U.S. drops Vietnam from religious intolerance list http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-11-13T213512Z_01_N1397486_RTRUKOC_0_US-VIETNAM-USA-RELIGION.xml&WTmodLoc=PolNewsHome_C2_politicsNews-5
Mon Nov 13, 2006
By Arshad Mohammed
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Monday dropped Vietnam from its list of nations that severely violate religious freedom ahead of a visit by President George W. Bush, citing improvement in its tolerance for religious expression.
The State Department also said it added Uzbekistan to the list and blamed its harsh treatment of observant Muslims, many of whom are harassed, detained and accused of extremism, as well as its repression and abuse of Christians.
The State Department said the decision to remove Vietnam was not tied to Bush's visit to Hanoi for a regional summit this week nor to Vietnam's decision to deport a U.S. citizen convicted of plotting against the communist-run government.
"Vietnam has made significant improvements toward advancing religious freedom," John Hanford, the U.S. ambassador at large for religious freedom, told reporters, saying it had made strides since first being placed on the list in 2004.
Among other things, he cited the release of dozens of religious prisoners, the reopening of hundreds of churches and an end to the practice of forcing tens of thousands of people -- chiefly Protestants -- to renounce their faith.
Under U.S. law, the State Department each year compiles a list of countries of particular concern because they "engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom." Presence on the list can lead to economic sanctions.
Others nations on the list this year were China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Sudan, all of whom were similarly criticized last year.
Vietnam's removal represented the first time a country had been taken off the list as a result of its efforts to improve its record on religious tolerance, Hanford said. Afghanistan and Iraq have been removed in the past, but in both cases because an intolerant regime was toppled by Washington.
'NAMING AND SHAMING'
Hanford said the list was not simply an exercise in "naming and shaming" but rather a signal to countries that they had severe problems. He said he hoped Vietnam's removal would show others that Washington would recognize improvement.
He had particularly harsh words for Uzbekistan, saying "violations of religious freedom ... are widespread and severe, and the situation has continued to deteriorate this year."
The official said Uzbekistan had tightened its "already extremely restrictive religion law" and that congregations were harassed and fines dramatically increased.
"Muslims have long borne the brunt of the government of Uzbekistan's harsh repression. The government continues to target observant Muslims for arrest, often considering conservative Islamic practice to be evidence of extremism and terrorism," Hanford said.
"It is clear that many of those harassed, abused, tortured and convicted of membership in extremist organizations ... are simply observant Muslims," he said, estimating that thousands of Muslims with no ties to such groups "have been harassed or detained simply on the basis of their religious beliefs." Rep. Tom Lantos, a California Democrat likely to chair the House International Relations Committee in the new Congress, said he supported adding Uzbekistan to the list but regretted Washington had not made more progress promoting religious freedom since Congress mandated the annual list in 1998.
"Nearly a decade later, we are still just treading water," Lantos said in a written statement. "In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia still provides no daylight for those wishing to practice a faith other than Islam ... Several other Middle Eastern regimes -- foremost among them Iran -- severely limit religious freedom and show no inclination to change their ways."
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