Key events:

• Human Rights Watch Urges Vietnam to Free Democracy Activist Nguyen Chi Tuyen
• Recently Appointed General Secretary To Lam Set to Visit China, Sources Say
• Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review Releases its Vietnam Report

Human Rights Watch Urges Vietnam to Free Democracy Activist Nguyen Chi Tuyen

The New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a public statement on Aug. 13, urged Hanoi to immediately drop all charges against democracy activist Nguyen Chi Tuyen, also known as Anh Chi. Vietnam schedules trial for prominent democracy activist Nguyen Chi Tuyen for Aug. 15.. Tuyen was arrested in February on a charge of “distributing anti-state propaganda,” a violation of Article 117 of the Penal Code. The 50-year-old activist could face up to 12 years of imprisonment if convicted.

Patricia Gossman, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said she believed that Nguyen Chi Tuyen became a target of the Vietnamese authorities simply because he expressed views that the government doesn’t like. Gossman called on Hanoi to stop jailing peaceful critics, repeal its repressive criminal laws, and end the systematic violation of fundamental human rights. Before his arrest, Tuyen has faced police harassment, intimidation, and restrictions of movement, in addition to arbitrary detention and interrogation.