Members of the European parliament have called for the immediate and unconditional release of leaders of an outlawed Buddhist church in Vietnam.
In an open letter to the presidency of the European Union, the Members of European Parliament (MEPs), say the human rights situation in Vietnam must be on the agenda at the fifth Asia-Europe Meeting, which begins in Hanoi on Friday.
The members say Friday marks the anniversary of a crackdown launched by Vietnamese authorities against the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.
The church was officially banned in 1981 because it refused to come under the ruling Communist Party's control.
The US State Department last month designated Vietnam as one of the world's worst offenders on religious freedom.