Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, Mr. Pham, for your testimony today to our subcommittee.
Vietnam's government continues to violate a broad area of human rights and is among the worst offenders in the world. Vietnam is ranked 174th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders 2014 “World Press Freedom Index”. In 2014 authorities prosecuted at least 29 dissidents and activists and sentenced them to a total of 129 years in prison. They also arrested at least 13 other rights activists pending investigations or trial.
Mr. Pham, could you please comment on the voluntary commitments Vietnam promised to the UN Human Rights Council? To what extent has the Vietnamese government fulfilled its voluntary commitments to the UN?