FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 21, 2018
With the crackdown against human rights in Vietnam and the need to advocate for human rights protections, Viet Tan is officially announcing the establishment of the Le Dinh Luong Human Rights Award.
Awardees will be selected by a Award Committee of prominent human rights advocates and announced on December 10 every year to mark the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as Le Dinh Luong’s birthday. When he was sentenced to 20 years prison for defending human rights, Le Dinh Luong stated in front of the court:
“History will determine whether I’m right or wrong. I will happily go to prison so my country and people can have freedom and democracy.”
Any individuals or organisations around the world working to promote human rights in Vietnam are eligible for the award. The first award in 2018 will be selected by a Award Committee consisting of:
- Le Cong Dinh — human rights lawyer and democracy activist, former prisoner of conscience, and former vice chairman of the Bar Association in Saigon.
- Congressman Alan Lowenthal — United States Member of Congress representing the 47th Congressional District of California
- Pham Minh Hoang — blogger and democracy activist, former prisoner of conscience, and former lecturer at the Institute of Technology in Saigon.
The selection process will be based on the following two criteria:
- Record of advocating for human rights
- Notable achievements or forms of activism
We hope that the establishment of the award will highlight the achievements of the many individuals and organisations who are tirelessly advocating for human rights and will raise awareness about the human rights violations occurring in Vietnam.
