Vietnam denies entry to rights advocates invited to WEF

HANOI: Vietnam has denied entry to two prominent rights campaigners invited to attend this week’s World Economic Forum in Hanoi, as the one-party communist state continues its hard line on critics of its dismal rights record.

Leaders from Amnesty International and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) were both barred from entering Vietnam for the meeting, the campaign groups said.

FIDH secretary general Debbie Stothard was held at Hanoi’s airport for 15 hours after arriving on Sunday before being deported to Malaysia early the next morning.

Her ‘arbitrary detention’ was “based on the absurd accusation that she poses a threat to Vietnam’s national security”, Andrea Giorgetta, FIDH Director of Asia Desk, told AFP in a statement.

Amnesty said its senior director of global operations Minar Pimple was also denied a visa to attend the WEF summit, which will host regional leaders and big names from global business.

“We condemn this decision to stifle debate... this comes at a time when freedom of expression is under deep threat in Vietnam,” Amnesty’s secretary- general Kumi Naidoo said in a statement yesterday.

Vietnam did not respond to AFP’s request for comment.

The communist country routinely jails activist, lawyers and bloggers, but a tough new administration in power since 2016 has been accused of upping the ante on its critics.

Around 40 activists have been convicted so far this year on charges ranging from acting against the state to disturbing public order, including three American citizens, according to an AFP tally.

Amnesty says that as of April this year there were 97 known activists behind bars.