Vietnamese representatives are joining nearly 1,000 lawyers and legalactivists from all over the world at the ongoing 18th Congress of theInternational Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) in Brussels,Belgium .
Running from April 15-19, the event is achance for participants to share experiences and discuss the formationof international constitutions. The ultimate aim is to foster solidarityto protect justice, and help people whose rights are violated,including war victims.
Representatives from theVietnam Lawyers Association (VLA) and the Vietnam Association forVictims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) discussed various topics,including the right to peace and the rights of nations.
Among other issues, the congress focused on the violations ofinternational law, working rights, the struggle against racialdiscrimination, the fight for gender equality and the situation inPalestine .
Addressing the opening session,President of the VAVA Nguyen Van Rinh said during the war in Vietnam ,the US sprayed nearly 80 million litres of toxic chemicals to thesouth of Vietnam , 61 percent of which was Agent Orange laced with366 kg of dioxin.
Nearly 4.8 million Vietnamesepeople were exposed to the deadly poison, with over 3 million of themdying or painfully struggling from its serious effects, he noted.
Rinh called on the participants to help Agent Orange/Dioxin (AO)victims in Vietnam by putting pressure on the internationalcommunity to identify those responsible for damaging the lives ofmillions of Vietnamese people, and punishing them for their crimes.
“I would like to call on people around the world to unite against thechemical warfare and support Vietnamese AO victims, helping themintegrate to the community in Vietnam and the world,” Rinh said.
Meanwhile, IADL President Jeanne Mirer said the congress is a greatopportunity to establish an international network able to assist membersin some countries, such as Turkey , Colombia and the Philippines ,where lawyers face high risks of violence.
Shelauded Vietnam ’s organisation of activities on the sidelines of thecongress, such as a conference on the AO disaster in Vietnam , aprotest against US chemical companies and a call on the internationalcommunity and the IADL to conduct legal procedures against violators ofhuman rights.
Established in 1946 in Paris, theIADL is a non-governmental organisation with consultative status to theUN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the UN Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). IADL members havechallenged groups and individuals who have threatened human rights andinternational peace and security and violated international law.-VNA