Press Release
Office of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez
47th District, California www.house.gov/sanchez
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Caroline Hogan
July 23, 2009
Phone: (202) 225-2965
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-47) today introduced House Resolution 672, calling on the Government of Vietnam to respect the Vietnamese people’s right to free speech and unfettered internet access. Vietnamese officials have increasingly restricted the country’s cyber community, closing websites and imprisoning journalists and bloggers who use the internet to challenge the Communist party.
“The Government of Vietnam continues to harass and imprison private citizens who use the internet to speak out against Vietnam’s repressive government,” Rep. Sanchez said. “Members of Congress have a social responsibility to speak out against these abuses and the U.S. Government should stand up for the rights to freedom of expression and privacy for all people in Vietnam, including internet users.”
Last year, the Government of Vietnam created the Administration Agency for Radio, Television, and Electronics Information, a seemingly innocuous agency whose sole objective is to restrict internet freedom, censor private blogs, and insist that internet service providers hand over information on users who violate the prohibitions set out by the country’s information ministry. Rep. Sanchez firmly believes that the people of Vietnam should have the right to express their views without censorship – on the streets, on the internet, wherever they may be.
Following today’s introduction of H.Res. 672, Rep. Sanchez submitted the following statement for the record:
“I rise today to call attention to the number of bloggers and democracy activists who have been imprisoned in Vietnam for distributing their peaceful views over the Internet.
“The Government of Vietnam continues to restrict websites and blogs that promote democracy, human rights, and speak against the actions of the government.
“It has become evident over the past several months that the human rights situation in Vietnam continues to deteriorate.
“Today, I will be introducing a house resolution calling on the Government of Vietnam to not only release imprisoned bloggers but to also respect the people’s right to internet freedom.
“This resolution urges the Vietnamese government to support the right of citizens to access websites of their choosing, and to repeal statutes like Circular 07 and Article 88 which restrict the internet in Vietnam.
“It is time for the Government of Vietnam to become a responsible member of the international community and to respect an individual’s freedom of speech, press and political association.
“I urge my colleagues to cosponsor my resolution promoting Internet freedom in Vietnam and I yield back.”
