Statement of the US Deparmtent of State
December 18, 2012
We are troubled by the intervention of Vietnamese authorities to prevent Huynh Trong Hieu from traveling to the United States to accept the Hellman Hammett prize from Human Rights Watch on behalf of his father Huynh Ngoc Tuan and sister Huynh Thuc Vy. Tuan and Vy were selected for peacefully exercising their freedom of expression through a series of online articles.
Such restrictions on freedom of expression are inconsistent with international standards. We urge the Vietnamese government to lift travel restrictions on Mr. Hieu and take steps to allow his family and all Vietnamese to peacefully express their views without fear of retribution.
