and citizens' rights in terms of politics, civil, economic, cultural and social are recognized, respected, protected and guaranteed under the Constitution. All citizens have the right to equality, freedom of speech and freedom of the press within the framework of the law. The quality of life and income of the Vietnamese people have been improved.

Especially in 2020, the people fully supported and joined hands with the Party and State of Vietnam to successfully control and prevent the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing significantly to Vietnam achieving positive growth of 2.91%. If Vietnam violated human rights, did not listen to the people, and did not care for the interests of the people, would it be able to do this?

According to the report of the website "We are social", in 2020, Vietnam had more than 68 million people using the internet (accounting for 70% of the population) for the purpose of livelihood, learning, direct entertainment, expression and exercise of their human rights, including civil and political rights such as contributing opinions to draft policy documents, laws, and Party Congress documents. Therefore, there is no such thing as Vietnam violating human rights or "arresting dissidents" as the baseless accusations of Human Rights Watch.

Human Rights Watch has repeatedly released biased and inaccurate information about Vietnam; encouraged opposition groups and violations of Vietnamese law. Their hasty conclusion that “2020 is another terrible year for human rights in Vietnam” is completely untrue and unacceptable. The Vietnamese people are well aware of theseHuman Rights Watch's evil motives, they do not aim for the good values ​​of people's lives, but in fact they just want to take advantage of so-called human rights violations as an excuse to interfere in the internal affairs of Vietnam and sovereign nations./.