FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 21, 2007

Contact:
Judith Ingram, Communications Director,
(202) 523-3240, ext. 127

WASHINGTON-The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan federal agency, has sent a letter requesting that President Bush candidly address Vietnam's worsening human rights conditions in his meeting this week with Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet.

"Continued arrests of free speech, democracy and religious freedom advocates will further isolate Vietnam from the international community and harm the positive trajectory of U.S.-Vietnamese relations," Commission Chair Felice D. Gaer wrote in the letter, which was sent Wednesday.

Presidents Bush and Triet are set to meet at the White House on Friday during a visit reflecting growing ties between the two countries. But the Commission notes that Vietnam's progress toward improved religious freedom and other human rights practices has stalled recently: In addition to detentions and arrests of democracy and human rights advocates, various restrictions have been imposed on members of religious communities in Vietnam, targeting ethnic minority Protestants, Khmer Buddhists, Hoa Hao Buddhists, Vietnamese Mennonites, and the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.

"Contravening Vietnamese and international law, the Vietnamese government views peaceful advocacy for legal and political reforms, as well as religious freedom, as national security threats," Gaer wrote in the letter. "This is not a firm foundation on which to proceed with normal bilateral relations with the United States or any other country."

Following is the full text of the letter:

June 20, 2007

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington DC, 20005

Dear Mr. President,

Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet's visit to the White House this week offers an opportunity to throw a spotlight on the deteriorating human rights conditions that are marring the U.S.-Vietnamese relationship.

In your Prague speech on democracy-building earlier this month, you said that the lesson of recent history is that "freedom can be resisted, and freedom can be delayed, but freedom cannot be denied." The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom recommends that you convey that message directly to President Triet. Continued arrests of free speech, democracy and religious freedom advocates will further isolate Vietnam from the international community and harm the positive trajectory of U.S.-Vietnamese relations.

Since its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Jan. 11, 2007, the Government of Vietnam has detained democracy, labor, legal reform, free speech, labor, religious freedom and other human rights advocates. Over 30 individuals have been arrested and detained. The most enduring image of the current crackdown is the video of security agents physically silencing Father Nguyen Van Ly during his trial. Several others, including lawyers Nguyen Van Dai and Li Thi Cong Nhan, were sentenced on similar charges.

The cases of Fr. Ly, Nguyen Van Dai, and Li Thi Cong Nhan, in particular, have important implications for religious freedom in Vietnam. Religious leaders and religious freedom advocates have become prominent voices in Vietnam's dissident community. They have founded free speech, democracy, and human rights organizations.

Both Fr. Ly and Nguyen Van Dai were arrested and convicted under charges related to "propagandizing against the state" and "collecting evidence of Vietnam's religious persecution" to send to "enemy powers and overseas reactionaries." Contravening Vietnamese and international law, the Vietnamese government views peaceful advocacy for legal and political reforms, as well as religious freedom, as national security threats. This is not a firm foundation on which to proceed with normal bilateral relations with the United States or any other country.

The United States designated Vietnam as a "country of particular concern" in 2004. It lifted the CPC designation in November 2006 citing measurable progress-a position the Commission thought premature. Recently, progress has stalled, and in the past year there have been additional arrests, short-term detentions, harassment, and other restrictions on members of religious communities in Vietnam, targeting ethnic minority Protestants, Khmer Buddhists, Hoa Hao Buddhists, Vietnamese Mennonites, and the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.

Past dialogue on religious freedom conditions proved productive. The Commission urges you to persuade President Triet to resume that dialogue and to improve conditions for Vietnam's diverse religious communities.

The Commission also recommends that you discuss with President Triet ways to improve human rights protections in Vietnam in the long term, including:

• lifting remaining restrictions on religious practice;
• accounting for hundreds of individuals arrested after peaceful 2001 and 2004 demonstrations; and
• creating technical assistance programs to bolster in-country refugee processing, create new economic development programs for ethnic minorities, and help Vietnam meet its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

The Commission also recommends that U.S. assistance programs in Vietnam be designed to help Vietnam's emerging civil society and help Vietnam meet its obligations under the ICCPR. We request that you pursue agreements with the Vietnamese government to utilize U.S. foreign assistance programs to more effectively integrate Vietnam into the international community.

Mr. President, we urge you to use your meeting with President Triet to underline that it is unacceptable for any respected member of the international community to repress peaceful religious and political dissent. It hurts Vietnam's standing in the world, and it damages the growing relationship between our two countries.

Sincerely,

Felice D. Gaer
Chair

Cc: Stephen Hadley
Ambassador Michael Kozak

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the Congress.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2007

Contact:
Judith Ingram, Communications Director,
(202) 523-3240, ext. 127

WASHINGTON -President George W. Bush today appointed Dr. Imam Talal Y. Eid and Leonard Leo to the United States Commission on International Religious freedom, an independent, bipartisan federal agency, and reappointed Michael Cromartie. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) appointed Dr. Don H. Argue as a Commissioner.

The terms of Commissioners Argue and Eid will run from May 15, 2007 to May 14, 2009. Commissioners Cromartie and Leo will serve the remainder of terms ending May 14, 2008.

"We welcome these new appointments, which will enable the Commission to continue its unique efforts to advance freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief worldwide," said Felice D. Gaer, USCIRF Chair. "Michael Cromartie has been an active member and officer of the Commission, and we look forward to his continued participation. We look forward to the contributions and insights of Dr. Argue, Imam Eid, and Mr. Leo, each of whom brings important experience to the Commission's deliberations.

"On behalf of the Commission, allow me to thank departing Commissioners Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, Bishop Ricardo Ramirez, and Dr. Khaled M. Abou El Fadl for their service. Bishop Ramirez and Archbishop Chaput, in particular, actively participated in the Commission's work, contributed to our studies and reports, and gave generously of their time and wise counsel. Dr. El Fadl provided valuable perspectives."

Mr. Cromartie, currently a Vice Chair of the Commission, is Vice President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., where he directs the Evangelicals in Civic Life and the Media and Religion programs. He is also a Senior Advisor to The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life in Washington and a Senior Fellow with The Trinity Forum.

Dr. Argue, president of Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, was invited by President Bill Clinton to serve on the State Department's Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad, where he chaired the subcommittee dealing with international religious persecution. President Clinton also appointed Dr. Argue to be part of the first official delegation of U.S. religious leaders to visit the People's Republic of China. Prior to his Northwest University post, Dr. Argue served as president of the National Association of Evangelicals.

Imam Eid is Founder and Director of Religious Affairs at the Islamic Institute of Boston. A native of Lebanon, he served as Imam at the Al-Nasir Mosque in Tripoli for seven years and as Imam and religious director of the Islamic Center of New England from 1983-2005. In addition to his work at the Institute, he currently serves also as Muslim chaplain at Massachusetts General Hospital and at Brandeis University.

Mr. Leo is Executive Vice President of The Federalist Society for Law & Public Policy Studies, where he manages the programs of the Lawyers Division and helps manage government, media, and corporate relations. He also helps manage the organization's Supreme Court project and International Law Project, among other special initiatives. Mr. Leo serves on the Board of Directors of the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. He has served as a U.S. delegate to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights and as an observer to the World Intellectual Property Organization. He has taken part in two World Health Organization delegations and is involved with the U.S. National Commission to UNESCO.

The Commission consists of nine voting Commissioners and the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, who is a non-voting member. Three Commissioners are selected by the President, two by the leaders of the President's party in Congress, and four by the congressional leaders of the other party.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the Congress.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 11, 2007

Contact:
Judith Ingram, Communications Director,
(202) 523-3240

WASHINGTON - The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom met in private session with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday, May 11, to discuss the Commission's grave concern over the alarming and deteriorating situation for freedom of religion and belief in Iraq, a country the Commission designated for its Watch List earlier this month.

Although non-state actors, particularly the Sunni-dominated insurgency, are responsible for a substantial proportion of the sectarian violence and associated human rights violations, the Iraqi government also bears responsibility.

The Commission also expressed concern over the plight of non-Muslims in Iraq, including ChaldoAssyrian Christians, Yazidis, and Sabean Mandaeans, whose communities now face the threat of eradication from their ancient homelands in Iraq under pervasive and severe violence and discrimination at the hands of both government and non-government actors.

In addition to Iraq, the Commissioners raised religious freedom and associated human rights issues in Saudi Arabia, Sudan, China, Bangladesh, Turkey and the 56-member Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Earlier this month, the Commission recommended in a letter to Secretary Rice that the State Department designate Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and China, among others, as Countries of Particular Concern, whose governments have engaged in or tolerated systematic and egregious violations of religious freedom. It announced that Bangladesh was again on its Watch List of countries meriting close monitoring due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by their governments.

Religious freedom conditions and associated human rights issues in these countries are analyzed in detail in the Commission's 2007 Annual Report, which was released on May 2. The Annual Report and the letter to Secretary Rice are available online at  www.uscirf.gov .

Commission Vice Chairs Elizabeth Prodromou, Nina Shea and Michael Cromartie and Commissioners Richard D. Land and Preeta D. Bansal attended the 45-minute meeting with Secretary Rice.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the Congress.