Key events:

• Project88: Vietnam Covers Up Officials Involved in Trafficking Cases
• President Vladimir Putin Visits Vietnam, Shares Vision for Developing “Reliable Security Architecture”
• Members of a Banned Organization Receive Combined 24 Years in Prison on ‘Subversion’ Charges

Project88: Vietnam Covers Up Officials Involved in Trafficking Cases

Project88, a human rights group that works to promote freedom of speech in Vietnam, released a new report on June 20, which says that Hanoi has intentionally and intensively covered up criminal proceedings that involve government officials who have been implicated in human trafficking cases.

The advocacy group said that they had obtained relevant confidential documents and directives issued by the Vietnamese authorities that provided instructions to give misleading information to the U.S. State Department regarding the country’s efforts to combat human trafficking activities and its intention to make legal reforms. Vietnam has allegedly falsified its report on tackling human trafficking to improve its ranking in the State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report.