From the office of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, this press
release:
WASHINGTON,
D.C. – Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-46),
Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam, today released a statement
criticizing the White House for hosting General Secretary of the Vietnamese
Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, who does not hold an official government
position, despite Vietnam’s well documented human rights abuses that continue
under his regime:
“I am disappointed that the
administration has chosen to host Nguyen Phu Trong, the General Secretary of
the Vietnamese Communist Party. There continue to be egregious and
systemic human rights abuses in Vietnam, including religious and political
persecutions. As an advocate for human rights in Vietnam I cannot ignore the
dismal state of freedom of the press and freedom of speech.
“We need to send a message that respect
for human rights precludes closer economic and security relationships. The
mistreatment of political prisoners is outrageous, especially in light of their
sentences for practicing peaceful expression and political advocacy. There must
be continued support for activists and efforts in fighting for the basic
freedoms we take for granted in the United States.”
Rep. Sanchez recently signed onto a
letter to President Obama along with other members of congress that encourages
President Obama to bring attention to the mistreatment of political and
religious prisoners in Vietnam, call on Mr. Trong to release prominent citizen
journalist, and encourage Mr. Trong to listen to the Vietnamese people and show
respect for their rights and freedoms.
Rep. Sanchez is the founder and Co-Chair
of the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam and has been working on the ongoing
human rights crisis in Vietnam, including its severe labor rights issues for
the past 18 years. Rep. Sanchez represents one of the largest Vietnamese
populations outside of Vietnam in the world, in Orange County, California.
Lawmakers Blast Obama's Meeting With Vietnam's Communist Leader
President Barack Obama shakes hands with
Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. (REUTERS/Jonathan
Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
By Courtney Coren | Wednesday, 08 Jul 2015 04:05 PM
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is blasting President Barack Obama
for hosting the leader of Vietnam's Communist Party at the White House on
Tuesday despite that nation's continuing human rights violations.
California Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez said in a statement Wednesday that she is "disappointed that the administration has chosen to host Nguyễn Phú Trọng, the general secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party," The Hill reports.
California Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez said in a statement Wednesday that she is "disappointed that the administration has chosen to host Nguyễn Phú Trọng, the general secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party," The Hill reports.
"As an advocate for human rights in Vietnam, I cannot ignore
the dismal state of freedom of the press and freedom of speech," Sanchez
added.
She joined eight other members of Congress in a letter sent to Obama on Monday criticizing Trong and telling the president not to ignore the human rights violations that persist in Vietnam in his conversations with the communist leader.
"As you well know, Mr. Trong is not a head of state nor leader of an elected government," they wrote. "He has been invited to the the White House simply because he sits at the top of Vietnam's one-party system."
They cite the "authoritarian one-party system" as "the root cause of the deplorable human rights situation in Vietnam."
Even though Vietnam has made "a commitment to the principles of universal human rights," the lawmakers say that "the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) had determined that the Socialist Republic of Vietnam continues to systematically arrest and detain Vietnamese social and political activists, violating its clear obligations under international standards."
She joined eight other members of Congress in a letter sent to Obama on Monday criticizing Trong and telling the president not to ignore the human rights violations that persist in Vietnam in his conversations with the communist leader.
"As you well know, Mr. Trong is not a head of state nor leader of an elected government," they wrote. "He has been invited to the the White House simply because he sits at the top of Vietnam's one-party system."
They cite the "authoritarian one-party system" as "the root cause of the deplorable human rights situation in Vietnam."
Even though Vietnam has made "a commitment to the principles of universal human rights," the lawmakers say that "the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) had determined that the Socialist Republic of Vietnam continues to systematically arrest and detain Vietnamese social and political activists, violating its clear obligations under international standards."
For this reason, the
bipartisan members of Congress said that it's key that the United States send a
message to Vietnam about these violations.
"We recommend that you bring attention to the mistreatment of political and religious prisoners in Vietnam — especially those serving long prison sentences for their peaceful expression and political advocacy," they wrote, adding a list of bloggers and other prisoners that ought to be released.
The meeting was the first official visit since the normalization of the United States' relationship with Vietnam 20 years ago.
Following the meeting, Obama said that he and Trong "discussed candidly some of our differences around issues of human rights."
They also discussed the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
"We recommend that you bring attention to the mistreatment of political and religious prisoners in Vietnam — especially those serving long prison sentences for their peaceful expression and political advocacy," they wrote, adding a list of bloggers and other prisoners that ought to be released.
The meeting was the first official visit since the normalization of the United States' relationship with Vietnam 20 years ago.
Following the meeting, Obama said that he and Trong "discussed candidly some of our differences around issues of human rights."
They also discussed the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
Advocates for human rights and democracy in Vietnam held protests
outside the White House during the meeting, BBC
News reports.
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