Rep. Lofgren Urges Administration to Question Vietnam at Universal Periodic Review

Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) recently authored a letter that was also signed by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), and Anh “Joseph” Cao (R-LA), calling on the Obama Administration to actively participate in the UN Human Rights Council's review of Vietnam during the current session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

Letter Calls on Government to Press Vietnam on Human Rights Record

April 28, 2009

Washington, D.C. – Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) recently authored a letter that was also signed by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), and Anh “Joseph” Cao (R-LA), calling on the Obama Administration to actively participate in the UN Human Rights Council's review of Vietnam during the current session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The Congressional Caucus on Vietnam, which is co-chaired by Reps. Lofgren, Smith, Sanchez, and Cao, worked with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and various non-governmental organizations to develop a list of suggested questions for the review. This list accompanied Rep. Lofgren’s letter, which was sent to the United States Mission to the United Nations.

 

 

April 24, 2009

TheHonorable Susan Rice
PermanentRepresentative of the United States to the United Nations
140 East 45^thStreet
New York, NY10017

Dear MadameAmbassador:

As Membersof the United States House of Representatives and Co-Chairs of theCongressional Caucus on Vietnam, we write to urge the United States Mission tothe United Nations to participate actively in the Human Rights Council's reviewof Vietnam during the current session of the Universal Periodic Review(UPR).

The UPRprocess offers a unique opportunity to assess publicly the human rights recordsof UN Member States. On May 8, 2009,Vietnam will come before the UPR for the first time. As you know, any Member State can posequestions of the Government of Vietnam during the review.

We believeit is imperative that the UPR include a full accounting of human rightsconditions in Vietnam, including the multitude of abuses detailed in the StateDepartment's 2008 Country Report on Human Rights Practices. Toward that end, the Congressional Caucus onVietnam has worked with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedomand various non-governmental organizations to develop the enclosed list ofsuggested questions for the review of Vietnam. These questions cover a wide range of critical issues and abuses,including the Vietnamese government's continuing crackdown on democracyactivists, journalists and other dissidents, its restrictions on religiousfreedom, its pervasive censorship of the internet, and widespread arbitrarydetention and deprivation of due process.

Werespectfully request that the United States Mission consider submitting the enclosedquestions during the UPR session for Vietnam. Given that the UPR considers the human rights record of each countryonly once every four years, it is crucial that this opportunity not be missed.

Sincerely,

ZOE LOFGREN CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

Member ofCongress Member of Congress

LORETTASANCHEZ ANH "JOSEPH" CAO

Member ofCongress Member of Congress

cc: Acting Assistant Secretary of State Karen Stewart, Bureau ofDemocracy, Human Rights, and Labor
ActingAssistant Secretary of State Glyn Davies, Bureau of East Asian and PacificAffairs