West OC Times

Rep. Michelle Steel (CA-45) recently met with the family of Le Huu Minh Tuan, an independent journalist held as a prisoner of conscience in Vietnam serving an 11-year sentence. Steel expressed her strong stance against the oppressive actions of the Vietnamese government, stating, “The Communist government of Vietnam has followed the blueprint laid out by the Chinese Communist Party, oppressing anyone who would question their control. This cannot be allowed to continue. I was honored to meet with Tuan’s family today along others who are fighting for the freedoms of so many wrongfully imprisoned in Vietnam.”

Le Huu Minh Tuan is currently among 21 other journalists held in Vietnam. The meeting organized by Steel involved individuals such as Tam Le, sister of Le Huu Minh Tuan, Michael Nguyen, a human rights activist and American citizen who was previously detained in Vietnam, Hiep Nguyen (Ta Dzu), an activist and member of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam, and Mr. Binh Nguyen from the Vietnamese Community of Southern California and the Vietnam Human Rights Network.

In her efforts to address the human rights violations in Vietnam, Rep. Steel recently sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging the classification of Vietnam as a “Country of Particular Concern” due to the worsening situation in the country.