Socialist Republic of Vietnam

MOFA'S SPOKESWOMAN PHAN THUY THANH answer question from AFP on July 9th, 2002 on Vietnam reaction to the 8 July 2002 denouncements by " the Vietnamese Committee for Defence of Human Rights" in Geneva of "systematic violations" of civil and political rights in Vietnam?

Answer:

We absolutely reject these slanders.

It should be strongly affirmed that Vietnamese laws guarantee that the Vietnamese people are entitled to live in independence and freedom and exercise fundamental individual freedoms including those of speech, the press, assembly, association, religion and non-religion. Therefore, in Vietnam no one is detained for their political opinion, but only those who have violated the law.

In recent years, Vietnamese legal system has been incessantly improved. Subsequently, this has formed firm foundations for human rights to be realized. Numerous important legislation and regulations such as Civil Code, Enterprise Law, Labour Law, Code of Criminal Procedures and Penal Code... have been adopted. This is also a process of legalizing basic human rights and freedom rights in order to implement international conventions to which Vietnam is a signatory.

The recent elections of the 11th National Assembly participated by 99.73% voters vividly demonstrate that our people took an active part in selecting those qualified and deserved to act as representatives for people's will and aspiration to ensure human rights as well as law enforcement in Vietnam.

Freedom of the press is guaranteed by Vietnam's Constitution. The Vietnamese press has been enjoying the most farourable conditions for development, enhancing its rightful role and actively participating in social and political life.

There are concrete regulations in Vietnam to encourage universal exploration and use of the Internet and reception of television programmes through satellite. However, as other countries, Vietnam does not allow the circulation of poisonous information against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam attempting to undermine national great unity, harm national interests and disseminate thoughts, culture and lifestyles contrary to Vietnamese fine traditions and customs nor we permit untruthful information, distortion and slanders that are detrimental to the honour of organizations and the dignity of citizens.