Interview with Tran Thi Nga: Stay Strong and Persevere, You Are Not Alone
ACAT's Remarks at Vietnam Human Rights Vigil
Vietnamese Around the World Protest Communist Regime
Protestors Denounce Vietnamese Communists at Washington, D.C. Embassy
Vietnam’s Criticism of Religious Freedom Report Falls Short
Activists: Put Human Rights First in Dealings with Communist Vietnam
ACAT's Remarks at Vietnam Human Rights Vigil
Vietnamese Around the World Protest Communist Regime
Protestors Denounce Vietnamese Communists at Washington, D.C. Embassy
Vietnam’s Criticism of Religious Freedom Report Falls Short
Activists: Put Human Rights First in Dealings with Communist Vietnam
March 2023
NGO demands Vietnamese communist authorities be held accountable for recent mysterious deaths of religious and political prisoners
February 2023
Vietnamese courts imposing harsh sentences on environmentalists, bloggers
International groups call for release of environmental campaigner, in prison for a year for ‘tax evasion’
NGO demands Vietnamese communist authorities be held accountable for recent mysterious deaths of religious and political prisoners
February 2023
Vietnamese courts imposing harsh sentences on environmentalists, bloggers
International groups call for release of environmental campaigner, in prison for a year for ‘tax evasion’
- Vietnam’s communist leaders stuck in a “Stalinist yesteryear”

Interview with Tran Thi Nga:
Stay Strong and Persevere, You Are Not Alone
- Exiled Vietnamese Dissident Breathes the Fresh Air of Freedom in America, Encourages Those She Left Behind
PERMALINK
March 10, 2020
ACAT is grateful to Boat People SOS for facilitating this interview and translating (donate here)
Tran Thi Nga: I consider all activities I have participated in the fight for human rights and democracy in Vietnam are necessary because there is so much injustice in the Vietnamese society due to the fact that the people are not educated and not aware of the rights and obligations of citizens. Furthermore, the law enforcement forces themselves are brainwashed by communism in their blind loyalty to the Communist Party and the State. They consider it is their duty to carry out all orders from the Party and the State even when these actions constitute many crimes against the people such as illegal and brutal land expropriation without fair compensation or the use of violence and imprisonment to suppress our rights to exercise freedom of speech, our demand for environment protection, and our will to protect our sovereignty against China’s aggression.
As an activist participating in several different fields of activism, I know that each field has its own value. For example, social media is valuable in bringing information to common people. It serves the purpose of educating the public, thus empowering them, as noted in a popular Vietnamese saying: “Khai Dan Tri and Chan Dan Khi”. And those who participate in protests against the wrongdoing of the government are exercising the basic human rights in protecting themselves, their families, and the country. I have great respect for them because they dare to do what they need to do in solidarity of many people to strengthen the voice of the people.
What work are you most proud of?
Tran Thi Nga: Throughout my struggle as an activist in Vietnam, I feel most happy that I had the opportunity to accompany and help the mothers of three young men who were unjustly placed on death row for the crimes they did not commit. They are: Ho Duy Hai, Nguyen Van Chuong, and Le Van Manh. As a mother, I had deep empathy for these mothers and understood very well their pain when their children were about to be wrongly executed. I held their hands and told them to persevere in their quest for justice for their sons and I will try my best to support them and will do everything I could to help them. I helped them disseminate information about these cases as well as documents proving the wrongdoings of the authorities when they wrongfully and unjustly convicted these three innocent young men of murder and gave them the Death Penalty. The result was wonderful. These cases received a lot of public attention and tremendous support of the people, the media, as well as the international community. As a result, the authorities in Vietnam had to halt the executions. However, so far, the Vietnamese communist authorities have not yet vindicated these three innocent young men and released them. I sincerely hope that people will continue to pray for and help these three victims until their sentences are vindicated and they are set free.
What advice do you have for dissidents in Vietnam?
Tran Thi Nga: My only advice to all my dissident friends is, “Whether you are still free or currently imprisoned, you should try to stay strong and persevere in speaking out against dictatorship and injustice, in continuing with your human rights work so that our country will have a chance to become a developing country and our people are fully entitled to the basic human rights as prescribed in the Constitution, the law, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Please remember that you are not alone because I and many Vietnamese living abroad as well as our friends in the international community always accompany and support you.”
What are the biggest differences you see between your new life in America and your life before in Vietnam?
Tran Thi Nga: The biggest difference I can see immediately is that in the US I am no longer being followed and stalked by the authorities, nor I am harassed by the police demanding me to report my whereabouts or to register where I live or when I leave my residence. I am able to enjoy complete freedom of movement, freedom of speech. Even the air here is very fresh and the environment is very clean.
What is your hope for the Vietnamese people?
Tran Thi Nga: I hope the Vietnamese people soon realize that their rights and responsibilities as citizens are being deprived by violence and lies by the Vietnamese communist authorities. By then the people will know how to stand up and fight to demand that the communist government must stop these abhorrent acts so that Vietnam will become a plurality system with separation of power. Only then the people will be able to enjoy the full range of basic human rights and freedom. I sincerely hope that day will soon come for my people and my country, Vietnam.
Stay Strong and Persevere, You Are Not Alone
- Exiled Vietnamese Dissident Breathes the Fresh Air of Freedom in America, Encourages Those She Left Behind
PERMALINK
March 10, 2020
ACAT is grateful to Boat People SOS for facilitating this interview and translating (donate here)
- Tran Thi Nga is an internationally recognized award-winning human rights activist and former prisoner of conscience who fought against human trafficking, abuse of prisoners, and environmental degradation in communist Vietnam. She is known for taking and publicizing videos of police brutality. She was arrested for ‘propaganda against the state’ under Vietnam’s notorious Article 88 and sentenced to nine years in prison and five years of house arrest after a show-trial in 2017. The communists tortured and pressured her to confess guilt, but she refused. She continues her work as a member of Vietnamese Women for Human Rights and Bau Bi Tuong Than, which assists prisoners of conscience and their families
Tran Thi Nga: I consider all activities I have participated in the fight for human rights and democracy in Vietnam are necessary because there is so much injustice in the Vietnamese society due to the fact that the people are not educated and not aware of the rights and obligations of citizens. Furthermore, the law enforcement forces themselves are brainwashed by communism in their blind loyalty to the Communist Party and the State. They consider it is their duty to carry out all orders from the Party and the State even when these actions constitute many crimes against the people such as illegal and brutal land expropriation without fair compensation or the use of violence and imprisonment to suppress our rights to exercise freedom of speech, our demand for environment protection, and our will to protect our sovereignty against China’s aggression.
As an activist participating in several different fields of activism, I know that each field has its own value. For example, social media is valuable in bringing information to common people. It serves the purpose of educating the public, thus empowering them, as noted in a popular Vietnamese saying: “Khai Dan Tri and Chan Dan Khi”. And those who participate in protests against the wrongdoing of the government are exercising the basic human rights in protecting themselves, their families, and the country. I have great respect for them because they dare to do what they need to do in solidarity of many people to strengthen the voice of the people.
What work are you most proud of?
Tran Thi Nga: Throughout my struggle as an activist in Vietnam, I feel most happy that I had the opportunity to accompany and help the mothers of three young men who were unjustly placed on death row for the crimes they did not commit. They are: Ho Duy Hai, Nguyen Van Chuong, and Le Van Manh. As a mother, I had deep empathy for these mothers and understood very well their pain when their children were about to be wrongly executed. I held their hands and told them to persevere in their quest for justice for their sons and I will try my best to support them and will do everything I could to help them. I helped them disseminate information about these cases as well as documents proving the wrongdoings of the authorities when they wrongfully and unjustly convicted these three innocent young men of murder and gave them the Death Penalty. The result was wonderful. These cases received a lot of public attention and tremendous support of the people, the media, as well as the international community. As a result, the authorities in Vietnam had to halt the executions. However, so far, the Vietnamese communist authorities have not yet vindicated these three innocent young men and released them. I sincerely hope that people will continue to pray for and help these three victims until their sentences are vindicated and they are set free.
What advice do you have for dissidents in Vietnam?
Tran Thi Nga: My only advice to all my dissident friends is, “Whether you are still free or currently imprisoned, you should try to stay strong and persevere in speaking out against dictatorship and injustice, in continuing with your human rights work so that our country will have a chance to become a developing country and our people are fully entitled to the basic human rights as prescribed in the Constitution, the law, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Please remember that you are not alone because I and many Vietnamese living abroad as well as our friends in the international community always accompany and support you.”
What are the biggest differences you see between your new life in America and your life before in Vietnam?
Tran Thi Nga: The biggest difference I can see immediately is that in the US I am no longer being followed and stalked by the authorities, nor I am harassed by the police demanding me to report my whereabouts or to register where I live or when I leave my residence. I am able to enjoy complete freedom of movement, freedom of speech. Even the air here is very fresh and the environment is very clean.
What is your hope for the Vietnamese people?
Tran Thi Nga: I hope the Vietnamese people soon realize that their rights and responsibilities as citizens are being deprived by violence and lies by the Vietnamese communist authorities. By then the people will know how to stand up and fight to demand that the communist government must stop these abhorrent acts so that Vietnam will become a plurality system with separation of power. Only then the people will be able to enjoy the full range of basic human rights and freedom. I sincerely hope that day will soon come for my people and my country, Vietnam.
"It was a wonderful speech—you included all the (known) victims"
- Vietnamese refugee
- Vietnamese refugee

Honor Their Memory
- ACAT’s Remarks at
The Candle Light Vigil for Human Rights & Freedom in Vietnam
Falls Church, Virginia
August 18, 2018
PERMALINK
Thank you for inviting me to speak. My name is Chris Wright. I run the Anticommunism Action Team.
Tonight, we are gathered to honor the memory of those who suffered and died at the hands of the Vietnamese communists.
We honor the memory of the brave soldiers – Vietnamese and American – who laid down their lives for freedom.
We honor the memory of the boat people. They fled communism and risked their lives at sea. Many did not make it. A man named Hien told me he was all excited because his sister managed to get on a boat and he expected her to turn up in the Philippines soon. I asked him from time to time if he had heard from her and, finally, he looked down and shook his head ‘no’. She was one of the many lost at sea. Another man, named Cao, told me how he hid under his boat while Thai pirates robbed and killed everyone else on board.
We honor the memory of the prisoners who perished in communist reeducation camps. One survivor told an audience he was beaten every day on the ribs and the soles of his feet. He coughed up blood and went down to 80 pounds. But the communists never broke his will.
We honor him and the others who still fight, for their courage.
We honor the protesters all around Vietnam who demonstrated against the communists earlier this summer, hundreds of whom were arrested.
We honor the nuns who refused to turn their convent over to the communists.
We honor the brave dissidents in Vietnam who stand up against the communists every day – dissidents like Mother Mushroom, and Tran Huynh Duy Thuc who just told the comnists he would rather stay and fight in prison in Vietnam than be exiled to safety in another country.
We honor the nearly 100 other prisoners of conscience who languish in Vietnamese prisons. They are tortured and denied medical treatment. One was hung upside down with a dirty sock in his mouth.
So many ruined lives. And for what?
So a tiny group of people – the communists – could run an entire country. They hold on to power only by denying the rest of the people free speech and other basic human rights.
So how do we honor those who died and those who continue to fight the communists today?
We stand and we fight alongside them. We give the communists no rest. We demand freedom and basic human rights for the Vietnamese people. We don’t stop until the communists are gone and the Vietnamese people can enjoy a normal life in a normal country, where their voice is heard.
Together, we are strong and, together, we will prevail.
- ACAT’s Remarks at
The Candle Light Vigil for Human Rights & Freedom in Vietnam
Falls Church, Virginia
August 18, 2018
PERMALINK
Thank you for inviting me to speak. My name is Chris Wright. I run the Anticommunism Action Team.
Tonight, we are gathered to honor the memory of those who suffered and died at the hands of the Vietnamese communists.
We honor the memory of the brave soldiers – Vietnamese and American – who laid down their lives for freedom.
We honor the memory of the boat people. They fled communism and risked their lives at sea. Many did not make it. A man named Hien told me he was all excited because his sister managed to get on a boat and he expected her to turn up in the Philippines soon. I asked him from time to time if he had heard from her and, finally, he looked down and shook his head ‘no’. She was one of the many lost at sea. Another man, named Cao, told me how he hid under his boat while Thai pirates robbed and killed everyone else on board.
We honor the memory of the prisoners who perished in communist reeducation camps. One survivor told an audience he was beaten every day on the ribs and the soles of his feet. He coughed up blood and went down to 80 pounds. But the communists never broke his will.
We honor him and the others who still fight, for their courage.
We honor the protesters all around Vietnam who demonstrated against the communists earlier this summer, hundreds of whom were arrested.
We honor the nuns who refused to turn their convent over to the communists.
We honor the brave dissidents in Vietnam who stand up against the communists every day – dissidents like Mother Mushroom, and Tran Huynh Duy Thuc who just told the comnists he would rather stay and fight in prison in Vietnam than be exiled to safety in another country.
We honor the nearly 100 other prisoners of conscience who languish in Vietnamese prisons. They are tortured and denied medical treatment. One was hung upside down with a dirty sock in his mouth.
So many ruined lives. And for what?
So a tiny group of people – the communists – could run an entire country. They hold on to power only by denying the rest of the people free speech and other basic human rights.
So how do we honor those who died and those who continue to fight the communists today?
We stand and we fight alongside them. We give the communists no rest. We demand freedom and basic human rights for the Vietnamese people. We don’t stop until the communists are gone and the Vietnamese people can enjoy a normal life in a normal country, where their voice is heard.
Together, we are strong and, together, we will prevail.
MASSIVE DEMONSTRATION IN FRONT OF THE COMMUNIST VIETNAMESE EMBASSY IN D.C.
- More Demonstrations Held Around the World by Thao Dao July 9, 2018 English translation by Truc Brown, ACAT Speakers Bureau Originally published in various Vietnamese-language sources |
|

A massive, peaceful demonstration was organized by the Washington Area Task Force to Support Human Rights and Independence in Vietnam to support the recent protests in Vietnam, in front of the Viet Cong Embassy at 11 a.m. on Saturday July 7, 2018. More than 700 Vietnamese compatriots from many U.S. states participated.
At 11 a.m. sharp, Mr. Bui Manh Hùng welcomed all participants and stated the reasons for this public protest. Next, emcee Do Hieu called for the (U.S) National anthem, then the Republic of (South) Vietnam’s anthem, and finally a “moment of silence” to remember the sacrifice of our departed servicemen who laid down their lives for our freedom.
Mr. Dinh Hung Cuong, Chairperson, Vietnamese Communities in Washington, Maryland and Virginia and Mr. Nguyen Vân Tan, President, Federation of the Republic of Vietnam Veterans in the Washington D.C. Area, declared that they wanted to send a strong message to the puppet Vietnamese communist regime. Their intention was to support the valiant fight of the Vietnamese people back home against the Viet Cong Internet Law, which silences the Vietnamese people in order to facilitate the selling out of Vietnam to communist China [through the granting of special economic zones].
Next, Mr. Ta Cu Hai introduced Vietnamese representatives from 18 U.S. states who came to the nation’s capital to join the protest. Songs of “love of country” and of “fighting spirits” - filled with “down with the communists “ and “down with those traitors, who murdered patriots” - roared through the air.
Spiritual leaders such as Fr. Nguyen Văn Lý from Huế and the Venerable Thích Không Tánh from Saigon joined in the conversation by long distance phone calls amplified from the stage.
Mr. Doan Huu Dinh, the former President of Vietnamese Communities in Washington, Maryland and Virginia, read a Letter of Protest, addressed to all people around the world, against China’s territorial expansion under color of Vietnamese law and against the Vietnamese government silencing the voice of the people with its new Internet Security Law. Ms. Do Anh Tu read the English translation of the letter. Mr. Bobby Lý invited people to sign the Petition Letter asking the U.S. to intervene in order to protect basic human rights and, specifically, free speech in Vietnam.
Singer and Songwriter Nguyêt Anh then sang “Let’s Rise Up My People” with a chorus of 700-plus people in the crowd sounding a thunderous echo.
Next came speeches by Do van Hoi, M.D., Chairperson, Executive Board of the Vietnamese Communities in the United States of America; Mr. Do van Phuc, Chairman, Representative Board of Nationalist Vietnamese in the U.S.; Mrs. Nguyen Tra My, Chairperson, Vietnamese Community in Atlanta; Mr. Doan van Tinh, President, Federation of the Republic of Vietnam, Georgia; and Mr. Phan Thông Hưng, Chairperson, Vietnamese Communities in Pennsylvania.
These were followed by: Attorney Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairperson, Vietnamese Nationalists in New York; Mr. Lê Thành Quang , Chairperson, Vietnamese Communities in Philadelphia Area; Mr. Pham Huu Son, Chairperson, Vietnamese Communities in Northern California; Mrs. Duong Thị Kim Trinh, Chairperson, Vietnamese communities in Connecticut; Mr. Nguyen van Tanh, Co-Chairperson, Council of Domestic and Overseas Vietnamese; Mr. Tran Tu Thanh, Vietnam Kuo Ming Tang Representative; Mrs. Là Cám Tu, Chairwoman, Vietnamese Communities in Philadelphia; Mrs. Ngo Kim Chi, Chairperson, Vietnamese Communities in Georgia; Miss Destiny Nguyen, Representative, Activists from the Next Generation of the Republic of Vietnam's Veterans.
Mr. Chris Wright, retired attorney and founder of the Anticommunism Action Team [ACAT] shared his thoughts and opinions with us. From California, former Chief, Republic of Vietnam National Police, Brigadier General Nguyen Khác Binh sent his words of support for a successful endeavor.
Around 1:30 p.m., the demonstrators marched around Sheridan Circle several times while shouting "down with the Viet Cong who sold out the Country to Red China,” "down with the Internet Security Law,” "down with tactics to silence people,” "Human Rights for Vietnam," and "Democracy for Vietnam."
The demonstrators crossed over R Street to be within yards of the Embassy of the communist dictatorship of Vietnam to show support for the Vietnamese people’s movement to demand basic human rights. The first people who led the group were a young boy of five ("Nicholas") and an elderly grandma of 90+ years old.
According to Vietnamese media, there were similar rallies/demonstrations worldwide, mainly in Europe, Australia, Canada, and in all countries with a great number of Vietnamese refugees/inhabitants who demand basic human rights for Vietnam.
Word came there would be numerous demonstrations on Sunday July 8th in cities in Vietnam demanding human rights, mainly free speech. We pray that the Sacred Spirit of the Mountains and Rivers of Vietnam will help its people attain their goals.
Reports of the massive demonstrations of the Joint Board of Patriots in the Country and Overseas and the Washington Area Task Force to Support Human Rights and Independence in Vietnam and many other different Vietnamese organizations throughout the U.S. attracted 133,000 visits on the internet in the first three days. Those visits are multiplying by the hour.
The protest in D.C. successful rally ended at 2 p.m. sharp without incident.

Protestors Denounce Vietnamese Communists at Washington, D.C. Embassy
July 9, 2018
On July 7, 2018, Vietnamese-American protestors gathered from many states to denounce the communist government of Vietnam for assaulting Internet freedom, beating demonstrators inside Vietnam, and enabling Chinese domination of the region. One of the protesters, Anh Tu Do, read the following statement:
Today, we join to show solidarity with the thousands of people continuously demonstrating in Vietnam against the two bills:
1. Special Economic Zone (SEZ): Lease to give China total economic and administrative control over the three strategic regions Vân Đồn, Bắc Vân Phong and Phú Quốc. This lease is more like a “Bill of Sale” to legalize China invasion of Vietnam and to help China’s military dominate the South Sea.
2. The Cyber Security Law, which takes effect on January 1st, 2019, will implement further internet restriction. It is also a disguised security law to silence people over the internet.
Over the past few weeks, the public security police have violently assaulted, brutally beaten and arrested hundreds of peaceful demonstrators. Many of them were taken away and have not been accounted for.
We denounce the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for these atrocities.
What you can do to help protect human rights in Vietnam:
1. Contact the news media, plead with the leaders of the Free World and the United Nations to intervene, to investigate and to impose sanctions on the communist criminals responsible for the killing and murdering of innocent people. The Vietnamese government should not get a free pass on abusing human rights as the U.S. and Vietnam relationship grows.
2. Sign the petition to President Trump and contact your Congressional Representatives to intervene and to stop Vietnam’s human rights violations.
[Editor’s Note – here is the link to the petition: Protect Vietnam from China! Protect Cyber Freedom in Vietnam! Protest human rights violations in Vietnam! | We the People: Your Voice in Our Government]
3. Contact us for detail information of these daily violations.
[Editor’s Note – ACAT will forward your message. Contact [email protected]]
July 9, 2018
On July 7, 2018, Vietnamese-American protestors gathered from many states to denounce the communist government of Vietnam for assaulting Internet freedom, beating demonstrators inside Vietnam, and enabling Chinese domination of the region. One of the protesters, Anh Tu Do, read the following statement:
Today, we join to show solidarity with the thousands of people continuously demonstrating in Vietnam against the two bills:
1. Special Economic Zone (SEZ): Lease to give China total economic and administrative control over the three strategic regions Vân Đồn, Bắc Vân Phong and Phú Quốc. This lease is more like a “Bill of Sale” to legalize China invasion of Vietnam and to help China’s military dominate the South Sea.
2. The Cyber Security Law, which takes effect on January 1st, 2019, will implement further internet restriction. It is also a disguised security law to silence people over the internet.
Over the past few weeks, the public security police have violently assaulted, brutally beaten and arrested hundreds of peaceful demonstrators. Many of them were taken away and have not been accounted for.
We denounce the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for these atrocities.
What you can do to help protect human rights in Vietnam:
1. Contact the news media, plead with the leaders of the Free World and the United Nations to intervene, to investigate and to impose sanctions on the communist criminals responsible for the killing and murdering of innocent people. The Vietnamese government should not get a free pass on abusing human rights as the U.S. and Vietnam relationship grows.
2. Sign the petition to President Trump and contact your Congressional Representatives to intervene and to stop Vietnam’s human rights violations.
[Editor’s Note – here is the link to the petition: Protect Vietnam from China! Protect Cyber Freedom in Vietnam! Protest human rights violations in Vietnam! | We the People: Your Voice in Our Government]
3. Contact us for detail information of these daily violations.
[Editor’s Note – ACAT will forward your message. Contact [email protected]]

Vietnam’s Criticism of Religious Freedom Report Falls Short
September 2017
The Vietnamese government criticized the U.S. State Department’s recent report on religious freedom, saying Vietnam has made progress and the report is outdated.
The report contains numerous stories about beatings, imprisonment, and harassment of people practicing their faith, as well as interference with worship services. For example:
- Pastor Ksor Xiem, head pastor of the unregistered Montagnard Degar Evangelical Church in Ayun Pa District, Gia Lai Province, died in January from what a nongovernmental organization (NGO) said were internal injuries sustained during a police beating in December 2015. District public security officials reportedly ordered the pastor to report to the local police station on Christmas Eve where they demanded he renounce his faith. Police reportedly “used various tools to beat him up” after the pastor refused to comply. He lost consciousness and was returned to his family. Authorities reportedly interfered with the funeral and later threatened other church members with prison should they fail to cease all religious activities.
However, “the report downplays the gravity of persecution against religion in Vietnam,” says Thang Nguyen, CEO & president of the human rights group Boat People SOS. Additional violations of religious freedom were not fully reported so the State Department would not have to declare Vietnam a “country of particular concern”, Nguyen says. A CPC designation could potentially trigger economic sanctions under the International Religious Freedom Act. BPSOS has supplied the State Department with statistics regarding the incidence of beatings, torture, and forced renunciations of faith which were not included in the report.
As for Vietnam’s criticism of the report, the communist government always denies there is a problem, Nguyen says. The stories of persecution are up to date, he says. In fact, BPSOS has a current list of close to one hundred religious prisoners of conscience, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg, according to Nguyen.
If anything, the situation is getting worse, Nguyen says. Vietnam touts its new law on religion, which the report parses in detail. In reality, the new law, which takes effect January 1st, is a major step backwards and many religious communities have decried it. The law may make it simpler for government-controlled churches to operate, but severely restricts the space for independent religious groups, he says. Independent churches face hefty fines and the prospect of being shut down if they fail to register.
Registering with the government is a bad answer, Nguyen argues. First of all, groups can register but still be persecuted. In addition, many Christian and other house churches have refused to register because it means disclosing the names of their members to the government. Registration also means the group’s prayers must be pre-approved by the government. Moreover, the group’s teachings must include communist indoctrination. Finally, the government publishes its own versions of religious scriptures and censored versions of the Bible. “If you register with the government, you have to use the communist version of religious teachings,” Nguyen says.
Religious groups should be able to proceed without government approval, the report notes. Half of all Vietnamese identify as Buddhist and Roman Catholics make up 7 percent of the total population.
Activists: Put Human Rights First in Dealings with Communist Vietnam
August 2017
In late June 2017, a group of Vietnamese-American activists led by Boat People SOS visited lawmakers on Capitol Hill to highlight key human rights issues:
Vietnamese communist government officials who are involved in torture and other human rights violations should be subject to sanctions under the Magnitsky Act which include prohibiting entry into the U.S. and use of the American banking system. A list of human rights violators has been compiled.
Vietnam should once again be designated a ‘country of particular concern’ under the Religious Freedom Act. It got off the list by making some token efforts, but went right back to persecuting its citizens for their religion.
All foreign aid to and trade deals with Vietnam should be suspended until the communist government releases all religious and political prisoners of conscience and the laws justifying their imprisonment are taken off the books. There are 200 such prisoners known to the activists, but there are undoubtedly more. They are in jail for such vague offenses as ‘injuring the national unity’ and ‘propaganda against the State’.
President Trump was slated to attend an APEC meeting (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) in Vietnam in July, but activists urged Trump not go. The hotel where the meeting was to take place is on land confiscated from a Catholic parish. The Vietnamese communists seized the land without due process and only gave the parish token compensation. One person was killed in the taking. The parishioners continue to be persecuted. The activists provided a draft letter for lawmakers to send to the President on the issue.
The activists urged lawmakers to support the Vietnam Human Rights Act, to be reintroduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ). The bill, which passed the House previously, would require the State Department to monitor the human rights situation in Vietnam and report to Congress. It would also require the State Department to impose sanctions on Vietnam for human rights violations or explain to Congress why sanctions were not imposed.
Finally, the activists urged lawmakers to demand compensation from the communist government of Vietnam for land confiscated from
Vietnamese-Americans who are now U.S. citizens. Enormous pressure was applied in Europe on such matters after World War II, the activists noted.
August 2017
In late June 2017, a group of Vietnamese-American activists led by Boat People SOS visited lawmakers on Capitol Hill to highlight key human rights issues:
Vietnamese communist government officials who are involved in torture and other human rights violations should be subject to sanctions under the Magnitsky Act which include prohibiting entry into the U.S. and use of the American banking system. A list of human rights violators has been compiled.
Vietnam should once again be designated a ‘country of particular concern’ under the Religious Freedom Act. It got off the list by making some token efforts, but went right back to persecuting its citizens for their religion.
All foreign aid to and trade deals with Vietnam should be suspended until the communist government releases all religious and political prisoners of conscience and the laws justifying their imprisonment are taken off the books. There are 200 such prisoners known to the activists, but there are undoubtedly more. They are in jail for such vague offenses as ‘injuring the national unity’ and ‘propaganda against the State’.
President Trump was slated to attend an APEC meeting (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) in Vietnam in July, but activists urged Trump not go. The hotel where the meeting was to take place is on land confiscated from a Catholic parish. The Vietnamese communists seized the land without due process and only gave the parish token compensation. One person was killed in the taking. The parishioners continue to be persecuted. The activists provided a draft letter for lawmakers to send to the President on the issue.
The activists urged lawmakers to support the Vietnam Human Rights Act, to be reintroduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ). The bill, which passed the House previously, would require the State Department to monitor the human rights situation in Vietnam and report to Congress. It would also require the State Department to impose sanctions on Vietnam for human rights violations or explain to Congress why sanctions were not imposed.
Finally, the activists urged lawmakers to demand compensation from the communist government of Vietnam for land confiscated from
Vietnamese-Americans who are now U.S. citizens. Enormous pressure was applied in Europe on such matters after World War II, the activists noted.