Sec. 3. Assistance for political and religious prisoners in Vietnam
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Congress finds the following: There are over 170 Vietnamese political and religious prisoners currently detained in Vietnam, nearly half of whom were arrested due to expression or activities online. Prisoners include human rights defenders, bloggers, lawyers, religious leaders, trade unionists, land rights activists, political dissidents, environmental campaigners, and others arrested for exercising their internationally guaranteed rights or to promote and protect the rights of others.
The Secretary of State shall provide assistance to individuals in Vietnam and appropriate civil society organizations outside Vietnam that work to secure the release of political and religious prisoners in Vietnam, and to current and former political and religious prisoners in Vietnam. Assistance required by this subsection shall include the following activities: Support for the documentation of human rights violations with respect to political and religious prisoners. Support for advocacy to raise awareness of issues relating to political and religious prisoners.
Support for efforts to repeal or amend laws or regulations used to detain individuals seeking to exercise internationally recognized human rights. Support, including travel costs, legal fees, and other appropriate expenses, for families of religious and political prisoners. Support for health, including mental health, and post-incarceration assistance in gaining access to education and employment opportunities or other forms of reparation to enable former political and religious prisoners to resume a normal life.
As part of a whole of government approach to human rights improvements in Vietnam, the Secretary of State and other United States officials, in discussions with the Government of Vietnam, should seek, as a critical condition of stronger United States-Vietnam relations, the repeal of laws and regulations used to detain political and religious prisoners and the immediate and unconditional release of all political and religious prisoners.