The Rehab Archipelago - Human Rights Watch

To United Nations Agencies, including UNODC, WHO, OHCHR and UNAIDS
• Publicly call for: i) detainees in Vietnam’s drug detention centers to be released, ii)
the closure of the centers, iii) an investigation into allegations of human rights
violations inside such centers, iv) holding those responsible for such violations to
account, and v) reasonable compensation for detainees and former detainees for
harm to their physical and mental health suffered during detention.
• Review all funding, programming, and activities directed to assisting Vietnam’s drug
detention centers to ensure no funding is supporting policies or programs that
violate international human rights law, including prohibitions on arbitrary detention,
forced labor, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
• Actively encourage the Vietnamese government to expand voluntary, communitybased
drug dependency treatment and ensure that such treatment is medically
appropriate and comports with international standards.
• Support and provide capacity-building projects for drug dependency treatment to
Ministry of Health and NGOs.
To the Special Rapporteurs on Torture and on the Right to Health
• Publicly call for: i) detainees in Vietnam’s drug detention centers to be released, ii)
the closure of the centers, iii) an investigation into allegations of human rights
violations inside such centers, iv) holding those responsible for such violations to
account, and v) reasonable compensation for detainees and former detainees for
harm to their physical and mental health suffered during detention.
• Request an invitation to visit Vietnam to investigate allegations of human rights
abuses by law enforcement officers and staff of drug detention centers in Vietnam
against people who use drugs.
To the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Committee on the
Rights of the Child
• Raise concerns with Vietnam’s government regarding allegations of arbitrary
detention, forced labor, torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment, and other abuses committed against people who use drugs
(including children) by law enforcement officers and staff of drug detention
centers in Vietnam.
• Request further information from Vietnam’s government in its periodic reports on
the detention and treatment of people in drug detention centers, including children.
THE REHAB ARCHIPELAGO 100