Vietnam Human Rights Network

As a non-profit NGO founded in 1997, the Vietnam Human Rights Network (VNHRN) – named Mạng Lưới Nhân Quyền Việt Nam in Vietnamese - gathers a number of human rights activists and organizations committed to the defense and promotion of human rights and civil liberties entitled to all Vietnamese citizens set forth by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and subsequent international human rights instruments. Members of the VNHRN are present in many countries around the world, and its headquarters are in Orange County, California, U.S.A.

Formation of the VNHRN

Toward the end of the 1990s, the increasing repression of dissidents by the Vietnamese authorities at home and the collapse of many communist dictatorial regimes in Eastern Europe, especially through non-violent revolutions, led many Vietnamese human rights activists and organizations to the realization that a worldwide coordination is needed to maximize the efficiency of efforts to improve human rights in Vietnam. As a result, on 1 November 1997, a founding convention was held in Santa Ana, California, gathering a consortium of activists representing a variety of human rights organizations from around the world. After two days of deliberation, it was decided to form the Vietnam Human Rights Network, and a By-laws was adopted to serve as the basis for operation of the organization. By 2000 the VNHRN obtained its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

Since its founding, the VNHRN has held up to now (2016) twelve Conventions gathering participants from many countries in the world to go over past operations, assess the human rights situations in Vietnam and in the world, and lay out the general directions and future activities.

Organization

As a network, participating organizations are entirely equal in their standing and votes, the only condition being that they work together on common projects while retaining their identity as individual organizations with their own activities. For coordination purpose, VNHRN consists of three main bodies: the Coordinating Committee, The Supervisory Board, and the Advisory Board.^[1] Up to now (2016), the following three persons have been entrusted with the function of heading the Coordination Committee: Prof. Nguyen Thanh Trang (1997–2005 and 2007–2009), Dr. Le Minh Nguyen (2005–2007), and Dr. Nguyen Ba Tung (2009 up to the present).

Typical Activities

The activities of VNHRN are aimed at three main goals:

Information and Education

• Producing Human Rights Newsletter.
• Establishing a website on the Internet to rapidly disseminate human rights news and developments, http://www.vietnamhumanrights.net/
• Translating and publishing the International Human Rights Code, of documents and writings on human rights for dissemination both inside Vietnam and in the Diaspora.
• Organizing human rights seminars and conferences in Montreal (Canada), Sydney (Australia), Munich (Germany), Paris (France), Washington DC, New York (NY), Orlando (FL), New Orleans (LA), Houston and Dallas (TX), Westminster, Los Angeles, San Jose, Sacramento, and San Diego (CA), Seattle and Tacoma (WA), Denver (CO), etc. . .
• Publishing Annual Human Rights Reports (since 2009).

Seeking International Support

• Cooperating with international human rights organizations such as American and Chinese, Burmese and Tibetan NGOs, as well as with the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner's Office, the UN Human Rights Council, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters sans Frontières, etc. . .
• Participating in the Vietnam Human Rights Day (May 11 every year) held annually at the U.S. Senate since 1998.
• Meeting with both executive and legislative branches of a number of countries so as to seek support for human rights in Vietnam, such as a meeting held with U.S. President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in the White House (on 29 May 2007), or one with Honorable Geoffrey Harris, Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the European Union (on 6 May 2008)…
• Participating in several international conferences on human rights, such as the 2000 United Nations Millennium Forum in New York, the 2003 International Conference for Human Rights in the Netherlands, the First World Forum for Democratization in Asia (Taipei, Taiwan, 2005), the Third International Conference on Human Rights Education in Cracow Poland, 2012…

Providing Support to Activists inside Vietnam

• Establishing annual Vietnam Human Rights Awards and awarding them to outstanding human rights activists (since 2002).
• Helping financially and for medical reasons those activists who run into difficulties.

The Vietnam Human Rights Awards

The Vietnam Human Rights Awards given out by the VNHRN since 2002 were established to highlight achievements in non-violent human rights work in Vietnam. They are also meant to illustrate the solidarity of Vietnamese all over the world with individuals and organizations who have been or are committing themselves to protect the human rights of Vietnamese citizens. The Awarding Ceremony held for the Vietnam Human Rights Awards is held every year and in a different city on the occasion of International Human Rights Day (December 10).^[2] The time for nominating awardees starts in July every year and concludes by the end of September. The results of the selection are announced in mid-November every year. These awards consist of a citation and cash awards amounting to $US10.000 (total) each year. After over a decade of existence, the Vietnam Human Rights Awards have received positive marks both inside and outside of Vietnam,^[3][4][5] despite sharp criticism by the Vietnamese authorities of both the awards and the award recipients.^{[6][7][8][9][10]}

General criteria

• Nominee must be an individual currently living or a non-governmental organization still active in Vietnam.
• Nominee must be involved in non-violent works for the promotion and protection of Vietnamese people’s human rights.
• The nominee's works have generated positive influence inside and outside of Vietnam.

Nomination Process

Nominations may be submitted by either an individual or an organization. There is no limit to the number of nominations a nominator can make, but no self-nominations will be accepted; Nominations should be made using the nomination form below; however, a letter containing the required information is acceptable. Supporting documents (highly recommended, including writing materials and/or statements of the nominee, and writings about the nominee already or to be published).

List of VNHRA Recipients

Since its establishment the VNHRA has been presented to a number of human rights activists in Vietnam, including:

Annual Report of the VNHRN

Starting in 2009, the Vietnam Human Rights Network has published annual reports on Human Rights in Vietnam.^[11] The reports gather human rights developments as well as egregious human rights violations by the government of Vietnam regarding its citizens' fundamental rights. The product of cooperation from many human rights activists in Vietnam and in the Diaspora, those annual reports give a faithful picture the human rights situation in Vietnam. Original stories are constantly checked against other sources, such as social networks (Facebook, Twitter etc.), individual blogs, international news or research organizations, and even Vietnamese government news sources and data. The reports include a number of chapters and articles corresponding to the fundamental human rights as mentioned in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Recommendations include concrete and feasible propositions sent to the government of Vietnam, governments and organizations in touch with the government of Vietnam, international human rights NGOs, and the overseas Vietnamese with the aim of ameliorating the situation of human rights for the people of Vietnam. Furthermore, the VNHRN Annual Reports also carry appendices listing the names of prisoners of conscience currently held in jail in Vietnam or under house arrest.

Criticism

The existence and activities of VNHRN have drawn fierce criticism from the Vietnamese authorities as "a reactionary organization of Vietnamese in exile... hiding behind the shield of 'democracy and human rights' to oppose the Vietnamese government through slander and distortions."^[12]

References