Prominent Vietnam blogger arrested in Hanoi
New York, June 14, 2013–Vietnamese police in Hanoi arrested a blogger on Thursday on accusations of anti-state activity, according to news reports. Pham Viet Dao wrote blogs that were critical of government officials and policies, the reports said. Dao, 61, who also wrote about politically sensitive issues such as the territorial dispute with China, was…
In Strasbourg, free expression linked to Vietnam diplomacy
There is good news from Strasbourg that follows up on my entry from earlier this week, “European Parliament has chance to take on Vietnam.” Today, the European Parliament did exactly that when they unanimously adopted an Urgent Resolution on Vietnam. It was a wide-ranging document, but a large part was devoted the freedom of expression…
European Parliament has chance to take on Vietnam
On Thursday, April 18, the European Parliament will discuss Vietnam’s human rights in a plenary session. At the top of the agenda will be freedom of expression. Over the weekend, CPJ’s Brussels-based Senior Adviser Jean-Paul Marthoz blogged about the issues the parliament must confront in Le Soir.
Attacks on the Press in 2012: CPJ Risk List Video
CPJ’s Robert Mahoney identifies the 10 countries where press freedom suffered the most in 2012. They include Syria, the world’s deadliest country for the press; Russia, where repressive laws took effect; Brazil, where journalist murders soared; and Ethiopia, where terror laws are used to silence the press. (3:26)
Attacks on the Press in 2012: Vietnam
Vietnam intensified its grip on old and new media through a campaign of censorship, surveillance, and imprisonments. Central Propaganda Department officials held weekly meetings with top newspaper editors, outlining news agendas and identifying banned topics. The list of prohibited topics expanded to include criticism of the government’s economic management, land conflicts between the state and…