Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate:

(a) notes with deep concern:

  (i) the suppression of human rights in Vietnam, including ongoing restrictions on civil and political rights, including freedom of expression, association and assembly, and

  (ii) the ongoing harassment, arrest and detention experienced by peaceful human rights defenders in Vietnam;

(b) notes that Human Rights Watch has reported that more than 100 political prisoners are currently imprisoned for simply exercising their basic human rights and that defenders face harassment, intimidation, surveillance and interrogation on a daily basis; and

(c) calls on the Australian Government to:

  (i) call for the immediate release of all people imprisoned and detained for peacefully protesting,

  (ii) encourage legal reform in Vietnam, including ensuring the right to defence lawyers for all detainees and an abolition of the death penalty, and

  (iii) provide support to local human rights defenders via regular meetings with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and working with other embassies in Hanoi to ensure that travel bans against them are lifted and assaults against human rights defenders are promptly reported.