Vietnam arrests prominent parliamentary official as top UN rights official visits November 14, 2023 at 11:54PM

A prominent parliamentary official in Vietnam, Luu Binh Nhuong, has been arrested on suspicion of links to an extortion racket. Nhuong, a former member of Vietnam's National Assembly, was known for occasionally expressing critical opinions about government officials and security forces. The arrest coincided with the visit of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to development, who warned about the selective use of the law to target human rights defenders and climate activists in Vietnam.