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Human rights campaigner: Christian Marchant, a political officer at the US embassy in Hanoi, who was allegedly attacked by Vietnamese police |
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| Nguyen Van Ly muzzled in court by Viet cops |
By Bridget Johnson
The Hill (Washington DC, USA)
A member of the congressional caucuses on Vietnam and human rights lashed out at Hanoi for roughing up a U.S. diplomat who was attempting to visit a well-known dissident.
Christian Marchant, a political officer with the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, was attempting to meet with Father Nguyen Van Ly, a democracy advocate being held under house arrest. Ly told Radio Free Asia that the diplomat was "wrestled down to the ground right in the middle of the road" in front of hundreds of witnesses.
"We are aware of and deeply concerned by the incident and have officially registered a strong protest with the Vietnamese government in Hanoi," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Wednesday.
Christian Marchant, a political officer with the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, was attempting to meet with Father Nguyen Van Ly, a democracy advocate being held under house arrest. Ly told Radio Free Asia that the diplomat was "wrestled down to the ground right in the middle of the road" in front of hundreds of witnesses.
"We are aware of and deeply concerned by the incident and have officially registered a strong protest with the Vietnamese government in Hanoi," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Wednesday.
Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement Friday that Marchant's legs were repeatedly slammed in a car door in violation of international laws protecting diplomats.
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