The imprisonment of Father Nguyen Van Ly

Father Nguyen Van Ly is a Roman Catholic priest and editor of a pro-democracy publication who was sentenced March 30, 2007, to eight years in prison for peacefully opposing Vietnam's Communist regime.

After hearing the verdict in the hours-long trial, Father Ly shouted "Down with the Communist Party of Vietnam!" -- and then a guard quickly clapped his hand over Father Ly's mouth. This stirring moment was distributed across the globe on YouTube.

Others working alongside Father Ly on the publication received lesser sentences. All have vowed to continue to fight for free speech in Vietnam.

Though a longtime democracy advocate who had previously served time in prison, Father Ly came to the world's attention when the Committee for Religious Freedom visited Father Ly's village on President Bill Clinton's trip to Vietnam in 2000. Father Ly is a leading figure in the Bloc 8406 democracy movement.

On April 19, 2007, the House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously approved a resolution introduced by Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., demanding human-rights reforms in Vietnam. (See "Vietnam's imprisonment of editor draws congressional rebuke") At the center of this resolution was the case of Father Ly. Smith said in a statement afterward:

"Father Ly's sham trial proves once again that the regime in Hanoi is not committed to the human rights reforms they promised as a precondition for normalized trade relations. It is not enough for the Government of Vietnam to talk reform - they must also show progress through their deeds. Recent government actions show that Vietnam is moving backwards, not forward. This resolution reinforces our unwavering commitment to human rights reform in Vietnam and demands that the regime in Hanoi cease their persecution of dissidents.

...Father Ly's arrest and conviction are purely political, a shameful attempt to silence him and intimidate anyone else who dares to speak out against the government. We have an obligation to speak up for Father Ly and other dissidents who are persecuted in Vietnam. Now that the Committee has spoken through this resolution, it is time for the full House to immediately pass it and give a voice to the dissidents in Vietnam."

Father Ly has spent much of his life in prison for the causes of democracy and human rights in Vietnam -- 14 of his 59 years in prison, at the time of his latest sentence.

Ordained a priest in 1974, Father Ly was jailed by the regime by 1977 and spent a year behind bars. When authorities tried to remove him from his parish by force in 1983, surrounding the church, Father Ly got on a loudspeaker and told the local population about the need for freedom of religion. Catholics and Buddhists united around the church to try to keep authorities from arresting Father Ly -- which 200 policemen eventually did, throwing him back in prison.

The priest has been sent to a labor camp, defied orders from the government to cease religious activities, and planted himself firmly on land to be seized by the government. Despite a ban on leaving the country, he submitted testimony to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom for a 2001 hearing, resulting in another arrest by 600 policemen storming his church.

Father Ly's recent publishing activity coincided with a noticeable tide across the nation of journalists pushing hard for press freedom. "As a dissident press emerged in 2006, the liberal media pushed at the boundaries of censorship," Reporters Without Borders summarized in its year-end country report, noting that for the first time a Free Journalists Association had surfaced in Vietnam. "The government initially adopted an illiberal law then, at the end of the year, threatened to bring the media nationwide to heel."