Representative Tran Demands to Meet with Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience, Raises Alarm on Human Rights Abuses
Washington, DC – U.S. Representative Derek Tran (CA-45) wrote to Tô Lâm, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, demanding to meet with prisoners of conscience in Vietnam and investigate the conditions under which they are being held.
Read the full text of the letter HERE.
“Prisoners of conscience are unjustly held for speaking out against the government, enduring harsh, inhumane conditions. I wrote to the Vietnamese government and demanded the right to visit these prisoners of conscience myself, but it is clear that this regime is unwilling to honor my request. The Vietnamese government has proven that it cannot be trusted. I must personally assess the health and living conditions of these prisoners of conscience and hear their stories directly,” said Representative Tran. “The Vietnamese government’s unwillingness to allow officials to visit their prisons is a clear demonstration that their claims to respect human rights are merely words, while their actions tell a different story. Until the Vietnamese government can definitely prove its commitment to human rights, enact policies and practices that reflect this commitment in a tangible and verifiable manner, it should not benefit from a comprehensive strategic relationship with the United States. I will continue to demand that Vietnam release its prisoners of conscience and respect the fundamental values of freedom and democracy that my constituents were forced to risk everything to find.”
Vietnam’s communist government has an abhorrent human rights record, with more than 160 political prisoners and peaceful dissidents currently being detained and subjected to extremely inadequate living conditions. Representative Tran has fiercely advocated for the release of Le Huu Minh Tuan, a Vietnamese journalist and activist who was imprisoned in 2021 under dubious charges and without due process. In January 2025, Tran sent a letter to the Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States urging accountability for Mr. Tuan’s wrongful imprisonment. Representative Tran serves as Mr. Tuan’s official sponsor through the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission’s Defending Freedoms Project, which formally allows Members of Congress to shine a light on prisoners of conscience across the world and urges accountability for unjust treatment. As his sponsor, Representative Tran wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio requesting immediate assistance in ensuring Le Huu Minh Tuan’s freedom.
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Congressman Derek Tran represents California’s 45th Congressional District. Serving his first term in Congress, Congressman Tran is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and House Small Business Committee, where he is Ranking Member of the Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations Subcommittee. Congressman Tran is the son of Vietnamese refugees, a Veteran, and fought for consumers as an attorney before entering Congress.