News

February 7, 2002

Office of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez
46^th District, California
www.house.gov/sanchez

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Carrie S. Brooks    714-621-0304

Rep. Sanchez Nominates Vietnamese Religious Leaders for Nobel Peace Prize

Venerable Thich Quang Do, Father Nguyen Van Ly Hailed as Heros of Freedom and Human Rights by Members of Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This week, 48 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), sent a letter of nomination to the selection committee of the Nobel Peace Prize nominating two Vietnamese religious leaders, Venerable Thich Quang Do and Father Nguyen Van Ly, for the distinguished honor.

As the Member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing the largest Vietnamese population outside Vietnam itself, Sanchez writes, "The Nobel Peace Prize, more than any other national or international symbol, upholds the virtues of peace, promotes social justice, and honors those brave enough to risk life, limb, and liberty in their pursuit. These two Vietnamese religious leaders, ¼embody those principles. Like the Reverend Desmond Tutu of South Africa, and His Holiness the Dalai Llama of Tibet, these two spiritual leaders exemplify the best of the human spirit in their quests for one of the most basic of human rights, freedom of worship."

Sanchez has made several trips to Vietnam, one of which included a meeting with The Venerable Thich Quang Do. "For decades, these brave men have followed the path of peaceful protest in the face of repression, like many other past recipients of this honor," said Sanchez. "It is a true privilege to honor their efforts through this nomination."

Since Sanchez met with The Venerable Thich Quang Do in 1999, he has been consistently persecuted and placed under house arrest. As secretary-general of the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, he has protested government infringements on religious practice and interference with the church. The Dalai Llama described his efforts as "the legitimate expressions of the fundamental right to freedom of religion." A repeated prisoner of conscience, he has called for compassion and tolerance in the face of authoritarian repression.

Similarly since 1977, Father Nguyen Van Ly has been repeatedly arrested, isolated and jailed for advocating religious freedom. In May of 2001, Father Ly was placed under house arrest and banned from running his church because he provided testimony to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. On October 19, 2001, in a two-hour trial without legal counsel or independent witnesses, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam sentenced Reverend Ly to 15 years in prison on charges that he had undermined the country's unity and violated a detention order by providing testimony.

Final decision on this year's recipient is made in October 2002.

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