A coalition of human rights organizations has called upon the European Union and its member states to ensure transparency and enforce human rights safeguards in the ongoing negotiations for a bilateral extradition treaty between Vietnam and Thailand. Concerns center around the potential for the treaty to facilitate politically motivated arrest and forced return of Vietnamese dissidents and refugees, contravening international human rights laws.
The statement, which includes endorsements from groups such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Reporters Without Borders, highlights the opaque nature of the proposed extradition treaty and an associated treaty on mutual legal assistance. They warn that these treaties could justify actions violating international human rights principles, including non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to countries where they face persecution or torture.
The organizations provided specific instances illustrating this concern. Y Quynh Bdap, a Montagnard human rights defender recognized as a refugee in Thailand, was forcibly returned to Vietnam following a Vietnamese extradition request. Moreover, journalist Truong Duy Nhat disappeared in Thailand in 2019 while seeking asylum, only to later reappear in Vietnamese custody and face a 10-year imprisonment sentence. Similarly, journalist and human rights advocate Duong Van Thai was allegedly abducted from Thailand and sentenced to 12 years in Vietnam. The case of Le Chi Thanh, an anti-corruption activist detained in Bangkok after Vietnamese authorities revoked his passport, underscores the broader issue of political repression extending beyond Vietnam’s borders. Additional details can be found at JURIST.
The rights groups argue that recent state visits between Thai and Vietnamese officials indicate a dangerous tightening of security cooperation that goes beyond legitimate objectives and targets individuals for political reasons. They urge the EU to utilize its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam to press for inclusion of safeguards in any extradition treaty, ensuring protection against extradition for political offenses and guaranteeing non-refoulement.
This call for EU intervention comes amid heightened international scrutiny of Vietnam’s human rights record. As highlighted by Reuters, Vietnam’s handling of dissent remains a critical point of concern as political pressures mount to balance security cooperation with human rights obligations.