ICC Note:
The Association to Protect Freedom of Religion in Vietnam says that violations of religious freedom increased in 2016 in comparison to previous years. Father Thanh, the head of the organization says that Catholics, members of unrecognized forms of Buddhism, and Protestant groups were targeted by authorities. Members of these groups were prevented from attending services, brutally attacked, and had crosses removed from their churches. The report said, “These violations show that the authorities have defied the constitutional ban on infringing religious freedom.” Vietnam recently passed a new law governing religious institutions that is expected to increase government oversight of religions in Vietnam. Vietnam is a communist country where Christians and religious minorities are persecuted.
1/24/2017 Vietnam (UCA News) – If you are following a non-sanctioned religion in Vietnam you can expect harassment from the authorities, according to a religious freedom watchdog.
“We recorded 59 violations of religious freedom by the government in 2016, an increase of nine from 2015,” Father Anthony Le Ngoc Thanh, head of the Vietnam-based Association to Protect Freedom of Religion, told ucanews.com.
Father Thanh said the authorities targeted Catholics and followers of unrecognized religious groups such as Cao Dai, Hoa Hao Buddhism, the Unified Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam and small Christian groups in remote areas.
His organization issued a fourth-quarter report on Jan. 11 that showed 22 cases took place over the past three months.
“The instances of religious persecution got increasingly worse,” he said, adding that government authorities encroached on the travel rights of dignitaries and coerced religions into giving up property.
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