2 Leading Dissidents to Be Freed From Jail
From Times Wire Reports
Vietnam announced that it would release two of its best-known dissidents after pressure from international rights groups and the United States.
Roman Catholic priest Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly, 58, and physician Nguyen Dan Que, 63, were to be freed with 8,323 other prisoners before the Lunar New Year holiday, or Tet, which begins Feb. 9, Vice Foreign Minister Le Van Bang said.
Both have been outspoken advocates of religious freedom and democracy and have openly criticized the government.
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