Ensuring and promoting human rights is the consistent policy of the Vietnamese State, which has been implemented in line with Vietnam’s Constitution and law, as well as international conventions on human rights to which Vietnam is a member, said the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang. 

Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang.

Hang made the statement at the ministry’s regular press conference in Hanoi on April 5, in response to reporters’ queries regarding some human rights organisations voicing their condemnation of the trial on April 5, 2018 for six defendants accused of “trying to overthrow the people’s administration”. 

She said Vietnam rejected the inaccurate and subjective information provided by these organizations, affirming that “in Vietnam, there are neither so-called “prisoners of conscience” nor arrests of people who have freely expressed their own opinions.” 

Like in other countries worldwide, in Vietnam, all violations of law will be strictly handled in line with legal regulations, the spokesperson said.

Hang emphasised that Vietnam’s efforts and achievements in ensuring and promoting human rights over the past years have been widely acknowledged by the international community.

According to the indictment of the Supreme People’s Procuracy, from March 2013 to July 2017, Nguyen Van Dai, Pham Van Troi, Nguyen Trung Ton and Nguyen Bac Truyen initiated and established the “Hoi anh em dan chu” (Brotherhood for Democracy) organisation. They built the organisation’s platform, statutes and regulations and also steered its activities.

Dai and his accessories induced Truong Minh Duc, Le Thu Ha and some others to set up representative offices and a website of the organisation and build a “brief platform” of “Hoi anh em dan chu”. This organisation had a strict structure, strategies for internal and external affairs, and activities to develop its membership.

The indictment said the defendants took advantage of fighting for “democracy, human rights” and “civil society” to conceal the purposes of “Hoi anh em dan chu”. They connected with domestic and foreign organisations and illegal organisations in Vietnam to seek overseas support and financial aid and conduct propaganda against the State, aiming that when their force was strong enough and the time was right, they would publicly confront the administration and change the political regime in Vietnam so as to build a regime of “pluralism, multiparty” and “separation of powers” and topple the people’s administration.

According to the Supreme People’s Procuracy, Nguyen Van Dai was the mastermind and acted as the second Vice President of “Hoi anh em dan chu”. He built the platform of the organisation, engaged in discussing and planning operation methods and developing the force, and induced Le Thu Ha to take part.

Dai was also accused of training and instructing other members about methods and experience of implementing activities, setting up schemes and contacting foreign organisations and individuals to call for donation, and receiving 71,726 USD and 9,161 EUR financed for activities of “Hoi anh em dan chu”. He was accused of conducting propaganda against the State.

Meanwhile, Pham Van Troi founded and acted as President of “Hoi anh em dan chu”, held positions in charge of the organisation’s activities in the northern region, and built the platform. He was accused of discussing and planning development of the organisation’s membership, inducing six people to join “Hoi anh em dan chu”, and guiding other members about methods and experience of implementing activities.

Troi was also accused of being in charge of the fund of “Hoi anh em dan chu”, directing the organisation’s members to oppose the National Assembly election in May 2016, and conducting anti-State propaganda.-VNA