The arrest of Le Cong Dinh is of Vietnam’s internal affairs and in accordance with Vietnamese and international laws, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Dung.

The arrest of Le Cong Dinh is Vietnam’s internal affair and is being handled in accordance with Vietnamese and international law, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dung.

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Dung, speaking in Hanoi on June 23, was replying to reporters’ questions regarding Vietnam’s reaction to a June 22 statement released by the head of the EU diplomatic corps in Vietnam that called on the government to release Dinh from detention.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman repeated that Dinh was arrested because he broke the law by colluding with elements overseas to carry out activities in an attempt to overthrow the Vietnamese State. Dinh himself admitted his law-breaking activities, Dung stressed.

Dung said the arrest has been conducted in accordance with Vietnamese and international laws, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In Vietnam, he said, a citizens’ right to freedom of expression is guaranteed by law and exercised in reality.

He said that it is an obvious and necessary move for all countries, including members of the European Union, to deal with lawbreakers in order to safeguard national security, social order and safety of their citizens.

Dung regretted that the statement by the head of the EU diplomatic corps in Hanoi is not objective and that it interferes in Vietnam’s internal affairs. He noted that the Foreign Ministry had already discussed these issues during a recent dialogue with the EU Troika.

VietNamNet/VOV