Tag: Human Rights Defenders
Vietnam: Drop Charges Against Internet Activist
(Bangkok) – Vietnam’s government should unconditionally release the social campaigner Dinh Nhat Uy, Human Rights Watch said today. He is scheduled for trial in Long An provincial court on October 29, 2013, for “abuse of democratic freedoms.”
Vietnam should revoke penal code article 258, under which he was charged, and...
Rights groups pressure EU to help find missing Lao activist
Human rights groups pressured visiting European parliamentarians in Laos Monday to demand answers about missing activist Sombath Somphone.
"The EU should use all its leverage to ensure Sombath’s safe return," said a joint letter from Amnesty International, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Federation Internationale des Ligues de droits de l’homme and Human...
Activists Call for Vietnamese Dissident’s Release Ahead of Trial
Detained Vietnamese activist Dinh Nhat Uy who goes on trial Tuesday for “abusing democratic freedoms” should be freed unconditionally, rights groups and his lawyer say, questioning the basis for the charge he faces and the law under which he is accused.
Uy, 30, will be tried at the Long An...
EU Parliament Dissatisfied with Lao Efforts to Locate Missing Activist
A European parliamentary delegation has expressed dissatisfaction with the Lao government’s explanation of the disappearance of prominent local activist Sombath Somphone, who was last seen 10 months ago being stopped in his vehicle at a police checkpoint in the Lao capital Vientiane.
The second European Parliamentary visit to Laos this...
LEAD: European parliamentarians pressure Laos on missing activist Eds: Updates with EU delegation quotes
Bangkok (dpa) - European parliamentarians on a visit to Vientiane Monday vowed to keep diplomatic pressure on Laos to solve the case of missing activist Sombath Somphone.
"We did not get convincing answers to any of our questions," said Werner Langen, chairman of the European Parliament‘s delegation for South-East Asia....
Indonesia: Follow Friday: Activist @AndreasHarsono Teaches News Tricks
Though long active on social media through his eponymous blog, Andreas only became active on Twitter after the attack on Ahmadiyah Muslims in Cikeusik, Banten that left three dead.
“After the incident, I tweeted frequently about the killing.”
Andreas posted a video of the attack to YouTube after a leading TV...
Vietnamese Dissident Calls Conviction Unjust
A Vietnamese activist says his conviction for using the social media site Facebook to criticize the government was unjust.
In an interview with VOA's Vietnamese Service after being released, Dinh Nhat Uy said he should not have been charged under penal code.
"My posts on Facebook regarding the protection of Vietnam's...
Pitfalls of social media: Vietnamese man convicted for posts on Facebook
Dinh Nhat Uy, 30, was found guilty under Article 258 of the penal code, Huy Ha Son said.
"It is not house arrest but he has to report his movements to the local police," Son said.
The case attracted attention in Vietnam's blogosphere for being the first to focus on the...
Indonesian security break up peaceful rallies in West Papua
A heavy security presence disrupted peaceful rallies across West Papua which had been called to commemorate the anniversary of the 3rd Papuan peoples congress.
Joe Collins of AWPA said “yet again peaceful demonstrators have been arrested for simply taking part in rallies which is their democratic right, a right enshrined in article...
Cambodia: Human rights defender Tep Vanny, assaulted by security forces during peaceful protest
During a peaceful protest on 18 October 2013, in Phnom Penh, human rights defender, Ms Tep Vanny, was assaulted by security forces from Khan Daun Penh while they attempted to confiscate demonstrators' possessions. Three other demonstrators and a foreign journalist were also left with minor injuries.
Tep Vanny is a...
