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Whereas the arrest of and charges against Father Ly,

Nguyen Van Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan, and Le Quoc Quan violate Article 69 of the Vietnamese Constitution, which states that "The citizen shall enjoy freedom of opinion and speech, freedom of the press, the right to be informed and the right to assemble, form associations and hold demonstrations in accordance with the provisions of the law";

Whereas Father Ly, Nguyen Van Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan,

and Le Quoc Quan have been arrested and charged in contravention of the rights enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Vietnam is a state party, specifically Article 18 (freedom of religion), Article 19 (freedom of expression) and Article 22 (freedom of association);

Whereas Vietnam recently has imprisoned, detained, placed

under house arrest, or otherwise restricted numerous other peaceful democratic and religious activists for reasons related to their political or religious views, such as Nguyen Binh Thanh, Nguyen Phong, Nguyen Ngoc Quang, Nguyen Vu Binh, Huynh Trung Dao, Nguyen Tan Hoanh, Tran Thi Le Hang, Doang Huy Chuong, Doan Van Dien, Le Ba Triet, Nguyen Tuan, Bui Kim Thanh and Tran Quoc Hien;

Whereas the United States Congress agreed to Vietnam be

coming an official member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2006, amidst assurances that the Vietnamese Government was steadily improving its human rights record and would continue to do so;

Whereas the group of Asian countries at the United Nations

have nominated Vietnam as the sole regional candidate for a nonpermanent seat on the United Nations Security

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Council for the 2008–2009 biennium, and pursuant to the United Nations Charter, Vietnam would be required to discharge its duties in accordance with the purposes of the United Nations, including the promotion and encouragement of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all; and

Whereas the arbitrary imprisonment and the violation of the

human rights of citizens of Vietnam are sources of continuing, grave concern to Congress, and the arrests of Father Ly, Nguyen Van Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan, and me Quoc Quan are part of a trend toward increasing oppression of human rights advocates in Vietnam: Now, therefore, be it

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Nguyen Van Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan, and

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(2) it is the sense of the House of Representa

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Van Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan, and Le Quoc

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(B) use funds from the newly created Human Rights Defenders Fund of the De

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partment of State to assist with the legal

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defense and the needs of the families and

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1

dependents of Father Ly, Nguyen Van

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Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan, and Le Quoc

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Vietnam that the detention of Father Ly,
Nguyen Van Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan, Le

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Quoc Quan, and other political prisoners

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and prisoners of conscience and other

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human rights violations are not in the in

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terest of Vietnam because they create obstacles to improved bilateral relations and

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cooperation with the United States;