Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) has made the following statement in the US House of Representatives supporting the "Adopt-a-Religious Prisoner in Vietnam Campaign" launched by various Vietnamese American groups.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to participate in the "Adopt-a-Religious Prisoner in Vietnam Campaign" sponsored by the Hoa Hao Buddhist church of Southern California.

Religious believers around the world often suffer egregious abuses, including beatings, torture, extended incarceration, and even death, at the hands of their government, unless their leaders intervene.

As Members of Congress, it is our responsibility to highlight the ongoing repression against religion in Vietnam and the plight of many clergy members and lay leaders who are being detained because of their faith.

Reports show that the Hoa Hao Buddhist Church continues to be suppressed. All religious activities and ceremonies are prohibited, assembly of more than three persons is forbidden, and all assets and properties are still being confiscated.

Religious expression is a fundamental right of all people. Both here and abroad, I believe that we should do all we can to affirm this principle.

For too long, imprisoned people of faith have been forgotten.

With Members of Congress adopting prisoners of conscience, we can successfully advocate for religious prisoners suffering persecution at the hands of the Vietnamese government.

I adopted Mr. Tran Huu Duyen and Mr. Nam Liem to raise awareness among U.S. decision makers and the public about religious repression in Communist Vietnam.

What crimes did these men commit to suffer such harsh prison sentences?

Mr. Liem is a 58 year-old Hoa Hao Buddhist priest who practiced his religion at a small family temple in Vietnam.

Since 1975, he has been arrested and detained by the Communist authorities some 50 times for having refused to abandon his religious practice.

To date, he has not been released from prison.

After the communist takeover, Mr. Huu was arrested and charged with "Plotting to overthrow the people's government " for participating in a political party affiliated with the Church.

Mr. Huu is last to be known to be in a Labor Camp in Xuan Loc and despite his 78 years of age, he is still forced to do hard labor eight hours a day.

By adopting these prisoners of conscience, Members of Congress can generate constant pressure on the Vietnamese authorities to release these religious leaders from detention and to truly respect freedom of religion.