U.S. commission cites Vietnam as major violator of religious freedom

Published: 2008-05-05

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A U.S. watchdog group has named Vietnam as one of the world's worst violators of religious freedom because of its participation and acceptance in suppressing its citizens' ability to worship freely. Vietnam's religious communities, including Catholics, face ongoing and serious problems because the reforms meant to improve the situation are inconsistent and vary throughout the country, said the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's annual report on the status of religious freedom in countries around the world. Vietnam also continues to detain religious prisoners and, overall, the human rights situation is deteriorating, said the report released May 2 by the commission. The commission is an independent, bipartisan, federal agency mandated by Congress to review international religious freedom and recommend to the U.S. secretary of state which countries be designated as "countries of particular concern" for their engagement in or toleration of systemic and egregious violations of religious freedom. The agency also recommends a "watch list" for those countries where conditions require close monitoring. Vietnam earned the designation for reasons including that: "independent religious activity remains illegal, and legal protections for government-approved religious organizations are both vague and subject to arbitrary or discriminatory interpretations based on political factors," it said. While the Vietnamese government has made strides in improving religious freedom by "expanding the zone of permissible religious activity" and releasing some prisoners, the report said, "the notable progress occurred alongside persistent abuses, discrimination and restrictions."

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