A quasi-official US religious freedom watchdog issued a new rebuke to Vietnam over its human rights record.
In a statement, issued two days after the House of Representatives passed a resolution demanding changes in Vietnam, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom risked triggering another public row with the Hanoi government.
The passage of the House bill "will send an important message to the Vietnamese government, that better relations between our two countries will only be achieved when there are notable improvements in human rights," said commission vice chairwoman Nina Shea.
"The Vietnamese government has shown, again and again, that it is determined to suppress religious freedom and maintain strict control over speech, including the media and Internet," she said.
"There is incontrovertible evidence that the Vietnamese government has initiated crackdowns on religious leaders and believers, free speech advocates, political reformers, and those championing the rights of ethnic minorities."
By a vote of 409 to 13, lawmakers Wednesday praised the "courageous leadership of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam" (UBCV) noting the 2,000-year tradition of Buddhism in Vietnam.
Lawmakers observed that the UBCV has had its temples confiscated and clergy persecuted for refusing to join state-sponsored Buddhist organizations.
The US legislature also deplored the imprisonment of several Buddhist clergymen, including the patriarch of the UBCV, 85-year-old Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, who has been detained for 21 years in an isolated area of central Vietnam.
The House "urges the government of Vietnam to respect the right of all independent religious organizations to meet, worship, operate and practice their faith in accordance with Vietnam's own Constitution and international covenants to which Vietnam is a signatory," the bill read.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom is a congressionally appointed body charged with providing policy advice to the US government.