Lofgren, Eshoo, and Colleagues Call on the New U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam to Prioritize Human Rights
SAN JOSE, CA – U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, co-chair of the Congressional Vietnam Caucus, Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo, and five House colleagues sent a letter to the new U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, Marc Knapper, to congratulate him on his appointment to the role and highlight the ongoing human rights issues in Vietnam.
The lawmakers wrote: "The Vietnamese Communist government continues to deny fundamental freedoms and basic human rights to its citizens, contrary to the values enshrined in [multiple accords that Vietnam] has promised to uphold."
The letter goes on to detail some of the most repressive actions taken by the Vietnamese government, especially in the two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter names nearly two dozen prisoners of conscience who have been persecuted by the Vietnamese government, including Nguyen Bac Truyen, who Lofgren has been advocating for since 2020. While this is only a partial list of those being held, the Members urged Ambassador Knapper to raise the prisoners' cases with the highest levels of the Vietnamese government and press for their immediate release.
"We understand Vietnam and the United States are seeking to build a closer strategic relationship... Such a relationship, however, cannot come at the expense of human rights and values that the international community upholds," they wrote.
In addition to Lofgren and Eshoo, the letter is signed by U.S. Representatives Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), Lou Correa (CA-46), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Scott Peters (CA-52), and Michelle Steel (CA-48).
A more than 20-year veteran of the State Department, Ambassador Knapper was nominated to the position by President Biden in April 2021, confirmed by the Senate in December 2021, and sworn in on January 3, 2022.
Click here to read or download the full text of the letter.
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