Vietnam Increases Persecution of Its Christians; Watchdog Group Adds Vietnam to "Hall of Shame"

The Vietnamese government has increased its persecution of Christians significantly in recent months, according to a new Human Rights Watch report.

The group accuses Vietnam of persecuting Christians and forcing them to renounce their faith, the Christian Broadcast Network website reports today (April 4, 2011).

"Freedom of religion does not mean freedom for state-sanctioned religions only," said Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch.

Human Rights Watch -- which maintains a "Hall of Shame" listing of countries that persecute Christians the most -- is calling on the U.S. State Department to put Vietnam back on the list of the world's worst religious rights violators. Vietnam had been removed from the State Department list in 2006.