Press Release
(For Immediate release)

On Tuesday, May 11, 2010 a ceremony on Capitol Hill will call attention to the dismal human rights conditions in Vietnam.  This event, held in the Dirksen Senate  Building (Room 106) from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., will commemorate the anniversary of the U.S. House-Senate Joint Resolution SJ 168 designating May 11th as the Vietnam Human Rights Day.

The event is especially timely due to numerous serious violations of human rights occurring across Asia, from Tibet to Burma to Vietnam to China.

The bipartisan event is hosted by Senator Sam Brownback from the State of Kansas and co-sponsored by members of Congress, including Senator Barbara Boxer, and Representatives: Frank Wolf, Chris Smith, Joseph Cao, Gerald Connolly, Ed Royce, Dana Rohrabacher, James Moran, Zoe Lofgren, Loretta Sanchez, and former Congresswoman Leslie Byrne, as well as VA State Representative Kaye Kory.

Speakers include Senators and Representatives from both parties. The list also includes Mr. Tim Ryan of the AFL-CIO, Ms. Libby Liu, President of Radio Free Asia,  Ms.Louisa Coan Greve, Vice President of the NED, Sophie Richardson, Director of Human Rights, Washington office, Ms. Maran Turner, Executive Director of Freedom Now.

During the ceremony we will show an extraordinary video interviewing The Most Venerable Thich Quang Do made by the courageous founder of the Oslo Freedom Forum, Thor Halvorssen and a cameraman, Kris Anderson, who both at great risk went to interview him. We will also show the interviews with three prominent human rights activists inside Vietnam: Father Nguyen Van Ly, Dr. Nguyen Dan Que and Lawyer Le Thi Cong Nhan.

Following the commemoration there will be a seminar on the topic of : “ Internet freedom in Asia”. The panelists include: Mr. Winston Wood from the policy office, Broadcasting Board of Governors; Mr. T. Kumar, Advocacy Director for Asia & Pacific, Amnesty International USA; Mr. Al Santoli, President of America Asia Initiative; Dr. Jiangli Yang, President, Initiative for China & Allen Zeng President of Sound of Hope Radio Network broadcasting to China.

For more information, please contact Huynh Ngoc at (703) 532-4339 or by email at nhuynh@dcbar.org