Amnesty says Vietnamese government releases dissident priest

Published: 2005-02-03

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Vietnamese government has released a dissident Catholic priest jailed in 2001 after he criticized government restrictions on religious freedom and its human rights record, announced Amnesty International. Amnesty has received information that Father Nguyen Van Thadeus Ly, a prisoner of conscience, has been released, said a statement issued in Washington by Edward Jackson, spokesman for the U.S. branch of the human rights watchdog. "Amnesty International heralds the release of Father Ly as a victory for religious freedom. However, religious persecution in Vietnam continues and is a serious human rights violation," said Jackson Feb. 2. According to information provided by Amnesty, Father Ly, 58, was arrested in May 2001 and was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment in October 2001, under national security legislation. Peaceful activities he carried out, such as repeated calls for more religious freedom and criticism of the government's human rights policies, are believed to be behind his imprisonment, said Amnesty.

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