Vietnam Human Rights Day

Floor Speech

* 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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