August 25, 2011
WASHINGTON — Sixteen US senators on Wednesday urged Vietnam to free a dissident priest who has a brain tumor, saying that his arrest could jeopardize Washington’s growing ties with Hanoi.
In a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the senators voiced fear that Nguyen Van Ly’s life was at risk after Vietnamese authorities put him back behind bars on July 25 following medical leave.
“Father Ly is in poor health and has done nothing but peacefully advocate for the basic rights and freedoms of the Vietnamese people,” said the senators, who crossed the political spectrum.
“While we appreciate that the Department of State issued a statement expressing concern over Father Ly’s rearrest, further action is needed,” they wrote.
“The government of Vietnam must be made aware that its continued refusal to permit the peaceful advocacy of basic human rights impedes the progression of US-Vietnam relations,” the letter said.
The letter was led by Senator Barbara Boxer of California, a member of Clinton’s Democratic Party, and included Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, the second-ranking Republican in the chamber.
Ly was convicted in 2007 and sentenced to eight years in prison after helping found Bloc 8406, considered by analysts as the first organized pro-democracy coalition inside the communist country
His family said that Ly went on a one-week hunger strike after he was rearrested and may again refuse food, raising new concerns over his health.
Despite human rights concerns and bitter memories of war, the United States has markedly increased cooperation with Vietnam in recent years, including in defense. The growing ties come amid high tension between Vietnam and its historic rival China.
Source: Google