Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) led a bipartisan letter with 19 Members of the House and Senate asking Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to secure the safe and swift return of his constituent, William Nguyen, who is currently imprisoned in Vietnam. Nguyen – an American citizen – was apprehended and detained by Vietnamese officials on June 10, 2018, after attending a peaceful demonstration in Ho Chi Minh City. He is currently awaiting trial.
"William represents a young generation of passionate Americans who use their voices to advocate on behalf of the voiceless,” said Congressman Gomez. “Now he needs our voices – Democrats and Republicans alike – to do the same for him during this difficult time. Even a world away, behind bars, William has unified a diverse bipartisan delegation of Senators and Members to build the diplomatic resolve needed to bring him home. As we do everything in our collective power to support the Nguyen family, it is my sincere hope that we can quickly reunite them with their son and help William move past this traumatic experience."
“One of our most important responsibilities as elected representatives is to protect the American people, both at home and abroad,” wrote the lawmakers. “Writing today as a bipartisan and bicameral group of Members of the House and Senate, we strongly urge you to use all diplomatic means at your disposal to ensure Mr. Nguyen’s swift return to the United States. Consistent with the mission of your Department, there is no doubt that a favorable resolution to this matter will advance the national interests of the United States and its people.”
Full text of the letter can be found below, and a PDF can be found here.
Dear Secretary Pompeo,
We thank you for your leadership in encouraging a speedy resolution to Mr. William Anh Nguyen’s case during your meetings with the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on July 9, 2018. We are also grateful for the professional and effective work of your staff to date on this matter. We write to you today to ask that you take additional action to secure Mr. Nguyen’s release and return him to his family in the United States without further delay.
As you may know, on June 9, Mr. Nguyen arrived in Ho Chi Minh City for a short vacation before his upcoming graduation at the National University of Singapore in July. The following day, Mr. Nguyen attended peaceful demonstrations opposing the Vietnamese government’s plans to establish special economic zones (SEZs). As Vietnamese police attempted to contain these demonstrations, Mr. Nguyen was taken into police custody and investigated under Article 318, “Disturbing the Public Order.” He was subsequently charged under the criminal component of Article 318, and scheduled for trial on July 20, 2018. If convicted, Mr. Nguyen faces a possible sentence of 2 to 7 years in a Vietnamese jail and/or a fine. As elected representatives of Mr. Nguyen’s family and the greater Vietnamese-American community, we remain very concerned about the seriousness of the pending charges and the sentence he faces.
One of our most important responsibilities as elected representatives is to protect the American people, both at home and abroad. Writing today as a bipartisan and bicameral group of Members of the House and Senate, we strongly urge you to use all diplomatic means at your disposal to ensure Mr. Nguyen’s swift return to the United States.
Consistent with the mission of your Department, there is no doubt that a favorable resolution to this matter will advance the national interests of the United States and its people.
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