Vietnam: New Retaliatory Decree Targets Lawyers

By Human Rights Watch

Click to expand Image Protesters, including Can Thi Theu and Trinh Ba Tu, display placards as they march towards a courthouse during the trial of the prominent lawyer Nguyen Van Dai and five other activists in Hanoi, Vietnam, on April 5, 2018. © 2018 Jenny Vaughan/AFP via Getty Images (Berlin) – A new governmental decree undermines the independence of lawyers in Vietnam and will impede efforts to hold officials accountable, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should repeal the decree.Decree 109/2026, which takes effect May 18, 2026, empowers the police and government officials…

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