Protesters Greet Vietnam's President at White House

While history is being made inside the White House today-

Ouside, images of Father Nguyen Van Ly haunt the communist regime thousands of miles from his jail cell in Southeast Asia.

Demonstrators protest in Lafayette Park across from the White House, Friday, June 22, 2007, as Nguyen Minh Triet, the president of Vietnam was to meet with President Bush. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

Another historic moment was captured on film earlier this year in Vietnam.

“Down with the Communist Party of Vietnam!” Ly shouted, in a striking outburst in a country where dissent is harshly punished. A police officer then covered Ly’s mouth as he continued shouting, and removed him to a nearby room where the proceedings were broadcast on a loudspeaker. Ly, 60, has been jailed for his pro-democracy activities. (Flickr)

Father Nguyen Van Ly was jailed on March 30, 2007, for peacefully opposing the communist regime in Vietnam.
Bridget Johnson reported this on Father 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 HERE.

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.


Demonstrators protest in Lafayette Park across from the White House, Friday, June 22, 2007, as Nguyen Minh Triet, the president of Vietnam was to meet with President Bush. The first visit of a Vietnamese president to the White House since the Vietnam War comes amid harsh criticism by U.S. lawmakers of the communist-led nation’s human rights record. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

US lawmakers confronted the communist president yesterday in a closed door meeting.

Demonstrators protest in Lafayette Park across from the White House, Friday, June 22, 2007, as Nguyen Minh Triet, the president of Vietnam was to meet with President Bush. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

Previously:
President of Vietnam Arrives In US On Historic State Visit
Vietnam’s President Opens US Tour With Visit to NYSE

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Jim Hoft is the founder and editor of The Gateway Pundit, one of the top conservative news outlets in America. Jim was awarded the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award in 2013 and is the proud recipient of the Breitbart Award for Excellence in Online Journalism from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in May 2016. In 2023, The Gateway Pundit received the Most Trusted Print Media Award at the American Liberty Awards.

You can email Jim Hoft here, and read more of Jim Hoft's articles here.

 

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