Key events:

• Human Rights Watch: EU Should Adopt Practical Methods to Deal with Vietnam’s Rights Violations
• 37 U.S. Congress Members Resist Reconsideration of Vietnam’s Non-Market Status
• California Congressman Raises Alarm over Buddhist Monk Thich Minh Tue’s Disappearance

Human Rights Watch: EU Should Adopt Practical Methods to Deal with Vietnam’s Human Rights Violations

The New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch published a statement on July 3, calling on the European Union to reconsider its bilateral human rights dialogue with Vietnam and to adopt other practical methods in response to the Vietnamese government’s growing repression. The letter, submitted to the EU, was published a day before the next session of the EU-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue planned for July 4 in Brussels.

The letter notes that despite almost three decades of human rights discussions between the EU and Vietnam, little achievement regarding respect and protection for fundamental rights has been seen in the country, despite numerous issues raised by EU officials. More worryingly, Hanoi has ramped up its repressions in recent years, with over 160 people currently behind bars for exercising their freedom of expression. Environmental activists have also been targeted in this wave of repression despite the EU’s financial support for Vietnam’s renewable energy transition.