HRC54: Oral statement during Agenda Item 3 General Debate

Item 3:General Debate

Organisation:Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)

Speaker:Ellis Heasley

Thank you Mr President,

CSW welcomes the release of human rights defender Nguyen Bac Truyen from prison in Vietnam, however we maintain that he should never have been imprisoned in the first place.

Truyen was clearly targeted by the Vietnamese authorities for his efforts to stand up for vulnerable communities – including those targeted on account of their religion or belief – and the 11-year prison sentence he received for ‘carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the government’ was a grave injustice.

There are many others like him who remain in prison today, including the activists Nguyen Trung Ton, Pham Van Troi and Truong Minh Duc – all of whom were tried and sentenced on the same charge and at the same time as Nguyen Bac Truyen.

We call for their immediate and unconditional release, and for that of all other prisoners of conscience in Vietnam.

We are similarly concerned by the significant number of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Cuba.

Many were arrested in relation to their participation in the July 2021 protests, including Protestant Pastor Lorenzo Rosales Fajardo, brothers Jorge Martin and Nadir Perdomo, and the leader of the Association of Free Yorubas Loreto Hernandez Garcia and his wife Donaida Pérez Paseiro.

CSW is concerned that these individuals and others have been subjected to physical mistreatment, humiliation and harassment on account of their religious beliefs.

Again, we call for their immediate and unconditional release, and urge Member States to condemn the Cuban government’s unconscionable treatment of political prisoners and their families.

Thank you.