Mr. Francis Sejersted

Chairman, Nobel Peace Prize Committee

The Nobel Institute

Drammensveien 19

N-0255 Oslo

Norway

Dear Mr. Sejersted:

We at the Asia America Initiative are writing to nominate Dr. Nguyen Dan Que of Vietnam for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. We are expressing our strong belief that he should receive this distinguished honor in recognition of his courageous efforts to promote democracy, peace and human rights. Although he is currently in detention, and in poor health, Dr. Que continues to be the most persistent advocate inside of Vietnam for freedom and civil society, despite persistent suppression by government security forces. He is an Amnesty International "Prisoner of Conscience," and a symbol of human rights and civil society courage worldwide.

On November 15, 2004, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, in an international press release stated, "The deprivation of liberty of Dr. Nguyen Dan Que is arbitrary" and in violation of international law. The U.N. Working Group -- made up of representatives from Algeria, Hungary, Iran, Paraguay and Spain -- concluded that, "Dr. Que's actions [that led to his detention] constitute only the peaceful exercise of his freedom of opinion and expression which is enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

When Saigon fell in 1975, Dr. Que refused to leave Vietnam. His defense of human dignity and basic civil liberties, has resulted in 25 years of detention as a political prisoner. He has repeatedly responded when government officials have offered him emigration if he would end his human rights activism, that "Exile is not freedom." Although he could have a successful medical practice, he decided to defend the human dignity and rights of all Vietnamese people. When he first challenged the government concerning health problems for the poor, he was removed as Director of the Medical Department at Cho Ray Hospital. Subsequently, he formed the National Progressive Front and began to question government violations of basic human rights in Vietnam.

Since that time, Dr. Que has been unrelenting in his pursuit for human dignity and because of his efforts he was imprisoned in 1978. He remained in detention for 10 years, pending formal charges and a trial. During this time, he was tortured, beaten, and placed into solitary confinement where he was chained. He also spent two months in a five-foot by six-foot cell without any sanitary facilities. Because of the intervention of human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch Asia, Dr. Que was finally released in 1988 after 10 years in jail.

On May 11, 1990, Dr. Que founded the Non-Violent Movement for Human Rights and issued a manifesto appealing to all individuals and groups inside Vietnam and throughout the world for support for his non-violent struggle to establish human rights for all Vietnamese people. He demanded that the Vietnamese government reduce the size of its military and instead invest in the welfare of the people. His manifesto also proposed that the government of Vietnam cease aggression toward neighboring countries and bring about lasting peace in Southeast Asia .

Dr. Que was arrested one month later, in June 1990, and without trial, returned to prison. His family received information that he was again being tortured and needed emergency medical care several times. In November 1991, Dr. Que was formally sentenced to twenty years of hard labor and five years of house arrest.

Following his release in September 1998, Dr. Que established the Union for Democracy as an umbrella organization to unite other activists and advocates of human rights in Vietnam. In addition, while Dr. Que voiced his support for the integration of Vietnam into the world economy, he called on the international business community to respect workers' rights. Because of this effort, he was subjected to continuous surveillance by local police. He was also threatened with eviction from his home.

Until his 2004 arrest, he remained under house arrest and constant government pressure. Dr. Que has remained a consistent voice of conscience, steadfastly campaigning for human rights, democracy and freedom. Amnesty International said his arrest followed a statement he made a few days earlier promoting freedom of speech that was circulated on the Internet. Physicians for Human Rights and Freedom Now have called for his "immediate release." Human Rights Watch defended Dr. Que by stating that Hanoi is using, "heavy handed tactics to silence its critics." Dr. Que's family has been repeatedly told by officials that if he would accept deportation overseas, that he could be released. Courageously, Dr. Que remains determined to continue his campaign for civil liberties inside of Vietnam.

Dr. Que's life exemplifies the ideals of the Nobel Peace Prize. We urge you and your committee to honor his tireless efforts for peace with this award. If you have any questions, please contact me at (202) 232-7020.

Sincerely,

Albert Santoli

President and Director

Asia America Initiative

Miki Scheidel

Deputy Director

Asia America Initiative