Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-47), Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam, today issued the following statement regarding Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech on human rights at Georgetown University:
“During her speech on human rights earlier today, Secretary Clinton stated that the success – or failure – of our human rights agenda can be determined by asking the following question: ‘Are more people in more places better able to exercise their universal rights and live up to their potential because of our actions?’ By that metric, this Administration’s efforts to promote and expand human rights in Vietnam have not yet been successful.
“Despite repeated calls from Members of this Congress to place Vietnam back on the State Department’s ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ list for its abuses of religious freedom, the designation has not yet been reinstated. We have to hold Vietnam, and other countries like it, accountable for their actions. The Administration must carry out its stated obligation to ‘demand’ that governments like Nguyen Minh Triet’s respect basic civil, political, and religious liberties.
“It’s worth mentioning that Vietnam was not included in Secretary Clinton’s speech. That omission – whether accidental or intentional – is certainly unfortunate, especially for pro-democracy activists like attorney Le Cong Dinh, Nguyen Tien Trung, Pham Thanh Nghiem, and many more who are facing serious charges for speaking out against the country’s oppressive political regime. As Secretary Clinton herself said: ‘When we sign up for the promise of rights that apply everywhere, to everyone, the promise of rights that protect and enable human dignity, we also sign up for the hard work of making that promise a reality.’ Restoring human rights in Vietnam may prove to be one of our most difficult challenges, but that must not stop us from making the effort.”
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