Rights Groups Urge Laos Government to Investigate Fatal Shooting of Political Activist

Anousa Luangsuphom was shot dead at a coffee shop in the capital city of Vientiane

People walking in front of the Patuxai war monument in the center of Vientiane, Laos, on March 12, 2020. Mladen Antonov/AFP via Getty Images

Human rights groups have urged the Laotian authorities to launch a probe into the killing of political activist Anousa “Jack” Luangsuphom, who was shot dead by an unidentified assailant on April 29.

Luangsuphom was attacked late at night while sitting at a coffee shop in the Chanthabuly district of Vientiane province. The 25-year-old activist was shot twice in the face and chest, local media reported.

The shop’s security camera footage showed a gunman entering the café and firing twice at Luangsuphom, who then collapsed to the floor. Other customers in the café called for help while the gunman fled.

The young activist died on the way to the hospital. Lao authorities have yet to announce an investigation into his killing, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

Luangsuphom was the administrator of the Kub Kluen Duay Keyboard Facebook page, where people expressed criticism about the Lao communist regime. The Facebook page has over 41,000 followers.

HRW said that Luangsuphom was “among the few people in Laos who regularly and openly expressed views that were critical of the Lao government.”

Elaine Pearson, HRW’s Asia director, demanded that the Laotian government undertake “a credible and impartial investigation” into his killing and punish those responsible for his death.

“The cold-blooded killing of a prominent young political activist in downtown Vientiane sends a spine-chilling message that no one in Laos who criticizes the government is safe,” Pearson said in a statement.

Fear Spreads After Killing

Luangsuphom’s friend, who spoke to Amnesty International anonymously for security reasons, said the attack had left people in Laos “even more afraid” to express critical opinions.

He chose not to visit Luangsuphom at the hospital for fear of being targeted by authorities.

“I am devastated about the death, and also deeply scared about what may happen to me,” the activist said, adding that he would “put a pause” to his activism for a while.

Amnesty International said that activism and human rights advocacy are “extremely risky” in Laos, and some cases involving attacks on human rights defenders have gone unsolved for years.

In December 2012, civil society leader Sombath Somphone was abducted from a police checkpoint in Vientiane. His whereabouts remains unknown to this day.

Laos is a one-party state in which the ruling Lao People’s Revolutionary Party dominates all aspects of politics and uses “legal restrictions and intimidation tactics against state critics,” pro-democracy organization Freedom House stated.

“The state owns nearly all media, though some independent outlets, primarily entertainment magazines that steer clear of political commentary, have emerged in recent years,” the organization states on its website.