Vo Van Ai
US Congressional Hearing examines human rights and religious freedom violations against the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam
WASHINGTON D.C., 11 April 2013 (VIETNAM COMMITTEE) – Mr. Vo Van Ai, President of Paris-based Vietnam Committee for Human Rights and International Spokesman of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) called on the United States today to raise issues of religious repression against the UBCV at the coming U.S.-Vietnam human rights dialogue that takes place in Hanoi this week. The annual dialogue, which is held alternately in Washington D.C. and Hanoi, was scheduled for late 2012, but postponed by the U.S. due to lack of human rights progress in Vietnam.
Mr. Ai was speaking at a Hearing in the U.S. Congress on “Highlighting Vietnamese Government Human Rights Violations in Advance of the U.S.-Vietnam Dialogue” before the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations chaired by Congressman Chris Smith. Other witnesses testified on issues of human trafficking and abuses against Christian Montagnards, Catholics and other religious communities in Vietnam. Continue reading
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