In recent time, hostile forces and political opportunists have pushed up their taking advantage of the issue of “freedom of press, freedom of speech, democracy, and human rights” to propagate, agitate, distort and counter the Vietnamese revolution and deteriorate people’s belief in the Party, the State and the regime. It is important for us to stay vigilant and lay bare their schemes.

Newspapers are abundant in Vietnam (Illustrative photo)

Recently, the Freedom House published its “Freedom in the world 2015” report which ranked Vietnam among countries with no “freedom”. Earlier, some other organizations, namely “Committee to protect journalists” (CPJ) and “Reporters Sans Frontieres” (RSF) released their “reports” and “communique”, with distorted arguments, biased assessments and wrongful reflection on the freedom of press, freedom of speech, democracy, and human rights situation in Vietnam. They even blatantly calumniated Vietnam of the sentence of journalists, oppression and arbitrary arrest of bloggers. At the same time, they intervened into Vietnam’s internal affairs, demanded that Vietnam “abolishes” some articles in the Penal Code which in their opinion are “vargue and violate human rights” and called for unconditional release of the ones they called “journalists”, “human rights activists”, “bloggers”, etc.

In recent years, right after someones, who violated the law, were arrested and brought to trial for conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the FH, CPJ, RSF called them “democrats”, “independent writers” and gave out their distorted “annoucement” asking for the unconditional release of those people. Moreover, these organizations often present “press freedom award” for those with dissident views against Vietnam. More seriously, there have been several figures, including some journalists making use of the freedom of press, freedom of speech to spread their vilification against the State and the Communist Party of Vietnam as well as its top leaders and authorities on social networks. Their distorted articles encourage legal violations, go against people’s will and national interests, lead to readers’ misconception that “Vietnamese authority sentences democrats and patriots”, hence violating the Article 258 of the Penal Code of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. When arrested, these figures admited their violations and called for the clemency, but quite many times FH, CPJ, RSF showed their “special concern” over the cases and asked for “unconditional release”. This is clearly an irrational intervention into Vietnam’s internal affairs, an advocate for the dissidents and an unwilled view of those organizations over Vietnam’s democracy and human rights situation.

It is clear that all of the cases quoted by FH, CPJ, RSF,…as evidence of violation of freedom, democracy and human rights in Vietnam, related directly to lawbreakers. The so called “reports” or “releases” of some organizations, including FH, CPJ, RFS are partial, and untrustworthy when they were based on just some individuals’ opinions to assess the comprehensive situation. Their hidden aim is to incite, advocate, support for dissidents conducting sabotages against the Communist Party and the State of Vietnam.

Vietnam is building a rule-of-law state. Accordingly, all social activities are governed by and adjusted in accordance with the law. In Vietnam, all citizens are equal before the law. Those who break the law will be appropriately sentenced. Law must be strictly observed by all. No one is beyond the law. The cases of Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Ta Phong Tan, Le Quoc Quan, Hoang Khuong, Nguyen Huu Vinh, Truong Duy Nhat, Vo Thanh Tung, etc are not exceptions. And in Vietnam, no normal reporter or journalist is detained but just law breakers.

The Communist Party and the State of Vietnam always repect and ensure human rights, including the freedom of press, and the freedom of speech. Similar to other countries, Vietnam does not allow anyone to abuse these rights to propagandize, incite a coup and harm the national solidarity. In reality, the State and the Communist Party of Vietnam have always paid attention to and respected people’s ideas in the process of making and implementing law and policies through social criticism and press system. People are free to express their criticism through the Vietnam Fatherland Front and a number of social associations such as the Farmer Association, Women Association, Youth Union, etc which serve as  a brigde between people and the party committees and authorities at all levels.

At present, in Vietnam, there are 845 printed newpapers and magazines and a national news agency (increase 7 in comparison to the year 2013) ; 98 online newpapers and magazines (increase 6 in comparison to the year 2013); 67 radios and televisions; 180 domestic and 40 overseas  broadcasting channels; 5 digital terrestrial broadcasters, 3 satellite broadcasters, and 27 cable broadcasters. There are 7 million subscribers to the digital terrestrial television which is twofold of the year 2013; 973 thousand subscribers to satellite television and 4.3 million subscribers to cable television. Vietnam ranks eighth in Asia and third in Southeast Asia in the number of internet users. Nearly 18 thousand journalists have been licenced out of the total of more than 19 thousand members of the Vietnam Journalists Association together with a number of collaborators throughout the country who play an important role in reflecting timely and correctly all activities and aspects of life. In Vietnam, press is truly a popular, open, democratic, fast and effective channel of communication and criticism.

In the field of democracy and human rights, the State and the Communist Party of Vietnam have always attached importance to the promotion of democracy and human rights in all aspects of life. Human rights is of special concern and clearly perceived in the 2013 Constitution as it is mentioned in 38 articles and put second in the constitution  (Chapter II) right after political regime (Chapter I). It is written that the State “regcognizes, respects, protects, and guarantees human rights and citizens' rights in the political, civil, economic, cultural and social fields” and that “Human rights and citizens' rights may not be limited unless prescribed by law solely in case of necessity for reasons of national defense, national security, social order and safety, social morality and community well-being”. This progressive and democratic content, on one hand, has clearly shown the State guidelines of the accountability and harmonious settlement between human rights and citizen rights. On the other hand, it also help the authorities avoid the violations or illegal restrictions against those rights. This is also a concrete manifestation of Vietnam’s inheritance of the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights; the International Convenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Declaration of Human Rights 1948, in relevance to the country’s new stage of development and a progress in the history of Vietnam’s legal construction. It can be said that, Vietnam’s perception of, determination, and serious atittude toward human rights and the perfection of human rights are always the objective and the driving force, and the orientation for Vietnam’s development.

Recently, Vietnam has launched the National Zero Hunger Challenge (ZHC). At the ceremony, Prime Minister affirmed: the fact that Vietnam’s participation in the zero hunger challenge initiative not only gives evidences of its activeness in responding to the UN programs but also meets the real needs of the country, helping it to better implement poverty reduction work and ensure food security and nutrition security in rural areas, especially in remote and isolated areas, ethnic minority communities and other vulnerable groups. Earlier, addressing at the Vietnam Development Partnership Forum in 2014 (VDPF 2014) PM Dung reaffirmed that improving the law-governed State, ensuring freedom and democracy for people and boosting the market economy in accordance with the 2013 Constitution is a driving force and a major solution to enhance the effectiveness and competitiveness of Vietnam’s economy. The Government of Vietnam would do its utmost to ensure social equality and progress and to implement effectively the Millennium Development Goals.

On the occasion of the 85^th anniversary of the foundation day of the Communist Party of Vietnam, answering the Vietnam News Agency, General Secretary of the CPV Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed: all guidelines and policies of the State and the Party aim primarily to the interest of people to ensure increasingly prosperious lives for people. So, freedom, democracy, human rights are always of primary concern of the Communist Party and the State of Vietnam. All citizens are equal to law and protected by law. There is no “violation of the freedom of democracy and human rights” or “arbitrary arrest” of journalists or bloggers as condemned by some organizations.

Vietnam is an independent and freedom country. Its development course is decided by its own people. Vietnam will neither accept any intervention or arrangement from the external forces nor let anyone distort, vilify internal situtation or incite to cause chaos and hinder the country’s development. Those making use of the freedom of press, the freedom of speech, democracy and human rights to advocate for actions countering the national interests should think twice.

Anh Vu