Vietnam Human Rights Act
This bill urges the Department of State to prompt Vietnam to: (1) repeal laws and administrative decrees restricting freedom of expression (including the Internet), association, and peaceful assembly; and (2) release political and religious prisoners.
The bill states that: (1) it is U.S. policy to prioritize religious freedom in bilateral relations with Vietnam, (2) Vietnam should be designated as a country of particular concern for religious freedom, and (3) Vietnamese officials guilty of gross violations of human rights should be investigated by the United States and sanctioned if warranted.
The State Department may establish programs to: (1) monitor and halt bride and sex trafficking of girls and women in Vietnam and other Asian countries, including China; and (2) address Vietnam's growing sex-ratio disparity.
The President may provide assistance to ethnic minority groups in Vietnam affected by severe human rights violations.
The bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) military assistance to Vietnam should be conditioned upon human rights progress, and (2) trade and foreign assistance benefits will be contingent upon whether Vietnam has illegally expropriated properties of U.S. citizens.
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