Senate Resolution 395 proposes the United States’ Senate recognize the contributions of
Montagnard Christians from Vietnam during the Vietnam war, a public condemnation of the continued persecution of Christians by the Vietnamese government and calls on the government to establish policies which support the Montagnards in both the United States and Vietnam.
Montagnards historically became Christian after French and Roman Missionaries converted many in Vietnam to various forms of Protestant Christianity. Since that time, Montagnards have been persecuted by the communist Vietnamese government which aims to has restricted freedom of religion or belief, movement, land and property rights, political expression, forced public denouncing of one’s religion, arrested and imprisoned who Montagnards who organized public demonstrations, mistreated Montagnards in detention amongst many other charges.
According to the 2019 USCIRF Report, one-quarter of prisoners of conscience were minority religious groups, including Montagnard Christians and 10,000 individuals in the Central Highlands are refused ID cards, household registration, and birth certificates by local authorities in retaliation for refusing to renounce their faith.
USCIRF has recommended Vietnam be designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) every year since 2002. During that time, that recommendation has not been fulfilled with Vietnam only reaching the designation of Special Watch List, the level under CPC. Additionally, this designation has only been achieved in 2022 and 2023. — International Christian Concern
