Washington Post Editorial: A glaring lapse on human rights – Salt Lake Tribune

Despite these reports, the joint statement released by the White House after the visit lauded Vietnam for its "ongoing efforts to refine its legal system to better protect and promote human rights for everyone." That is laughable; Vietnam has done just the opposite. While the Vietnam National Assembly made some concessions to human rights in the 2015 criminal procedure code, its revisions to the penal code that same year further curtailed free expression. Calls from citizens and civil society to repeal or amend these provisions have fallen on deaf ears, and just this week the National Assembly passed another iteration of the penal code that is even more draconian. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, which the Obama administration negotiated with Vietnam and other nations, would have provided an incentive to the communist regime to ease its repression. But Trump jettisoned that accord, and in failing to publicly raise these issues in May he missed another opportunity.

Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have raised concerns about Vietnam's human rights abuses, showing that the administration's heedlessness does not represent American values. The State Department should take note and speak out in support of the activists who have championed democracy at grave personal risk.

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Washington Post Editorial: A glaring lapse on human rights - Salt Lake Tribune