CIVICUS welcomes the first report of the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children and congratulates her innovative road map to implement her mandate. We also welcome the report of the Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights and want to address her country report on Vietnam in conjunction with the country report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion as well as the section on Vietnam in the High Commissioners report.
We concur with Farida Shaheed’s conclusion that the top-down approach in the design and implementation of government policies in the area of culture and religion coupled with restrictions on the right to freedom of expression, including artistic freedoms, are significant obstacles to the implementation of cultural and religious rights in the country.
Allowing for a plurality of voices in historical narratives and in the arts is necessary, as is the freedom of independent religious communities. Constant surveillance, intimidation, harassment and persecution are counterproductive to a constructive dialogue and cooperation with the Government.
More specifically, our partners on the ground testify that religious practitioners in VietNam do not have the freedom to practice their faith and artists are not free to openly publicize their work. They are also prohibited from establishing publishing houses and media outlets, or operating radio and television stations. Their websites are also frequently blocked. Moreover, religious groups cannot own real estate and land grabs have occurred involving the Cao Dai Church and Vietnamese United Buddhist Church. They do not have freedom to conduct ceremonies, assemblies, fundraising or training events. They face harassment, arrest and detention on spuriously or vaguely defined crimes such as “disseminating materials deemed to oppose the government”, or “promoting reactionary ideas”.
Members of CIVICUS delegation to last year’s Vietnam’s UPR Review have been subjected to harassment and interrogation when they returned to Vietnam. Their passports have been confiscated and one member was severely beaten. Reprisals are therefore real and continuing in Vietnam.
We ask Farida Shaheed to elaborate on how a more constructive dialogue between the government and civil society can be created. We also urge the Council to address these issues and ensure that Vietnam meets its international obligations and implement recommendations it has committed to. Thank you
