Vietnam:
Agreement Reached But Results Awaited
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Anne Johnson, Communications
May 9, 2005
Director, (202)523-3240, ext. 27
WASHINGTON. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom(USCIRF) notes
that the agreement announced last week between the U.S. andVietnamese
governments appears to address a number of important religiousfreedom concerns,
but the Commission emphasizes that dramatic actions stillneed to be taken by
Vietnam before CPC designation should be altered. Theeffect of signing this
agreement is the avoidance of more stringent actionsavailable under the 1998
International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA),including economic sanctions,
required for countries designated as"countries of particular concern," or CPCs.
Vietnam was designated a CPCby the State Department in September 2004.
"This was the first diplomatic agreement signed with a CPC country sincethe
passage of IRFA. The use of CPC designation as a diplomatic tool hasallowed the
two countries to talk seriously about religious freedom issues.However, we note
that although some details of the agreement werediscussed, the agreement itself
is not public and the Commission has notseen it," said USCIRF Chair Preeta D.
Bansal. "Moreover, the agreementonly signals promises of improvement and not
actual measurable progress,and from what has been announced by the State
Department, it appears toleave a number of important areas of religious freedom
concern unaddressed.The Commission will continue to consult with the State
Department and theCongress on the implementation of Vietnam's commitments
undertaken in thisagreement and calls for the creation of a monitoring mechanism
to ensurethat the agreement is fulfilled and other issues are resolved."
In the past two months, the government of Vietnam has made severalgestures,
including the release of prominent dissidents, a directive tostop forcing
Protestants to recant their faith, and another to streamlinethe application
process for religious groups registering with thegovernment. These actions were
cited by the State Department as evidenceof progress. However, important issues
appear to remain unresolved orunaddressed in the agreement that had resulted in
Vietnam's CPCdesignation:
· Leaders of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) continue tobe
harassed and detained, and there is no legal framework for the UBCV, theHoa Hao,
Cao Dai, and others to register with the government and operateindependently
with leaders of their own choosing;· Over a hundred individuals remain in
prison or under some form ofhouse arrest for religious activity, according to
human rights groups,although actual numbers are difficult to obtain because of
the lack ofjudicial transparency;
· Over a thousand churches, home worship centers, and meeting placesremain
closed, and forced or coerced renunciations of faith continue insome parts of
the country. Targeted in particular are ethnic minorityProtestants, Mennonites,
Hoa Hao Buddhists, and leaders of the UnifiedBuddhist Church of Vietnam;
· Troubling reports continue of new arrests and pressure on religiousand
ethnic minorities;
· Evidence emerging from the Central Highlands suggests that the
PrimeMinister's "Instructions on Protestantism" is being used by security
forcesto compel ethnic minority Protestants to join the government-approvedProtestant
organization, give up their distinctive faith tradition, or facecriminal
penalties; and· The government continues to impose limits on the number of
candidatesallowed to study for Roman Catholic priesthood, controls the
appointmentand promotion of Catholic clergy, and has seized church properties.
Continued Bansal, "Based on the State Department's comments accompanyingthe
release of the agreement, the Commission remains concerned that Vietnamdoes not
appear to have made any commitments or taken positive steps inthese important
areas of religious freedom concern."
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of
thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to
give independent policy recommendations to the President,
Secretary of State, and Congress.
Visit our Web site at
www.uscirf.gov
Preeta D. Bansal, Chair; Felice D. Gaer, Vice Chair; Nina Shea, Vice Chair;
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput; Michael Cromartie; Khaled Abou El Fadl;
Elizabeth H. Prodromou; Bishop Ricardo Ramirez;
Michael K. Young; Ambassador John V. Hanford III, Ex-Officio;
Joseph R. Crapa, Executive
Director
800 NORTH CAPITOL STREET, NW SUITE 790 WASHINGTON, DC 20002
Tel 202-523-3240 ;
202-523-5020 (FAX)