Inaugural Issue 1

8/9/2019 Inaugural Issue 1

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Inaugural Issue 1, April 15, 2006

Freedom of Speech MagazineRev. Tadeo Nguyen Van Ly, editor

The Call for the Right to Freedom of SpeechWe are not overcome by fear anymore

We must know the truth

Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive

and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print,

in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.

(Point 2 of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; Adopted by the General

Assembly of the United Nations on 19 December 1966; Vietnam accession in 1982)

Dear Vietnam Compatriots, in the country and overseas,

We, four Catholic priests in Vietnam, on behalf of a convocation of priests, see that:

1. The Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1992), Article 69, states that:

Any citizen has the right to freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to be informed, the right toassemble, to form associations, and to demonstrate as regulated by the law.

2. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), Article 19, states: Everyone has the right tofreedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to

seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

3. TheInternational Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR); adopted by the General Assembly

of the United Nations in 1966, which Vietnam indorsed in 1982, states in Article 19: Everyone shall have

the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart informationand ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or

through any other media of his choice.

4. The Catholic Church, through its II Vatican Council Decree on the Media of Social Communications(1963), states: It is, however, especially necessary that all parties concerned should adopt for themselves a

proper moral outlook on the use of these media, especially with respect to certain questions that have been

vigorously aired in our day.(Point 5) The public authority, in these matters, is bound by specialresponsibilities in view of the common good, to which these media are ordered. The same authority has, in

virtue of its office, the duty of protecting and safeguarding true and just freedom of information, a freedom

that is totally necessary for the welfare of contemporary society, especially when it is a question of freedomof the press.(Point 12) And, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (1965), states:

All this supposes that, within the limits of morality and the common utility, man can freely search for the

truth, express his opinion and publish it; that he can practice any art he chooses; that finally, he can avail

himself of true information concerning events of a public nature.(Point 59)

5. The Vietnam Communist government (SRV) uses the phrase regulated by the law to deceitfully

reject all the rights of speech which are defined by the Constitution in Article 69, quoted above. It alwayscruelly abuses Article 19, 3 (b) of the above-mentioned covenant:


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The exercise of the rights provided for in paragraph two of this article carries with it special duties andresponsibilities. It may therefore be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are

provided by law and are necessary:

(a) For respect of the rights or reputation of others;

(b) For the protection of national security or of public order (ordre public), or of public health or morals.

In order to quell the legitimate right to freedom of speech of the people by arguing the protection of

regime security instead of the protection of national security, it is a deceitful and cruel regime.

Therefore, in reality, in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam so far, the Communist Party and the government,totally monopolize information by controlling the editing, selection, and direction. It controls literature and

exclusively possesses the media. All of these are for the purpose of protecting the Communist regime and

Party. As a consequence, public communication and literature are primarily one-way expressiondishonest, false and demagogic. Anyone with good judgement appreciates that the national security would

be improved if its people could enjoy open communication, access to outside world news, and open their

horizons with full, healthy, and sound awareness. Consequently, the government which monopolizes

information or deceives its people with fake stories (like the neo-facists), is an obvious cause of national

decay, social misery and rebellion.

6. After more than sixty years of being virtually imprisoned, there are now a few media which show

clever craftsmanship.. But it is insignificant. In general, it is quite the reverse of what is artful tattling by

the SRV. The Right to Freedom of Speech as previously defined has been consistently and seriouslystifled. The only difference is that in todays world of global information, the Vietnamese people have

been less fearful and more determined in self realization of their Right to Freedom of Speech. For example,

the government strictly controls the Internet with the aim of restricting information which is against theCommunist Partys view rather than the protection of good habits and customs. Mail, emails, telephones,

documents, and printed materials of political or religious dissidents are bugged, blocked, hacked, or even

destroyed. Innumerable firewalls block access to websites which are voicing the truth, denouncing

injustice, asking for political or religious freedom, regardless of whether those website owners are domesticcitizens, overseas Vietnamese or foreigners. People, particularly scholars and students who join the

eforums, are persecuted and arrested. Specifically, from 2004 up to now, the cell phone signals of the

monks of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) have been cancelled on many occasions,oppressing this Church. Dissidents Nguyen Vu Binh and Pham Hong Son were arrested (and still

imprisoned) because they used the internet to express their political views. The newly established website

of the Democracy Movement for Vietnam was destroyed. The dissident Do Nam Hai was fined because hemade photocopies of his own work. Recently, on Feb 14, 2006, two ordinary citizens, Mr. Van Sau and Mr.

Hoang Trong Chau (Bu Na Commune, Phuoc Long District, Binh Phuoc Province) were arrested because

they held some materials related to democracy, human rights, and religious freedom.

7. Information restrictions imposed on every modern media by the SRV keep evils such as authoritarian

behavior, oppression, corruption, exploitation, and fraud, from being resolved. It is difficult to prosecute

the culprits and to vindicate and to compensate the victims. Next, it obstructs individual as well as socialprogress. Consequently, the intellectual and living standards of the People are still low and the nation is

moving backwards on significant issues in spite of some minor improvements. If the Party could have

covered peoples ears as it did before 1985such as prohibiting people from listening to foreignbroadcastsit would have done that. However, now the Party has to resign itself to some prohibitions. It

looks for other ways to blind the People. The most basic issues of Human Rights, Freedom, and

Democracy are topics prevented from access. The People are not allowed to approach such information in afree and transparent way so that they may maturely research and understand the nature of the issues.

Inversely, they have to search for information piece by piece and in secret and fear. The People are like

true slaves of their own nation.


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Facing great risk and terrible truth, we four Catholic priests in Vietnam:

1. Demand the Communist government of Vietnam strictly observe the terms and conditions of

International Conventions to which Vietnam has membership and to abide by the National

Constitution articles on the Right to Freedom of Speech. They should not issue other Ordinances,Regulations, Decrees, Resolutions, etc., which disclaim or contradict the Constitution with dishonest

means employed by any totalitarian government.

2. Demand the Communist government of Vietnam immediately and unconditionally release two

pro-democracy dissidents, Nguyn Vu Binh and Pham Hong Son, two honest citizens Van Sau and

Hoang Trong Chau, and to withdraw the unreasonable and illegal fine issued to the pro-democracydissident Do Nam Hai.

3. Demand the Communist government of Vietnam remove firewalls against pro-democracy andpro-human right websites; revise regulations on internet use in the direction of respect for the Right

to Freedom of Speech; stop interference of cell phone signals, and cease electronic surveillance of

emails of those who have differing viewpoints from the governments on religion, politics and

society.

4. Demand the Communist government of Vietnam cease relying on fear to govern the People, andnot to consider the People as a flock of sheep which are ready to be taught, placated, cheated,

deafened, blinded, threatened, oppressed, exploited, imprisoned, beaten, prosecuted, etc. for the last

76 years. The whole People are helping each other to free themselves from inherent fear of thegovernment so that they can proclaim with self-confidence to the face of the Communist Party that

we are not overcome by fear any more.

5. Call on religious leaders and scholars to behave as spiritual leaders and patriotic intellectuals,

using your talents, virtues, intelligence, capabilities and means to proclaim the truth and to preach it

to the Followers and the People who are looking to you with great hope for breaking up the

deliberately obscure, covert and distorted policies of the Communists.

6. Call on every Vietnamese citizen, particularly professors, teachers, youth, students, to execute

their Right to Freedom of Speech with enthusiasm, courage and sense of responsibility; to speak upwith self-confidence to the SRV that We must know the truth. Todays age is the information age.

Todays civilization is the electronic civilization, and todays chief asset is the intellectual asset.

Everyone, particularly the people of developing countries like Vietnam, needs to and must enter theinternational information superhighway. We call on you to spread with courage the little-known

information which bares the deceitful and cruel faces of Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party,

following the example of the Dec 01st, 2005 resolution of Europarl (EP)and Resolution 1481 dated

Jan 25th

, 2006 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), information which

opens new horizons, presents eternal values and true achievements of mankinds civilization to our

compatriots, who are kept in the dark by the totalitarian Communist regime.

7. Call on overseas Vietnamese compatriots, international governments and organizations to break

up the information barrier of the SRV by creating fire wall bypass technologies, and putting forth the

obligation of respecting Freedom of Speech as a condition for taking part in those internationalorganizations; transmitting to people in Vietnam essential information and legitimate viewpoints on

freedom and democracy through modern media means, and to promptly and strongly support pro-

democracy and pro-human rights dissidents in order to succeed in peacefully and civilly disbandingthe Vietnam Communist regime.


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We are sincerely grateful to all of you. May God, the True, the Good, and the Beautiful, the Creatorof human beings with minds and hearts for searching and loving the truth, bless you all and may God

bless Vietnam.

Call from Vietnamdated Feb 20

th, 2006

On behalf of a convocation of Vietnamese Catholic priests:

Rev. Tphan Chn Tn

Rev. Phr Nguyn Hu GiiRev. Ta Nguyn Vn LRev. Phr Phan Vn Li

Translation from the original Vietnamese by Faithful Follower on May 1, 2010

Allies for Freedom publishers

Nhn Quyn ti Vit Nam Series No. 2www.vietamreview.net
http://www.vietamreview.net/http://www.vietamreview.net/

Documents

Inaugural Issue 1