110 HRES 1048 IH: Condemning the detention of Dr. Nguyen Quoc U.S. House of Representatives 2008-03-13 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1048 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 13, 2008 Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California (for herself, Mr. Daniel E. Lungren of California, and Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Condemning the detention of Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan, a citizen of the United States, by the Government of Vietnam, and expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should remove permanent normal trade relations status with Vietnam unless Dr. Nguyen is released.

Whereas Vietnam has a long history of human rights and freedom of speech violations; Whereas, despite ongoing human rights violations, on November 13, 2006, Vietnam was removed as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), as a precondition to the extension of permanent normal trade relations to Vietnam, but against the recommendation of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom; Whereas the extension of permanent normal trade relations to Vietnam was also a precondition for its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO); Whereas human rights conditions have deteriorated in Vietnam since its accession to the WTO; Whereas, on November 17, 2007, pro-democracy advocate Nguyen Quoc Quan was arrested by the Government of Vietnam for exercising his free speech rights, as guaranteed by Article 69 of the Constitution of Vietnam; Whereas, during 2007, Father Nguyen Van Ly, Nguyen Dao, Nguyen Bac Truyen, Le Nguyen Sang, Nguyen Van Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan, and Tran Quoc Hien were each sentenced to several years in prison for exercising their free speech rights, as guaranteed by Article 69 of the Constitution of Vietnam; Whereas Nguyen Quoc Quan continues to be detained by the Government of Vietnam; Whereas Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thich Quang Do is in his twenty-sixth year of detention; Whereas neither Nguyen Quoc Quan, nor any of the aforementioned individuals, advocated or engaged in violence in their opposition to the Vietnamese Government or its policies; Whereas these convictions are in contravention of Article 69 of the Vietnamese Constitution, which states that The citizen shall enjoy freedom of opinion and speech, freedom of the press, the right to be informed and the right to assemble, form associations and hold demonstrations in accordance with the provisions of the law; Whereas these convictions are in contravention of the rights contained in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Vietnam is a State Party, specifically Article 19 (freedom of expression) and Article 22 (freedom of association); Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2007 Annual Report states, [S]ince [Vietnam] joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), the government of Vietnam has initiated a crackdown on human rights defenders and advocates for the freedoms of speech, association, and assembly, including many religious leaders who previously were the leading advocates for religious freedom in Vietnam; and Whereas, in May 2007, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended Vietnam be re-designated as a Country of Particular Concern: Now, therefore, be it

That— (1)the House of Representatives— (A)calls for the release of Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan and other political detainees; and (B)strongly condemns the ongoing human rights abuses in Vietnam; and (2)it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should— (A)re-designate Vietnam as a Country of Particular Concern, pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, and the 2007 recommendation of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; (B)demand that the Government of Vietnam comply with internationally recognized standards for basic freedoms and human rights; and (C)remove permanent normal trade relations status with Vietnam unless all political and religious prisoners are released and significant and immediate human rights reforms are made by the Government of Vietnam.