In the wake of a leadership transition in Vietnam, marked by a power shake-up in mid-2024, the oppressive atmosphere for human rights persists. According to Human Rights Watch’s newly released World Report 2025, the Vietnamese government maintains strict control, barring independent rights groups, labor unions, media, and religious organizations from operating freely. The report examines human rights conditions across more than 100 nations, highlighting a disturbing global trend of government crackdowns on dissent.
Under the new leadership of Secretary General To Lam, previously at the helm of the Ministry of Public Security, Vietnam’s repression has continued unabated. Patricia Gossman of Human Rights Watch noted, “To Lam’s rise to leadership has done nothing to limit the Vietnamese government’s severe and systematic repression of civil and political rights,” calling for international pressure to address Vietnam’s troubling rights record.
Throughout 2024, Vietnam witnessed a continued crackdown on dissent, with at least 43 activists and rights defenders unjustly convicted. High-profile figures like Nguyen Chi Tuyen and environmentalist Ngo Thi To Nhien were ensnared in a system where the justice process remains compromised, often acting as a tool for the state to punish dissenters.
Public trials, devoid of fairness, serve as spectacles to intimidate the accused and their families while reinforcing the government’s narrative. The harshest restrictions remain on fundamental freedoms, including those of association, religion, and movement, suffocating any challenges to the regime’s authority. In light of this oppressive climate, experts urge the Vietnamese government to halt its systematic rights abuses and release all detained individuals.
Vietnam continues to suppress human rights under new leader To Lam. At least 43 dissidents have been convicted on false charges in 2024. The government restricts fundamental freedoms and manipulates the justice system. Calls for international intervention are growing to reform Vietnam’s rights practices.
The transition in Vietnam’s leadership heralds an intensification of repressive measures against human rights. As global awareness grows, there is an urgent call for international stakeholders to pressure the Vietnamese government to uphold civil liberties and cease its relentless persecution of dissenters.
Original Source: www.hrw.org
