US House commission holds hearing on religious persecution in Vietnam

“The Vietnamese government exerts control over religious activities through law and administrative oversight, severely restricts independent religious practice, and represses individuals and religious groups it views as challenging its authority.”

Vietnam-Persecution-022M-544x450Catholicculture | April 04, 2014

The United States House of Representatives’ Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission has conducted a hearing on religious persecution in Vietnam.

The bipartisan commission, once known as the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, has the mission of promoting human rights.

Among those on the witness list at the March 26 hearing was Father Phan Van Loi, editor-in-chief of “Freedom of Speech” and co-founder of the Association of Former Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience.

“Vietnam is an authoritarian state ruled by the Communist Party,” said Eric Schwarz, a member of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, in his testimony. “The Vietnamese government exerts control over religious activities through law and administrative oversight, severely restricts independent religious practice, and represses individuals and religious groups it views as challenging its authority.”

“Ethnic minority converts to Protestantism and Catholicism, in particular, face discrimination, intimidation, and pressure to renounce their faith,” he added.