Hà Nội’s recently decided to forbid citizens from making audio or video recordings without consent during meetings with officials.— Photo nld.com.vn Trọng Kiên Public discourse has taken off over Hà Nội’s recent decision to forbid citizens from making audio or video recordings without consent during meetings with officials. The policy, signed into effect this week, was criticised as a backward step amidst the Government’s push to promote transparency. Lawyer Nguyễn Minh Long, a member of Hà Nội’s bar association, argued that the municipal government policy clearly abridges citizens’ rights to monitor public agencies and officials as they discharge their duties and citizens’ freedom to do anything not forbidden by law, both of which are rights protected by the Vietnamese Constitution. It is clear what the Hà Nội authorities had in mind when they penned this policy. They were … [Read more...] about Should citizens be allowed to record meetings with officials