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Royce Slams State Department’s Religious Freedom Report
Failure to List Vietnam as a “Country of Particular Concern” a grievous oversight

Washington, Nov 17 -

Today, Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) slammed the U.S. Department of State as it released its 2010 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom. While the section on Vietnam detailed some of the abuses on religious freedom, it fell far short. Significantly, the State Department once again failed to list Vietnam as a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC) for violations of religious freedom, a recommendation that was made by the congressionally-mandated U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Further, the House of Representatives passed a Royce amendment to State Department funding legislation going on record in support of relisting Vietnam as a CPC.

"The State Department’s failure to properly list Vietnam as a CPC is a grave mistake," said Royce. "The fact remains that no religious group is immune from government coercion and harassment. Buddhists, Catholics, and Evangelicals alike face the heavy hand of the government if they step outside tight restrictions."

"This failed report is even more disappointing given Secretary Clinton’s remarks in Hanoi in late October, where she said human rights concerns are raised at all levels, both in Vietnam and Washington. When given the opportunity for concrete action, however, the State Department fell flat," said Royce.

Although the State Department’s report gives credit to Vietnam for improving in some areas, it notes that religious groups like Protestants and Buddhists still face government sanctioned violence.

"As the current state of human rights and religious freedom in Vietnam is deplorable, the State Department’s decision not to relist Vietnam as a CPC is extraordinarily short-sighted. Secretary Clinton’s call for Vietnam to value the rights of its citizens look like empty words," said Royce.

Since 1999, the U.S. State Department has designated countries that "engage in or tolerate particularly severe violations of religious freedom," as "Countries of Particular Concern." This annual designation puts the violations of specific countries on record, making it a significant diplomatic tool for advancing human rights.

Due to Vietnam's egregious human rights violations, the State Department had listed it as one of these countries from 2004-2006. In 2006, however, the State Department removed Vietnam from this annual list.

"When Vietnam was placed on the CPC list, we saw some positive changes. Unfortunately, when they were prematurely released in 2006, Vietnam ramped up its persecution. The State Department’s failure to relist Vietnam does its people a great disservice," said Royce.

In the House of Representatives, Royce authored H.Res.20, a resolution calling on the State Department relist Vietnam as a CPC, an initiative that he will further press in the next Congress.

Rep. Ed Royce is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Subcommittee on Asia. He is a senior member of the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam.

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