USCIRF Welcomes Release of Pastor A Dao in Vietnam
USCIRF |
September 18, 2020
Washington,
DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)
today welcomed the release of A Dao, a pastor of the Montagnard Evangelical
Church of Christ. Vietnamese authorities had arrested him on August 18, 2016,
after he returned to Vietnam from a conference about religious freedom in East
Timor.
“I am
delighted that Pastor A Dao is free, even as I lament the fact that prison
robbed him of four years of his life,” USCIRF Commissioner James W. Carr stated.
“I hope this release is a sign that the Vietnamese government is serious about
improving religious freedom conditions and will release other individuals
detained for their religious freedom advocacy, including Nguyen Bac Truyen. In
addition, USCIRF urges the government to take steps to ensure that local
authorities respect A Dao’s freedom and safety should he choose to return to his
home village.”
Commissioner
Carr advocated for Pastor A Dao’s release through USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners
of Conscience Project, while Representative Glenn Grothman adopted him through
the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission’s Defending Freedoms Project.
“This is a
hallmark day for both Pastor A Dao and Vietnam,” added Representative Glenn
Grothman. “Congratulations to Pastor Dao on being able to return to his family.
I would like to meet him some day. I hope that his release is a sign of Vietnam
transitioning from an anti-God totalitarian state to a country in which religion
in general and Christianity in particular can be openly practiced. This also
shows the importance of American elected officials speaking out against
oppression and promoting the importance of religious freedom throughout the
world. Religion should not be a tool to oppress any person nor a stain on their
character. I hope other American Congressmen familiarize themselves with the
oppression that religious minorities, which in many parts of the world are
Christians, have to deal with on a daily basis.”
Pastor A Dao
for years advocated for his fellow church members to enjoy religious freedom in
Vietnam’s Central Highlands and elsewhere. In April 2017, a Vietnamese court
tried and sentenced him to five years imprisonment for allegedly “helping
individuals to escape abroad illegally” under Article 275 of the country’s Penal
Code. He later claimed he was tortured in order to extract a confession. Under
his prison sentence, A Dao was not expected to be released until August 18,
2021.
In its 2020
Annual Report, USCIRF called upon the U.S. government to increase funding for
religious freedom projects in Vietnam. This past June, USCIRF released a country
update about religious prisoners of conscience in Vietnam. In addition, USCIRF
Vice Chair Anurima Bhargava adopted Hoa Hao Buddhist lawyer Nguyen Bac Truyen.
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The U.S.
Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent,
bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to
monitor, analyze, and report on threats to religious freedom abroad. USCIRF
makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State,
and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of
religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at
media@uscirf.gov or Danielle Ashbahian at
dashbahian@uscirf.gov.
Vietnam Human Rights Network |