108TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 378
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas in February 2001, Father Thaddeus Nguyen Van
Ly, a Roman Catholic priest was formally invited to tes-
tify before the United States Commission on Inter-
national Religious Freedom but was denied permission to
leave the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and thus, instead,
submitted written testimony critical of Vietnam which
•HCON 378 EH
was read into the Commission record on February 13,
2001;
Whereas Father Ly’s testimony before the Commission docu-
ments numerous specific actions of the Government of
Vietnam against religious freedom which he classified as
collectively being ‘‘extremely cruel’’ and requiring a ‘‘non-
violent and persistent campaign’’ to achieve full religious
freedom for all people in Vietnam;
Whereas Father Ly has been detained by the Government of
Vietnam since February 2001, when it placed Father Ly
under administrative detention—as a direct response to
his testimony, branding him a traitor for ‘‘slandering’’
the Communist party and ‘‘distorting’’ the religious pol-
icy of the Government of Vietnam;
Whereas the Government of Vietnam issued a second decree
suspending Father Ly’s ability to ‘‘carry on any religious
responsibility and functions’’ and later formally removed
Father Ly from his church, detained him, and denied
him access to adequate legal counsel;
Whereas on October 19, 2001, the Thua Thien Hue Provin-
cial People’s Court convicted Father Ly of all charges
after a one day, closed trial, without the benefit of coun-
sel and sentenced him to two years in prison for violating
the terms of his administrative detention, thirteen years
in prison for ‘‘damaging the Government’s unity policy’’,
and 5 years of administrative probation upon release
from prison;
Whereas after pleas from United States Government officials
and the world community Father Ly’s sentence was re-
duced by 5 years;
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Whereas in June 2001, Father Ly’s nephews Nguyen Vu
Viet, age 27, and Nguyen Truc Cuong, age 36, and his
niece Nguyen Thi Hoa, age 44, were arrested for alleg-
edly being in contact and receiving support from organi-
zations in the United States concerning the religious situ-
ation in Vietnam and disseminating information con-
cerning the detention of Father Ly;
Whereas after their cases generated much concern in Con-
gress, Nguyen Thi Hoa, Nguyen Vu Viet and Nguyen
Truc Cuong all have been or are expected to be released
shortly;
Whereas on November 27, 2003, the United Nations Working
Group on Arbitrary Detention issued Opinion No. 20/
2003 stating ‘‘the Group is convinced that [Father Ly]
has been arrested and detained only for his opinions . .
. [and] the deprivation of the liberty of Father Thaddeus
Nguyen Van Ly is arbitrary, as being in contravention of
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights’’;
Whereas Father Ly has been deprived of his basic human
rights by being denied his ability to exercise freedom of
opinion and expression;
Whereas the arbitrary imprisonment and the violation of the
human rights of citizens of Vietnam are sources of con-
tinuing, grave concern to Congress;
Whereas continuing concerns regarding human rights in Viet-
nam were recently highlighted by large demonstrations in
the Central Highlands on April 10 and 11, 2004, in
which thousands of Montagnards gathered on Easter
weekend to protest their treatment by the Government of
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Vietnam, including the confiscation of tribal lands and
ongoing restrictions on religious activities; and
Whereas although the Government of Vietnam has attempted
to control information about the April 2004 protests and
access to the Central Highlands, reputable human rights
organizations have reported that the protests were met
with a violent response and that many demonstrators
were arrested, injured, or are in hiding, and that others
were killed: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That—
(1) Congress—
(A) condemns and deplores the arbitrary
detention of Father Thaddeus Nguyen Van Ly
by the Government of the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam and calls for his immediate and uncon-
ditional release;
(B) condemns and deplores the violations
of freedom of speech, religion, movement, asso-
ciation, and the lack of due process afforded to
individuals in Vietnam;
(C) strongly urges the Government of Viet-
nam to consider the implications of its actions
for the broader relationship between the United
States and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,
including the impact on trade relations;
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(D) urges the Government of Vietnam to
allow unfettered access to the Central High-
lands by foreign diplomats, the international
press, and nongovernmental organizations; and
(E) condemns the extent of the violence
used against Montagnard protesters on April 10
and 11, 2004, and the use of any violence
against peaceful protests and demonstrations;
and
(2) it is the sense of Congress that the United
States—
(A) should make the immediate release of
Father Ly a top concern;
(B) should continue to urge the Govern-
ment of Vietnam to comply with internationally
recognized standards for basic freedoms and
human rights;
(C) should make it clear to the Govern-
ment of Vietnam that the detention of Father
Ly and other persons and the infliction of
human rights violations on these individuals are
not in the interest of Vietnam because they cre-
ate obstacles to improved bilateral relations and
cooperation with the United States; and
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(D) should reiterate the deep concern of
the United States regarding the continued im-
prisonment of Father Ly, and other persons
whose human rights are being violated, and dis-
cuss their legal status and immediate humani-
tarian needs with the Government of Vietnam.
Passed the House of Representatives May 12, 2004.
Attest:
Clerk.