[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 64 (Wednesday, May 11, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E856-E857]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        VIETNAM HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

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                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 11, 2011

  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 
17th anniversary of Vietnam Human Rights Day.
  The inspiring images of young people fighting for democracy in the 
Middle East remind us of the ongoing struggles around the world for the 
basic human rights that we've enjoyed in America for so long. It's a 
struggle that has been going on in Vietnam for far too long. 
Journalists, bloggers, whistleblowers, and religious communities face 
harassment, abuse, and imprisonment for speaking out.
  Pro-democracy activists are arrested and jailed under draconian and 
wide-reaching anti-propaganda laws, often without due process. The U.S. 
Commission on Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its 2011 Annual 
Report two weeks ago, on April 28, and it states that ``[t]he 
government of Vietnam continues to control religious communities, 
severely restrict and penalize independent religious practice, and 
brutally repress individuals and groups viewed as challenging its 
authority.''
  Despite consistent pressure from Congress and human rights 
organizations, the Vietnamese government continues to violate its 
international human rights obligations, silencing the voices of its 
citizens through repression.
  On this May 11th, I ask my colleagues to reflect on the struggles of 
the courageous Vietnamese citizens who are striving to implement change 
in an authoritarian society. I would also ask my colleagues to urge the 
State Department to redesignate Vietnam as a Country of Particular 
Concern, as USCIRF has recommended every year since 2001.

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