Socialist Republic of Vietnam

In response to questions from the media about Vietnam's reaction to the October 14, 2009 Press Release by U.S. Embassy in Vietnam, in which several cases relating human rights and religious freedom have been raised, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry's Spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga on October 15, 2009 states:

“The Vietnamese state always respects rights of democratic freedom, freedom of belief and religion of its people and creates favorable conditions for its citizens to exercise their rights. Like in other countries, however, violations of law, which do harm to the national security, order and stability, shall be strictly dealt with by the laws. The prosecutions and trials of the law breakers by Vietnamese judiciary bodies are in compliance with the Vietnamese laws and with the regulations in various international conventions on human rights, such as the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The information mentioned in the October 14, 2009 press release by the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam regarding a number of individuals and cases are absolutely wrong and inaccurate. Regrettably, the U.S. Embassy, having been provided with and facilitated to access subjective information about Vietnam, has put out a biased press release that fails to refectly accurately the situation. Requests mentioned in the press release represents an interference into Vietnam's internal affairs.”