May 12, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 14, 2008

Contact: Judith Ingram,

Communications Director,

(202) 523-3240, ext. 127

[email protected]

WASHINGTON- Commissioner Leonard A. Leo testified before the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam regarding restrictions on the freedom of religion in Vietnam that prompted the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to recommend that Vietnam be re-designated a "country of particular concern,” or CPC, in its 2008 Annual Report. To read the complete text of Commissioner Leo's remarks, click here.

The hearing, "Human Rights Conditions in Vietnam and Suggestions for U.S.-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue,” was chaired by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam, and was attended by Reps. Tom Davis (R-VA), Ed Royce (R-CA), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), and Chris Smith (R-NJ).

Other confirmed witnesses included Do Hoang Diem, Chairman, Viet Tan; Dr. Binh Nguyen, Co-Chair, Non-Violent Movement for Democracy in Vietnam; and Tammy Tran, President, Vietnamese Alliance to Combat Trafficking (VietACT).The hearing took place in Rayburn House Office Building, Room B318, on Wednesday, May 14, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

USCIRF Leadership