July 16, 2010: Rep. Loretta Sanchez Urges Secretary of State to Pressure Vietnam on Human Rights at Hanoi Policy Conference    

Leads Bipartisan Letter; Co-Signers Include Chair, Ranking Member of House Foreign Affairs Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-47), Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam, today led a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urging her to emphasize the importance of human rights at an upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum in Hanoi. The letter urges Secretary Clinton to pressure Vietnam over its abysmal human rights record during scheduled meetings with Vietnamese officials.

“The U.S. has an important opportunity to make improvements in human rights a condition of continued diplomatic relations with Vietnam,” said Rep. Sanchez. “Our country was built on the principles of freedom and democracy, yet we continue to engage a government that restricts basic rights, including freedom of speech and religion. This is an issue that transcends party politics, and I thank my colleagues for joining me in urging Secretary Clinton to hold Vietnam and other human rights abusers accountable for their actions.”

Supporters and co-signers of Rep. Sanchez’s letter include: Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ); Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA); Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao (R-LA); Rep. Henry Johnson (D-GA); Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA); Rep. James Moran (D-VA); Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN); Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX); Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA); Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA); Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN); Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY); Rep. David Wu (D-OR); Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA); Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA); Rep. Al Green (D-TX); and Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-MA).

A copy of Rep. Sanchez’s letter to Secretary Clinton is available below:

Courtesy: Lilly Ngoc Hieu Nguyen

                Office of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez