U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Vice-Chairman of the House International Relations Committee today welcomed news from the Vietnamese government  announcing the planned release of Fr. Nguyen Van Ly and Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, two internationally famous Vietnamese political prisoners who have been held unjustly in prison for the last several years.

    Smith stated “Human rights activists everywhere welcome the long overdue release of Fr. Nguyen Van Ly and Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, two heroic figures who had been unjustly imprisoned in Vietnam for speaking out for democracy and religious freedom,” said Smith. “The Hanoi regime has clearly heard the concerns I have raised repeatedly in Congress and the international community and finally responded.”

    Smith was the prime author of H Con Res 378, which called for the immediate release of Fr. Ly and cleared Congress 424-1 on May 12, 2004.  Fr. Ly has been imprisoned since 2001 when he was arrested after submitting testimony to a hearing of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.  In his testimony, he criticized the communist government of Vietnam for its policies of repressing religious freedom.

    Smith also spearheaded an effort to release Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, authoring a letter petition co-signed by 42 Members of Congress to Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong calling for this release.  Dr. Que, a leading advocate for democracy and human rights in Vietnam, has spent a total of almost two decades in prison for political reasons.  His most recent arrest came in March of 2003 at an Internet café when he was writing e-mail criticizing the government.

    The announcement of the planned releases of Fr. Ly, Dr. Que, and several other political prisoners, came today. The actual releases are expected in the coming days. 

    Despite the good news on these cases, Smith urged caution and continued vigilance on assessing the state of respecting human rights in Vietnam. 

    “While the news of Fr. Ly’s and Dr. Que’s newfound freedom is very welcome, we urge the Vietnamese government to take more permanent steps in favor of pluralism and democracy.  We will continue to monitor their status and we will not let this laudable decision obscure the otherwise deplorable status of religious and political freedom in Vietnam.  Many other brave dissidents suffer unjustly in Vietnam’s prisons and the Vietnamese government still fails to respect fundamental, internationally recognized religious and political freedoms.” Smith remarked.

    In the last two session of Congress, Smith has been the prime sponsor of the “Vietnam Human Rights Act,” legislation that calls for the careful monitoring of human rights in Vietnam and gives the President authority to cap non-humanitarian assistance to Vietnam if they fail to meet basic human rights standards.  In the 107th Congress, the “Vietnam Human Rights Act” cleared the House 410-1 before stalling in the Senate.  It cleared the House a second time last summer by a very wide margin but again stalled in the Senate.

    Smith also led Congressional calls for the Administration to give Vietnam a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) designation for violations in religious freedom.  In September, Vietnam was one of eight countries designated with a CPC status, meaning religious repression in such countries was among the worst in the world.  Under the International Religious Freedom Act, the Administration must now choose from a list of sanctions for Vietnam and the other CPC countries until conditions improve.

    Smith said, “Vietnam earned its CPC status by imprisoning religious leaders and restricting the activities of Protestants, Catholics, members of the Unified Buddhist Church, and members of Vietnam’s indigenous faiths.  Organized religious institutions which refuse to allow their leadership to be hand-picked by Hanoi are systematically harassed.  The religious freedom violations, along with their swift imprisonment of anyone who criticizes the state, as well as the intense persecution of Montagnard ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands remain huge concerns.”

    Smith pledged to maintain Congressional pressure, stating, “Congress will continue to hold the government of Vietnam accountable on human rights.  I hope the releases of Fr. Ly and Dr. Que, who have been two of the world’s most famous political prisoners, will mark the beginning of a period of substantial change.  I strongly urge the Vietnamese government to adopt the correct view that if you want your country to enjoy strong diplomatic relations with the United States, your best bet is to move in the direction of democracy and freedom.  Repressive political systems only generate irritants in bilateral relations.  I will closely monitor the human rights situation in Vietnam in the coming months and will continue to look to use Congressional pressure where it is prudent to improve the situation.”  

    Smith is also the co-chair of the House Vietnam Caucus and was recently named Chairman of the International Relations Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations.