Vietnamese pastor released after four years in jail
A Vietnamese pastor imprisoned for advocating religious freedom has finally been released after spending over four years in prison, drawing praise from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
In April 2017, a Vietnamese court tried and sentenced the pastor to five years imprisonment for allegedly “helping individuals to escape abroad illegally.”
USCIRF Commissioner James W. Carr, who advocated for the pastor’s release through USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project, said he hopes the release is a “sign that the Vietnamese government is serious about improving religious freedom conditions and will release other individuals detained for their religious freedom advocacy.”
He also called on Vietnam’s government to “take steps to ensure that local authorities respect the pastor’s freedom and safety should he choose to return to his home village.”
In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF noted that Hmong and Montagnard Christians in Vietnam’s Northern and Central Highlands are regularly harassed, detained, or even banished because of their religious affiliation. Because of this, USCIRF has recommended that Vietnam be designated as a Country of Particular Concern every year since 2002.
Source: christianpost.com
