VIETNAM HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK

14550 Magnolia St., Suite 203 _* Westminster, CA 92683 - USA

Tel: (714) 897-1950 & (858) 484-1428

Email: vnhrnet@vietnamhumanrights.net _* http://www.vnhrnet.org

 

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Press Release  

March 19, 2008

                                                              

                                                                                                 

 

The Vietnam Human Rights Network has nominated Lawyer Lê Thị Công-Nhân for the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights 2008

 

On March 18,  2008, Mr. Nguyễn Thanh Trang, President of the Vietnam Human Rights Network (VNHRN), has officially submitted Miss Le Thi Cong-Nhan’s candidacy for the 2008 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights. Several members of the U.S. Congress have been requested to send in their own nominations one of which has been done by the Honorable Ed Royce.

 

In addition to a cash prize of U.S. $50,000, the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights also includes a gold medal and a certificate. 2008 marks the 8^th anniversary of the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, which has been established to memorialize the May 18, 1980 Democratic Uprising in South Korea. This prestigious award has been bestowed to 9 individuals and an organization, notably Mrs. Aug San Suu Kyii of Burma, who subsequently went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

 

According to Mr.  Nguyễn Giao, a member of the VNHRN’s nomination task force, Miss Le Thi Cong-Nhan’s accomplishments and struggles easily stood out among a long list of other valorous and deserving patriots for the following reasons:

 

1. Miss Le Thi Cong-Nhan was a recipient of the VNHRN’s annual Award announced on the December 12, 2007 International Human Rights Day.

2. Miss Le Thi Cong-Nhan is a shining icon and a role model  because of her indomitable spirit, her courage and her unbridled patriotism.

3. Miss Le Thi Cong-Nhan chose to fight for basic human rights for the Vietnamese people on her own, without the support of any organization or groups. By so doing, she was willing and has risked her personal safety and freedom and has defiantly declared: “Even if they throw me in jail, that would not have been the worst thing to happen to me”, and “I will not compromise nor back down, even if I am the last one fighting”.

 

By nominating Miss Le Thi Cong-Nhan for this prestigious award, the VNHRN’s message to her - currently in jail - is that she is not alone in her fight for freedom and democracy, and that she has the full support of the 3 million Vietnamese overseas. Let this serve also as a warning to the brutal Communist government in Hanoi that the world is watching and taking notes of its cunning and systematic violations of basic human rights.

 

The Gwangju organization is scheduled to announce its award on May 18, 2008 in Seoul, South Korea.

 

Contact Person:  Nguyễn Thanh Trang

 (858) 484-1428, or (858) 837-2152

 

 

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