Vietnam 'regrets' EU resolution on deteriorating human rights

The Vietnamese regime balked today about a European Union resolution demanding the immediate release of prisoners of conscience like Father Ly, and all those behind bars for exercising the inherent human rights of freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of religion. Said Foreign Ministry spokeman Le Dung:

"It is regrettable that the European Parliament adopted a resolution that is based on incorrect information and accompanying biased comments. ...The resolution fails to correctly grasp Vietnam's situation and is not in line with the fine development in cooperative relations between Vietnam and the European Union."

Dung further claimed that "ensuring and upholding human rights constitute ... major goals" for Vietnam, which had "worked hard to build an apparatus that ensures those rights are maintained, developed and improved upon." He also had the gall to claim everyone in jail had broken the law and was not suppressed for having political opinions. Of course, Vietnam just brands everyone who expresses differing political opinions as threats to the socialist state and jails them under that excuse.