The U.S.
Commission on International Religious Freedom Urges President Obama to Designate
Vietnam as a CPC in Letter
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom sent
the following letter to President Obama urging him to designate Vietnam as a "Country
of Particular Concern."
January 6, 2010
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We are writing today to respectfully ask your Administration to consider
reviewing current policy regarding Vietnam.
Human rights conditions in that country
continue to deteriorate and the Vietnamese government has taken active steps to
repress, intimidate, and imprison free speech, democracy, religious freedom,
labor activists, and the lawyers who defend them. We urge the Administration
to consider designating Vietnam as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) under
the
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 and signaling to
Congress its support for quick passage of the
Vietnam Human Rights Act (S. 1159/H.R.
1969). We believe these two measures will provide your Administration with the
necessary tools, incentives, and funding to effectively advance U.S. interests
in freedom and human rights in Vietnam.
In your inaugural
address, you eloquently said that those who “cling to power
through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent…are on the wrong side
of history…we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”
Though the U.S. and Vietnam share a tragic history, the U.S. has extended
substantial trade benefits, development assistance, and humanitarian project
funding to Vietnam in recent years. The U.S. granted Vietnam Permanent Normal
Trading Relations in December 2006, paving the way for Vietnam to join the
World Trade Organization.
Over the past three years, however, Vietnam has imprisoned dozens of dissidents
and taken steps to silence
dissent and ban independent religious and
human rights organizations.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and its staff
have traveled to Vietnam five times since 2003, most recently in May 2009.
Sadly, it is our belief that the
human rights situation in Vietnam will
deteriorate even more next year in advance of the 11th National Party Congress.
Additional political, economic, and political incentives are needed at this time
to advance vital U.S. interests and protect human rights.
It is our belief that the CPC designation is a flexible diplomatic tool that,
when used previously for Vietnam, brought about some tangible results without
hindering advances on other bilateral interests. We believe it can be used now
with similar results. Targeted diplomatic action, when coupled with positive
political incentives and possible
economic sanctions, produced real
human rights improvements
in Vietnam. The current policy of quiet diplomacy and increased trade has not
brought about the same results.
As a senator, you worked closely with USCIRF on Vietnam. In a letter to the
previous Administration, you cited numerous cases of religious freedom and
human rights abuses and asked that the State Department be a
“strong voice on behalf of the human rights of the
Vietnamese people.”
Designating Vietnam as a CPC and signaling support for passage of the Vietnam
Human Rights Act is the type of strong voice needed at this time. We hope your
Administration can establish clear policies and use all available diplomatic
tools to support the hopes and aspirations of the
Vietnamese people for both greater
freedoms and prosperity.
Sincerely yours,
Leonard Leo
Chair
cc: Kurt M. Campbell,
Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Michael H. Posner, Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
Samantha Power,
Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Multilateral
Affairs and Human Rights
Ambassador Jeffrey A. Bader, Special Assistant to the President and Senior
Director for East Asian
Affairs
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USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal
government commission. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and
the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the
House of Representatives. USCIRF’s principal responsibilities are
to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom
internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President, the
Secretary of State
and Congress.
To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, contact Tom Carter, Communications Director
at
tcarter@uscirf.gov,
or
(202) 523-3257.
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