Vietnam blocks Amnesty director from Asean WEF summit
Amnesty condemns the 'censorship' by Hanoi’s ruling Communist Party that earlier saw off the secretary-general of the International Federation for Human Rights
Hanoi — Vietnam has refused to let a campaigner from Amnesty International attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) set to be held in the southeast Asian nation this week, the rights group said on Monday, the second such refusal in as many days. Hanoi will host the World Economic Forum on the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) from Tuesday to Thursday, an event touted as the country’s biggest diplomatic gathering this year. Amnesty condemned the decision to block the entry of Minar Pimple, its senior director of global operations, adding that the step came at a time when freedom of expression was under threat in Vietnam. 'Plurality of views' "The government’s actions undermine an event that depends on a plurality of views, and they are giving Asean a bad name," Amnesty’s secretary-general, Kumi Naidoo, said in a statement posted on its website. "We condemn this decision to stifle debate from a regular contributor to the WEF, who has spoken at the highest levels on human ri...
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