Human Rights Defender and Political Prisoner, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc

Floor Speech

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Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, for the past few days, I've followed President Obama's engagement with the citizens and government of Vietnam. It was a momentous occasion for the Vietnamese people to have their struggles acknowledged by the President of the United States.

I commend President Obama for emphasizing human rights and promoting freedom of speech, assembly, and expression; as well as internet freedom, education and economic reforms. Yet, I am disappointed that President Obama did not call for the release of all political prisoners and did not publicly name the human rights activists who were detained and prevented from meeting with him.

I would like to call attention to a courageous human rights defender and political prisoner, Mr. Tran Huynh Duy Thuc. As a blogger and entrepreneur, Mr. Thuc peacefully called for political and economic reform in Vietnam. In 2009, Mr. Thuc was arrested, and in 2010, during a one-day trial, he was prosecuted for ``conducting activities aimed at overthrowing the people's administration'' under Article 79 of the Penal Code. The Vietnamese government sentenced him to 16 years imprisonment and 5 years house arrest upon release. To protest the ongoing injustices and mark the seventh year of his unjust imprisonment in the Nghe An prison, Mr. Thuc has begun an indefinite hunger strike.

I urge you to stand in solidarity with me to shine a light on Mr. Thuc's plight as he courageously fights for the basic freedoms and rights that Americans treasure.

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