Climate Activist Detained: US and United Nations Decry Suppression of Free Speech in Vietnam

Photo Source - Google

Seeing this as a suppression of free speech, the US and United Nations have criticized the detention of a prominent climate activist by the Vietnamese government.

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On Wednesday, Hoang Thi Minh Hong, founder of the NGO Change, was taken into custody in Ho Chi Minh City.

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Calling on Vietnam to respect the human rights of those detained, the US Department of State expressed concern over the detention of Hoang Thi Minh Hong.

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According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Hong was arrested while others were released.

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Vietnamese police have accused prominent environmental activist Hoang Thi Minh Hong of tax evasion, a charge criticized as politically motivated.

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Nam Hoang, the husband of Hong, and a former staff member of Change were also detained but later released.

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Human Rights Watch leader Phil Robertson describes Vietnam’s selective use of tax law to target environmentalists as a troubling development.

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The US and the United Nations both view these detentions as part of a broader trend of suppressing free speech in Vietnam.

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Needing to protect freedom of expression and association, Hong’s case highlights the risks faced by environmental activists in Vietnam.

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