Apple Urged to Speak Out on Jailed Vietnam Climate Activists

(Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. has been urged by more than 60 human rights and environmental organizations to publicly oppose the detention of climate activists in Vietnam, an increasingly important nation in its supply chain.

Most Read from Bloomberg

• Apple Plans to Overhaul Entire Mac Line With AI-Focused M4 Chips

• Russian Attacks on Ukraine Stoke Fears Army Near Breaking Point

• US Sees Imminent Missile Strike on Israel by Iran, Proxies

• Vietnam Tycoon Lan Sentenced to Death Over $12 Billion Fraud

• Israel Bracing for Unprecedented Direct Iran Attack in Days

“You have a responsibility to weigh in on the systematic persecution and imprisonment of climate leaders in the country,” the groups, which include 350.org and Global Witness, said in a letter Thursday to Apple’s leadership team and board.

“By not making a public statement on this matter, you risk violating your own environmental and human rights policies,” the letter said. Vietnam has seen about a fourfold increase in companies assembling Apple products over the past decade.

Read More: Apple’s iPhone Supply Chain Splinters Under US-China Tensions

The US and the United Nations have previously criticized Vietnam over the jailing of environmentalists on tax evasion charges, including Hoang Thi Minh Hong, a former Obama Foundation scholar, and Nguy Thi Khanh. Activists argue authorities are using the detentions as part of efforts to limit transparency on the country’s energy transition.

“In Vietnam, no one is convicted for environmental activism,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy spokesperson Doan Khac Viet said in an emailed statement. “Those who claim to ‘do activities for the environment’ but violate the law have been punished strictly in accordance with the law.”

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of usual business hours.

The nation — which relies on fossil fuels for more than half its power generation — in 2022 entered into a $15.5 billion partnership with funders led by the European Union and the UK to help finance its transition away from coal.

--With assistance from John Boudreau, Vlad Savov and Nguyen Xuan Quynh.

(Updates the story in the fifth paragraph with Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs comment.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

• How a Pioneering Blackjack Master Beats the Odds of Aging

• Toyota Pins Its Hopes on Revamped 4Runner to Beat Ford and Hyundai

• Race for AI Supremacy in Middle East Is Measured in Data Centers

• Cocoa’s Surge Is Drawing Africa’s Farmers Back to the Bean

• Everyone Is Rich, No One Is Happy. The Pro Golf Drama Is Back

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.