A BBC journalist has been prevented from leaving Vietnam for months, with authorities withholding their passport and subjecting them to questioning.
BANGKOK: A BBC journalist has been blocked by Vietnamese authorities from leaving the country for several months, the broadcaster confirmed.
The journalist, who remains unnamed, had their ID card and renewed passport withheld by authorities during this period.
They were subjected to multiple days of questioning by Vietnamese officials, according to a BBC statement published on Tuesday.
The journalist was in Vietnam for a routine passport renewal and to visit family when the restrictions were imposed.
Vietnam’s foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the situation.
The incident occurs as Vietnamese leader To Lam visits London to strengthen bilateral ties with Britain.
Phil Robertson of Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates called on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to address the matter.
“The UK-Vietnam relationship cannot be bolstered on the back of blatant violations of media freedom and human rights,” Robertson told AFP.
He described the journalist as having been “intensively interrogated” and warned that “failure to act now will likely condemn this journalist to face arrest and worse”.
Vietnam ranks among the world’s leading jailers of journalists, with 28 currently imprisoned according to Reporters Without Borders.
The one-party state has no free media and maintains strict controls on dissent.
Last year, journalist Nguyen Vu Binh received a seven-year prison sentence for producing propaganda against the state.
In February, another independent journalist was sentenced to 30 months in prison for critical Facebook posts about the government. – AFP
