(VOVworld) - Vietnam is running for the UN Human Rights Council for the next five years’ terms. Meanwhile, a number of human rights organizations have said that Vietnam doesn’t deserve to be a member of the UN agency because of its own violations. The statement is unjustified, ignores Vietnam’s achievements in human rights, and diminishes Vietnam’s international prestige. VOV comments on Vietnam’s undeniable achievements in this field.
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| US report on human rights over Vietnam is groundless and biased. |
The arguments made are that the Vietnamese government has suppressed and threatened those who have defended human rights in Vietnam. More particularly, they have mentioned a number of bloggers who were imprisoned for breaking Vietnamese law. They say that the Vietnamese government hasn’t respected human rights and they need to raise their voice so the whole world will know that Vietnam has refused to honor its commitments on human rights. They say Vietnam needs to release political and religious prisoners before it will be qualified to join the UN Human Rights Council.
It’s important to point out that Vietnam’s achievements in human rights were recognized internationally by the adoption of Vietnam’s national report for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN Human Rights Council in September, 2009. The international community has acknowledged Vietnam’s consistent policy of respecting human rights in politics, economics, culture, and social affairs. This respect has enabled Vietnam to make giant economic, social, and cultural leaps during the renewal process. The country’s rate of economic growth has been consistently above 7% over the past decade. The combination of economic growth and settlement of social issues has paved the way for Vietnam to ensure the fundamental rights of the Vietnamese people.
The arguments are unconvincing and don’t fool anyone. The Vietnamese constitution and law expressly forbid using religions or human rights to cause political or social disorder, threaten national security, or undermine national solidarity. Any violators, regardless of nationality or religions, will be held accountable in pursuance to the law in force. This is what any country in the world will do to protect the legal system. In Vietnam, there are no so-called prisoners of conscience, nor political or religious prisoners.
In order to analyze human rights development in a country, it’s necessary to look at what the government has done to improve people’s living conditions both materially and spiritually. Those who have criticized Vietnam’s violations of human rights haven’t based their analysis on the most fundamental factors. The prisoners they cite are, in fact, law violators who have been publicly tried in accordance with the Vietnamese criminal code.
The resolution that set up the UN Human Rights Council on March 15th, 2006, said that its members should be qualified in promoting and protecting basic human rights. By patiently promoting economic growth, social equality, and a nation governed by law, human rights in Vietnam have been secured. This proves that the organizations slandering Vietnam are completely wrong. Vietnam maintains a consistent policy of joining hands with the international community to boost human rights protections for people all around the world. Vietnam as a candidate for the UN Human Rights Council, wants to jointly implement human rights and share its experiences in the field. Vietnam strongly believes it will perform the job well for a world of peace, prosperity and equality.
Thu Hoa