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Dienstag, 29. Januar 2013
Reporters sans frontieres
Montag, 28. Januar 2013
Vietnam startet eigene Produktion von Gift für Todesspritzen
Vietnam will das Gift für Todesspritzen künftig selbst herstellen. Das kündigte der Minister für öffentliche Sicherheit, Tran Dai Quang, laut einem Bericht der Zeitung „Tuoi Tre“ (Donnerstag-Ausgabe) an. Nach Angaben Vietnams hatte die Europäische Union die Lieferung bestimmter Chemikalien aus Protest gegen die Todesstrafe verhindert.
Seit 2011 beschränkt die EU die Ausfuhr von Arzneistoffen, die in höherer Dosierung auch für die Hinrichtung von Menschen verwendet werden können. Da Arzneien in einigen Ländern für die Todesstrafe zweckentfremdet werden, besonders durch tödliche Überdosierungen per Injektion, unterliegt die Ausfuhr solcher Stoffe einer strengen Prüfung.
Die Todesstrafe wird in Vietnam bei Mord, Vergewaltigung von Kindern und Drogenschmuggel verhängt.
Seit Juli 2011 werden Verurteilte nicht mehr vor Erschießungskommandos gestellt, sondern mit Giftspritzen hingerichtet.
Weil die nötigen Chemikalien fehlen, ist die Todesstrafe seit anderthalb Jahren nicht mehr vollstreckt worden. Mehr als 500 Menschen sitzen in den Todeszellen.
Publiziert am 24.01.2013
Prozess in Vietnam: 22 Dissidenten droht die Todesstrafe
SIEGEL ONLINE
28. Januar 2013, 10:42 Uhr
Prozess in Vietnam
22 Dissidenten droht die Todesstrafe
Hanoi - Bürgerrechtler in Vietnam sprechen vom größten politischen Prozess seit Jahren:
22 Aktivisten haben angeblich die kommunistische Regierung provoziert und müssen sich vor Gericht im Süden des Landes verantworten.
Die Gruppe ist staatlichen Medien zufolge angeklagt, regierungskritische Papiere verbreitet zu haben.
In der Anklage ist es so formuliert: Die Dissidenten hätten Misstrauen gegen die Kommunistische Partei säen und andere zum Sturz der Regierung anstacheln wollen.
Sie sind zudem angeklagt, Mitglieder einer politischen Organisation zu sein und dafür Geld aus dem Ausland erhalten zu haben.
Nguyen Tan Xe, der Vater eines Aktivisten, sagte dem vietnamesischen Dienst von "Radio Free Asia", die Organisation Hoi Dong Cong An Bia Son setze sich lediglich für Moral und gute zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen ein. Die Gruppe wurde in den sechziger Jahren als religiöse Vereinigung gegründet.
Die Kommunisten lösten sie nach dem Fall von Saigon - später in Ho Chi Minh City umbenannt - im Jahr 1975 auf.
Das Gericht in der Stadt Phu Yen wollte innerhalb von fünf Tagen ein Urteil fällen, sagte ein Sprecher.
Vietnam geht seit Monaten verschärft gegen Dissidenten vor. Vor wenigen Wochen wurden 14 Aktivisten zu Gefängnisstrafen von bis zu 13 Jahren verurteilt.
kgp/dapd/dpa
Spiegel Online
28. Januar 2013, 10:42 Uhr
Prozess in Vietnam
22 Dissidenten droht die Todesstrafe
Hanoi - Bürgerrechtler in Vietnam sprechen vom größten politischen Prozess seit Jahren:
22 Aktivisten haben angeblich die kommunistische Regierung provoziert und müssen sich vor Gericht im Süden des Landes verantworten.
Die Gruppe ist staatlichen Medien zufolge angeklagt, regierungskritische Papiere verbreitet zu haben.
In der Anklage ist es so formuliert: Die Dissidenten hätten Misstrauen gegen die Kommunistische Partei säen und andere zum Sturz der Regierung anstacheln wollen.
Sie sind zudem angeklagt, Mitglieder einer politischen Organisation zu sein und dafür Geld aus dem Ausland erhalten zu haben.
Nguyen Tan Xe, der Vater eines Aktivisten, sagte dem vietnamesischen Dienst von "Radio Free Asia", die Organisation Hoi Dong Cong An Bia Son setze sich lediglich für Moral und gute zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen ein. Die Gruppe wurde in den sechziger Jahren als religiöse Vereinigung gegründet.
Die Kommunisten lösten sie nach dem Fall von Saigon - später in Ho Chi Minh City umbenannt - im Jahr 1975 auf.
Das Gericht in der Stadt Phu Yen wollte innerhalb von fünf Tagen ein Urteil fällen, sagte ein Sprecher.
Vietnam geht seit Monaten verschärft gegen Dissidenten vor. Vor wenigen Wochen wurden 14 Aktivisten zu Gefängnisstrafen von bis zu 13 Jahren verurteilt.
kgp/dapd/dpa
Bloggerin Ta Phong Tan wird für Freedom of Expression Awards 2013 nominiert
Bloggerin Ta Phong Tan wird für Freedom of Expression Awards 2013 nominiert
25.01.2013 (Forum Vietnam 21) - Die britische Organisation Index on Censorship hat für ihren Freedom of Expression Awards 2013 die vietnamesische Bloggerin Ta Phong Tan zusammen mit dem grieschischen Journalist Kostas Vaxevanis, dem ägytischen Medienkollektiv Mosireen und Sadiye Eser mit den türkischen Journalisten in der Kategorie Journalismus nominiert.
Ta Phong Tan war früher Polizistin und arbeitete seit 2004 als freie Journalistin.
Im Jahr 2006 begann sie in ihrem eigenen Weblog „Gerechtigkeit und Wahrheit“ ("Công Lý và Sự Thật") über soziale Probleme zu berichten. Später schrieb sie über Machtmissbrauch und Willkür der vietnamesischen Polizei.
Jahrelang war sie immer wieder verhört und vorübergehend festgenommen worden, bis sie im September 2011 verhaftet wurde.
Wegen "Propaganda gegen den Staat" wurde Ta Phong Tan im Demzember 2012 zu zehn Jahren Haft und drei Jahre Hausarrest nach Freilassung verurteilt, in dem selben Prozess sind auch die zwei Blogger Nguyen Hoang Hai alias Dieu Cay (zwölf Jahre Haft und fünf Jahre Hausarrest nach Freilassung) und Phan Thanh Hai alias AnhBaSG (vier Jahre Haft und drei Jahre Hausarrest nach Freilassung) verurteilt worden.
Index on Censorship ist eine internationale Organisation zum Schutz der Meinungsfreiheit und Pressefreiheit mit Sitz in London, Großbritannien. Die Organisation vergibt jährlichen den "Preis der freien Meinungsäusserung" zu Ehren der Schriftsteller, Journalist und Blogger in der Welt, die wegen ihren Einsatz für Gerechtigkeit verfolgt werden. Die Nominierung wird am 27. Januar 2013 geschlossen. Die Verleihung des Freedom of Expression Awards 2013 findet am 21. März 2013 in London statt. [tiếng Việt]
Ta Phong Tan war früher Polizistin und arbeitete seit 2004 als freie Journalistin.
Im Jahr 2006 begann sie in ihrem eigenen Weblog „Gerechtigkeit und Wahrheit“ ("Công Lý và Sự Thật") über soziale Probleme zu berichten. Später schrieb sie über Machtmissbrauch und Willkür der vietnamesischen Polizei.
Jahrelang war sie immer wieder verhört und vorübergehend festgenommen worden, bis sie im September 2011 verhaftet wurde.
Wegen "Propaganda gegen den Staat" wurde Ta Phong Tan im Demzember 2012 zu zehn Jahren Haft und drei Jahre Hausarrest nach Freilassung verurteilt, in dem selben Prozess sind auch die zwei Blogger Nguyen Hoang Hai alias Dieu Cay (zwölf Jahre Haft und fünf Jahre Hausarrest nach Freilassung) und Phan Thanh Hai alias AnhBaSG (vier Jahre Haft und drei Jahre Hausarrest nach Freilassung) verurteilt worden.
Index on Censorship ist eine internationale Organisation zum Schutz der Meinungsfreiheit und Pressefreiheit mit Sitz in London, Großbritannien. Die Organisation vergibt jährlichen den "Preis der freien Meinungsäusserung" zu Ehren der Schriftsteller, Journalist und Blogger in der Welt, die wegen ihren Einsatz für Gerechtigkeit verfolgt werden. Die Nominierung wird am 27. Januar 2013 geschlossen. Die Verleihung des Freedom of Expression Awards 2013 findet am 21. März 2013 in London statt. [tiếng Việt]
Sonntag, 27. Januar 2013
In Vietnam, Anti-China Protests Get Creative
Marianne Brown VOA
January 25, 2013
HANOI — In the face of growing constraints on freedom of speech by Vietnamese authorities, protesters who oppose Chinese policies and trade practices are finding inventive ways to express themselves.
With stories of carcinogenic bras and toxic apples from China prevalent in the Vietnamese media, many people try to avoid buying Chinese goods. However, a few have taken it one step further and are using consumer choice as a way to express their political views.
Paulo Nguyen Thanh manages the website No China Shop, which allows reputable local producers to sell strictly made-in-Vietnam products ranging from handbags to organic vegetables. He says he has two kinds of customers, those who are concerned about the ill effects of substandard goods and those who want to express their patriotism.
The site is one-of-a-kind in Vietnam, Thanh says, but is already proving popular. In two days he says the website sells around 4,000 items.
Thanh says Chinese products account for 95 percent of goods on the Vietnamese market. He says many people would rather buy products that are not made in China but they cannot find an alternative.
One of his latest offerings is a special kind of envelope, known as "bao li xi", which is filled with money and given as a gift during the Lunar New Year festival.
Along with the traditional new year message, the design includes a map of Vietnam and the words: “Hoang Sa, Truong Sa, Vietnam,” - the Paracel and Spratly islands belong to Vietnam. China claims the islands and much of the surrounding sea.
Thanh was among a group of people who took part in anti-China protests in June.
He says while shopping in supermarkets he noticed that nearly all of Tet envelopes were imported from China with Chinese lettering. He says Tet is a Vietnamese holiday so the design should be in Vietnamese.
Jonathan London, Vietnam expert and assistant professor at City University Hong Kong, says complaints about Chinese sabotage of Vietnam’s economy are literally thousands of years old. However, part of the recent boycott movement has been inspired by aggressive Chinese foreign policy.
In recent months authorities detained protesters at an anti-China rally, jailed 13 Catholic activists and arrested high profile activist lawyer Le Quoc Quan, moves interpreted by some as part of an increasing crackdown on freedom of speech.
London says in this restrictive atmosphere, consumption is one way for Vietnamese people to express their views.
"Essentially the state cannot manage people’s consumption as tightly as they can manage people’s open expression of ideas...the Vietnamese populace has been pushed to a point where the consumer-based movement is one of the only options that’s available to them," London said.
Most consumers are more concerned about quality than foreign policy.
At a busy open market in Hanoi, 32-year-old stallholder Ngoc says many Vietnamese people do not like buying Chinese goods, particularly poultry, fruit and vegetables, but she adds she and her friends do not have an opinion on political issues.
She says in the past Vietnamese people would buy Chinese goods but they know better now. Many are concerned about dangerous chemicals used to preserve fresh goods.
China is Vietnam’s biggest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching $41 billion in 2012, up from nearly $36 billion a year earlier. The country’s reliance on China economically puts it in a difficult position politically. A consumer backlash in China over Japanese products following another territorial dispute cost Japanese firms substantial profits. However, London says it is not likely a boycott of Chinese products in Vietnam would have a big impact.
"If this boycott were to gain momentum and gain wide notice in China then I think it could be significant but my sense is that at present it is mainly an expression of dissent," London noted. "And outrage at China’s foreign policy within Vietnam."
London says the existential conditions of Vietnam that have always existed and will always exist is the need to cope with China. Despite pressure from authorities, many people are likely to continue to find inventive ways of expressing their views.
With stories of carcinogenic bras and toxic apples from China prevalent in the Vietnamese media, many people try to avoid buying Chinese goods. However, a few have taken it one step further and are using consumer choice as a way to express their political views.
Paulo Nguyen Thanh manages the website No China Shop, which allows reputable local producers to sell strictly made-in-Vietnam products ranging from handbags to organic vegetables. He says he has two kinds of customers, those who are concerned about the ill effects of substandard goods and those who want to express their patriotism.
The site is one-of-a-kind in Vietnam, Thanh says, but is already proving popular. In two days he says the website sells around 4,000 items.
Thanh says Chinese products account for 95 percent of goods on the Vietnamese market. He says many people would rather buy products that are not made in China but they cannot find an alternative.
One of his latest offerings is a special kind of envelope, known as "bao li xi", which is filled with money and given as a gift during the Lunar New Year festival.
Along with the traditional new year message, the design includes a map of Vietnam and the words: “Hoang Sa, Truong Sa, Vietnam,” - the Paracel and Spratly islands belong to Vietnam. China claims the islands and much of the surrounding sea.
Thanh was among a group of people who took part in anti-China protests in June.
He says while shopping in supermarkets he noticed that nearly all of Tet envelopes were imported from China with Chinese lettering. He says Tet is a Vietnamese holiday so the design should be in Vietnamese.
Jonathan London, Vietnam expert and assistant professor at City University Hong Kong, says complaints about Chinese sabotage of Vietnam’s economy are literally thousands of years old. However, part of the recent boycott movement has been inspired by aggressive Chinese foreign policy.
In recent months authorities detained protesters at an anti-China rally, jailed 13 Catholic activists and arrested high profile activist lawyer Le Quoc Quan, moves interpreted by some as part of an increasing crackdown on freedom of speech.
London says in this restrictive atmosphere, consumption is one way for Vietnamese people to express their views.
"Essentially the state cannot manage people’s consumption as tightly as they can manage people’s open expression of ideas...the Vietnamese populace has been pushed to a point where the consumer-based movement is one of the only options that’s available to them," London said.
Most consumers are more concerned about quality than foreign policy.
At a busy open market in Hanoi, 32-year-old stallholder Ngoc says many Vietnamese people do not like buying Chinese goods, particularly poultry, fruit and vegetables, but she adds she and her friends do not have an opinion on political issues.
She says in the past Vietnamese people would buy Chinese goods but they know better now. Many are concerned about dangerous chemicals used to preserve fresh goods.
China is Vietnam’s biggest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching $41 billion in 2012, up from nearly $36 billion a year earlier. The country’s reliance on China economically puts it in a difficult position politically. A consumer backlash in China over Japanese products following another territorial dispute cost Japanese firms substantial profits. However, London says it is not likely a boycott of Chinese products in Vietnam would have a big impact.
"If this boycott were to gain momentum and gain wide notice in China then I think it could be significant but my sense is that at present it is mainly an expression of dissent," London noted. "And outrage at China’s foreign policy within Vietnam."
London says the existential conditions of Vietnam that have always existed and will always exist is the need to cope with China. Despite pressure from authorities, many people are likely to continue to find inventive ways of expressing their views.
Dienstag, 22. Januar 2013
Prime Minister Stephen Harper visits the Vietnamese celebration of (Vietnamese) New Year in Toronto. With him was Senator Ngo Thanh Hai, a Vietnamese-Canadian Senator
click here to watch
click here to watch
Freitag, 18. Januar 2013
Cordula, die Lotusblume
Das ist mein Buch: Die Kurze Beschreibung
Diese Geschichte erzählt von einer unerschütterlichen Liebe zwischen einer ungewöhnlich mutigen Krankenschwester aus Deutschland und einem aufrichtigen Piloten der südvietnamesischen Luftwaffe, beide idealistisch naiv und doch verliebt. Ihre aufwühlende Geschichte ist der Beleg dafür, dass die Wahrheit immer die Wahrheit des Andersdenkenden bleibt (frei nach Rosa Luxemburg) und entlarvt zugleich die medialen Unwahrheiten von selbst ernannten »intellektuellen und kriegsbegeisternden Friedensaposteln.« Der Autor führt Sie zurück in den Vietnam-Krieg, seine Verbrechen und seine Folgen, beleuchtet auch die andere, vergessene Seite. Er sagt: »Eine Perversion des Denkens ist für das Land Vietnam erlaubt, während und nach dem Krieg!« Der siegreiche Sozialismus sprach die Kriegsverbrechen Nordvietnams heilig, vergaß, dass die Kriegsgewinner ihre Gefangenen in »Umerziehungslager« (Vietnams Gulag) steckte, Friedhöfe der gefallenen Feinde als Racheakt schändeten, Flüchtlingsfrauen wurden vergewaltigt, entführt und in europäische Bordelle verkauft. Die Verehrer in der zivilisierten Welt schwiegen beharrlich zu »Vietnams Archipel Gulag« und zu den Millionen »Boat People«, dem »Strandgut des Sozialismus«. Nun ist es Zeit, die vietnamesische Geschichte neu zu erzählen.
Rezensionen dazu hier:
Mittwoch, 16. Januar 2013
14-Jährige muss zur Kommunismus-Schulung
Facebook-Parodie auf Ho Chi Minh
14-Jährige muss zur Kommunismus-Schulung
Mit einem Nationalhelden spaßt man nicht. Schon gar nicht, wenn er Ho Chi Minh heißt und von einem ganzen Land als Vaterfigur verehrt werden muss. Das hat eine 14-jährige Schülerin in Vietnam auf die harte Tour erfahren. Das Mädchen hatte die Parodie einer berühmten Rede des Revolutionärs und späteren Staatschefs auf ihrer Facebook-Seite gepostet. Dafür wollte ihr die Schulbehörde zunächst ein Jahr lang verbieten, zum Unterricht zu kommen. Später hob sie die Strafe wieder auf.
Mit einem Nationalhelden spaßt man nicht. Schon gar nicht, wenn er Ho Chi Minh heißt und von einem ganzen Land als Vaterfigur verehrt werden muss. Das hat eine 14-jährige Schülerin in Vietnam auf die harte Tour erfahren. Das Mädchen hatte die Parodie einer berühmten Rede des Revolutionärs und späteren Staatschefs auf ihrer Facebook-Seite gepostet. Dafür wollte ihr die Schulbehörde zunächst ein Jahr lang verbieten, zum Unterricht zu kommen. Später hob sie die Strafe wieder auf.
Message from Franz Jessen, EU Ambassador to Vietnam
Message from Franz Jessen, EU Ambassador to Vietnam
Earlier today the EU Ambassador to Vietnam, Franz Jessen, expressed his concerns over the sentencing of 14 bloggers and journalists (activists) in Nghe An province on 9 January to prison terms ranging form 3 to13 years, for acts related to the exercise of freedom of expression.
Ambassador Jessen recalled the fundamental right for all persons to hold and freely express their opinions in a peaceful manner, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Vietnam is a party.
He added that this sentencing appears to be inconsistent with Vietnam’s respective international obligations, and continues to the overall negative trend with sentencing of bloggers and Human Rights Defenders, as shown by the confirmation on appeal of the harsh sentencing for bloggers Dieu Cay, Anh Ba Sai Gon and Ta Phong Tan, on 28 December 2012 in Ho Chi Minh city.
The sentences in these two trials appear to be particularly severe.
The Vietnamese authorities should review the sentences immediately.
Links:
Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam
documents (pdf)
Vietnamese translation
Earlier today the EU Ambassador to Vietnam, Franz Jessen, expressed his concerns over the sentencing of 14 bloggers and journalists (activists) in Nghe An province on 9 January to prison terms ranging form 3 to13 years, for acts related to the exercise of freedom of expression.
Ambassador Jessen recalled the fundamental right for all persons to hold and freely express their opinions in a peaceful manner, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Vietnam is a party.
He added that this sentencing appears to be inconsistent with Vietnam’s respective international obligations, and continues to the overall negative trend with sentencing of bloggers and Human Rights Defenders, as shown by the confirmation on appeal of the harsh sentencing for bloggers Dieu Cay, Anh Ba Sai Gon and Ta Phong Tan, on 28 December 2012 in Ho Chi Minh city.
The sentences in these two trials appear to be particularly severe.
The Vietnamese authorities should review the sentences immediately.
Links:
documents (pdf)
Montag, 14. Januar 2013
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Rupert Colville
The part "Vietnam"
We are seriously concerned by the convictions and harsh sentencing of 14 activists in the Supreme People’s Court of Nghe An province in Vietnam on 9 January 2013 for “subversion of the administration” under article 79 of the Criminal Code. They were accused of actively participating in and being members of the Viet Tan organization. Although Viet Tan is a peaceful organization advocating for democratic reform, the Government has deemed it to be a “reactionary organization”. None of those convicted are alleged to have been involved in violent acts.
We are alarmed by the fact that the convictions were handed down after only two days of trial. The defendants received sentences ranging between 3 and 13 years, with three receiving the 13-year sentence. All had been held in custody for more than a year prior to the trial.
These latest convictions, as well as the arrest and detention on December 27 of human rights lawyer Le Quoc Quan, exemplify the limited space for critical voices in Viet Nam. We urge the Government of Viet Nam to review its use of the Criminal Code to imprison people who are critical of its policies, and to review all such cases violating freedom of expression and association in the country.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Rupert Colville
Petition zum Wasserrecht in der EU
Petition zum Wasserrecht in der EU
Ausnahmsweise geht es diesmal nicht um Vietnam, wohl aber auch um Vietnamesen, die in der EU leben.
Ausnahmsweise geht es diesmal nicht um Vietnam, wohl aber auch um Vietnamesen, die in der EU leben.
a ballad of vietnamese bloggers
The Original is the song "a ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti", writen by Ennio Morricone, first interpreted by Joan Baez.
I changed to a new ballad for vietnamese bloggers.
----------------------------------------------
My father dear, I am a prisoner
Don't be ashamed to tell my crime
The crime of love and brotherhood
And only silence is shame
With me I have my love, my innocence
The people and the citizens
For all of this I'm safe and strong
And hope is mine
Democracy and freedom don't need China
They need this instead
Imagination, suffering, light and love
And care for every human being
You never steal, you never kill
You are a part of hope and life
The democracy goes from man to man
And heart to heart
And I sense when I look at the stars
That we are children of life, death is small
I changed to a new ballad for vietnamese bloggers.
----------------------------------------------
Father, yes, I am a prisoner
Fear not to relay my crime
The crime is loving the forsaken
Only silence is shame
And now I'll tell you what's against us
An art that lives too many years
Go through the years and you will find
What's blackened all of the truth
Against us is the law
With its immensity of strength and power
Against us is the law
Police know how to make a man
A guilty or an innocent
Against us is the power of police
The shameless lies that men have told
Will ever more be paid in gold
Against us is the power of China
Against us is China’s power
And the simple fact that we are poor
Fear not to relay my crime
The crime is loving the forsaken
Only silence is shame
And now I'll tell you what's against us
An art that lives too many years
Go through the years and you will find
What's blackened all of the truth
Against us is the law
With its immensity of strength and power
Against us is the law
Police know how to make a man
A guilty or an innocent
Against us is the power of police
The shameless lies that men have told
Will ever more be paid in gold
Against us is the power of China
Against us is China’s power
And the simple fact that we are poor
My father dear, I am a prisoner
Don't be ashamed to tell my crime
The crime of love and brotherhood
And only silence is shame
With me I have my love, my innocence
The people and the citizens
For all of this I'm safe and strong
And hope is mine
Democracy and freedom don't need China
They need this instead
Imagination, suffering, light and love
And care for every human being
You never steal, you never kill
You are a part of hope and life
The democracy goes from man to man
And heart to heart
And I sense when I look at the stars
That we are children of life, death is small
Sonntag, 13. Januar 2013
Australia in Vietnam
EMBASSY ACTIVITY - Đại sứ Hugh Borrowman gặp
Tổng giám mục giáo phận Hà Nội
Là một phần trong chương trình của cuộc họp
các nhà lãnh đạo tôn giáo Việt Nam, Đại sứ
Borrowman gặp Tổng giám mục Công giáo Nguyễn
Văn Nhơn tại Hà Nội vào ngày 06 tháng 1.
-------------
EMBASSY ACTIVITY - Ambassador Hugh Borrowman
meets the Archbishop of Hanoi
As part of a program of meeting Vietnamese
As part of a program of meeting Vietnamese
religious leaders, Ambassador Borrowman met
Catholic Archbishop Nguyen Van Nhon in Hanoi
on 6 January.
Freitag, 11. Januar 2013
Menschenrechtsbeauftragter fordert Freilassung politischer Gefangener in Vietnam
Menschenrechtsbeauftragter fordert Freilassung politischer Gefangener in Vietnam
(Info von http://www.trendkraft.de)
Der Menschenrechtsbeauftragte der Bundesregierung, Markus Löning, erklärte heute (10.01.) zu den Verurteilungen von Bloggern in Vietnam:
Zusatzinformationen
Ich bin betroffen über die Verurteilung von 14 Aktivisten zu hohen Haftstrafen wegen ihres Einsatzes für Demokratie und Menschenrechte. Die Betroffenen haben von ihrem Recht auf freie Meinungsäußerung Gebrauch gemacht. Vietnam hat sich mit dem UN-Übereinkommen über bürgerliche und politische Rechte verpflichtet, die Meinungsfreiheit seiner Bürger zu gewährleisten.
Ich fordere die Regierung Vietnams auf, die 14 Personen sowie alle anderen politischen Gefangenen umgehend freizulassen und ihren menschenrechtlichen Verpflichtungen nachzukommen.
Hintergrund
Am 9. Januar 2013 wurden in der vietnamesischen Provinz Nghe An 14 Menschenrechtsaktivisten wegen ihres Einsatzes für politische Reformen, Demokratisierung und Menschenrechte zu Gefängnisstrafen von bis zu 13 Jahren verurteilt. In einem Fall wurde die Strafe zur Bewährung ausgesetzt.
Quelltext lesen
Donnerstag, 10. Januar 2013
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Vietnam: Release Convicted Activists
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Vietnam: Release Convicted Activists
The conviction and harsh prison sentences of 14 activists by the People’s Court of Nghe An province on January 9 marks a sharp escalation of government attacks on critics, Human Rights Watch said today. The 14 should be released immediately, as should the prominent blogger, Le Quoc Quan, arrested in late December.
The 14 were charged after attending a training course in Bangkok held by the banned Viet Tan organization. Eleven were charged with being members of Viet Tan, while three were charged with actively participating in the organization.
Viet Tan is an organization that in the 1980s led a resistance movement against the Vietnamese communist government but for the past few decades has worked for peaceful political reform, democracy, and human rights in Vietnam.
As in numerous previous cases, the government relied on loosely-worded national security laws – in this instance article 79 of the penal code, which vaguely prohibits activities aimed at “overthrowing the government” – to prosecute people engaged in the exercise of their fundamental human rights.
Showing the sensitivity of the case, large numbers of police were deployed at the court. Police detained a number of bloggers who attempted to attend the trial.
“The conviction of yet more peaceful activists is another example of a government that is increasingly afraid of the opinions of its own people,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Instead of imprisoning critics, the Vietnamese government should be honoring them for their efforts to address the myriad problems facing the country that the government itself has also identified.”
The 14 convicted are Dang Ngoc Minh, Dang Xuan Dieu, Ho Duc Hoa, Ho Van Oanh, Le Van Son, Nguyen Dang Minh Man, Nguyen Dang Vinh Phuc, Nguyen Dinh Cuong, Nguyen Van Duyet, Nguyen Van Oai, Nguyen Xuan Oanh, Nong Hung Anh, Thai Van Dung, and Tran Minh Nhat (for biographical information on each, see the appendix). They were arrested between August and December 2011 and held for more than a year before being put on trial.
A number of the defendants, including Nguyen Xuan Anh, Nguyen Dinh Cuong, Ho Duc Hoa, and Dang Xuan Dieu, had participated in volunteer activities in their local neighborhoods in Vinh, including encouraging women not to have abortions, supporting the poor and people with disabilities, founding the Vinh Human Development Foundation, and working to protect the environment. Others, such as Nong Hung Anh, Thai Van Dung, Tran Minh Nhat, Ho Van Oanh, Nguyen Van Oai, and Nguyen Van Duyet, have participated in peaceful protests related to China or were involved in attempting to manifest support of legal activist Cu Huy Ha Vu during the 2011 trial that sentenced him to prison for the peaceful exercise of his fundamental rights. Nguyen Van Oai, Nguyen Van Duyet, and Ho Van Oanh participated in activities that protect workers’ rights in Binh Duong province, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City.
Three lesser known people in the group are Dang Ngoc Minh, her daughter Nguyen Dang Minh Man, and her son Nguyen Dang Vinh Phuc, from the city of Tra Vinh in Tra Vinh province. According to the indictment, in April 2010, Dang Ngoc Minh and Nguyen Dang Minh Man “under the direction of Viet Tan, bought black paint and painted the letters ‘HS.TS.VN’ on the outside of a sewer and on the wall” of an old school in Trung Ngai commune, Vung Liem district, Vinh Long province “in order to incite people to protest” so that they could take pictures and send them to the Viet Tan Party. “HS.TS.VN” stands for the Spratly and Paracel islands, one of the major sources of territorial disputes between Vietnam and China, an issue which the Vietnamese authorities deem highly sensitive.
Nguyen Dinh Cuong, Dang Xuan Dieu, Nong Hung Anh, Thai Van Dung, and Tran Minh Nhat have blogged in favor of freedom of expression and in support of the establishment of a multi-party and pluralist political system. Before the trial, Dang Xuan Dieu said,
“I have done nothing contrary to my conscience, so although the authorities may punish me physically and impose a severe sentence upon me, the government is only thereby trampling on the eternal good morals of the Vietnamese nation, which as its affair is a matter for which it must bear responsibility.”
Human Rights Watch said that the case of Le Van Son (also known as Paulus Le Son), a 27-year-old blogger whose postings reported on land disputes, assaults by local authorities on fellow activists, police abuse, and discrimination against HIV patients, shows the misuse of the courts for political purposes. Before he was arrested, Le Van Son tried to observe the trials of other dissidents, such as the prominent legal activist Cu Huy Ha Vu.
As Le Van Son wrote in one posting, “After all, those who are charged with ‘anti-government crimes’ are the ones who use precious construction material to … point out the cracks, the holes and the deep abyss in a political regime which faces the danger of collapse.”
Many of the 14 are affiliated with the Redemptorist Thai Ha church in Hanoi and Ky Dong church in Ho Chi Minh City, known for strongly backing bloggers and other peaceful religious and rights activists. Over the last two years, both churches have regularly held prayer vigils expressing support for those they consider prisoners of conscience and detainees otherwise held for their political or religious belief. Dang Xuan Dieu, Nguyen Dinh Cuong, Nguyen Van Duyet, Ho Van Oanh, Tran Minh Nhat, Thai Van Dung, Nong Hung Anh, and Le Van Son either took media courses organized by the Redemptorist churches or contributed writing to its website.
The Redemptorists, formally known as the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, are a Catholic missionary congregation founded in Italy in 1732 that currently operate in more than 77 countries worldwide.
Redemptorist activists have been a growing voice among Vietnamese movements for democracy and human rights in recent years, especially in areas where they have a considerable presence, such as Nghe An, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City. Some Redemptorist churches and parishes have become centers of dissent. Religiously affiliated activists have been targeted for arrest and other forms of harassment and intimidation, including restrictions on movement, violent assaults on individuals, and the deployment of armed security forces around churches.
“It is not clear if those convicted were targeted for alleged affiliations with Viet Tan, being members of the Redemptorist church, or simply for their activism,” said Adams.
“Whatever the reason, the government appears despotic to its own people and the world when it says that someone who tries to uphold the rights of others is a threat to the state.”
The Case of Le Quoc Quan
Human Rights Watch also called for politically motivated charges to be dropped against prominent dissident Le Quoc Quan, who was arrested on December 27, 2012, nine days after he wrote an article entitled, “Constitution or a contract for electricity and water service?” The piece criticized the National Assembly for keeping article 4 in the new draft constitution and other issues related to the constitution.
Article 4 states that the Communist Party has the leading role in Vietnam. Le Quoc Quan’s piece opened by stating, “I know my following lines will probably be thrown into a garbage can by the Communist Party. Worse, I may be put in prison. Nevertheless, my belief in human beings, the importance of the issue and the consciousness of a citizen urged me to write.” The piece was published on December 18 by the BBC.
Le Quoc Quan’s arrest is only the latest in a long series of efforts by the authorities to put an end to his advocacy for human rights and the rule of law, including efforts to turn the official promise of religious freedom into reality. He has been a prolific blogger on a wide variety of subjects, ranging from law to Vietnam’s relations with China.
He was imprisoned for a period in 2007, repeatedly threatened with re-arrest after release, subject to police interrogation and detention, and beaten up by mysterious assailants. Politically motivated charges of tax evasion have been used to imprison other political dissidents, including blogger Nguyen Van Hai (a.k.a Dieu Cay). Two of Le Quoc Quan’s relatives, his brother Le Dinh Quan and his cousin Nguyen Thi Oanh, have been detained as a result of the same allegation. His arrest followed shortly after he circulated a commentary condemning constitutional guarantees of Communist Party leadership of the Vietnamese political system.
“The government has targeted Le Quoc Quan because of the power of his ideas and the fact that many people in Vietnam agree with him,” said Adams. “It is time for Vietnam’s donors to tell the government that it can no longer conduct business as usual while it keeps locking up people whose only crime is wanting the right to speak their minds and set the country on the path of democracy.”
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