The detention of a well-known climate activist in Vietnam has been criticized by both the United States and the United Nations. They claim that this is part of a larger trend to suppress free speech. Hoang Thi Minh Hong, the founder of the now-defunct NGO CHANGE, which aimed to address some of Vietnam’s most pressing environmental issues, was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday. “The United States is concerned about the detention of leaders and staff of CHANGE, including the ongoing detention of CHANGE’s founder Hoang Thi Minh Hong,” said Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller in a statement on Friday. “We urge Vietnam to respect the rights of those detained and to respect and protect the freedoms of expression and association for all Vietnamese people,” Miller added. According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Hong and other members were arrested. While others were released, Hong was charged with tax evasion and remains in custody. This is the fifth time a prominent environmental human rights defender has been arrested in Vietnam for alleged tax evasion in the last two years, according to the UN rights agency.
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Prominent Vietnamese environmental activist’s arrest condemned by US and UN
