On 10 October 2024, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) submitted a report for the fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Laos. This report, prepared in collaboration with the CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS) and Amnesty International, highlights human rights violations in Laos since its 3rd UPR Cycle in January 2020.

The joint submission addresses several key human rights concerns, including: 

1) Freedom of association 

2) Arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and attacks or killings of human rights defenders, civil society activists, and journalists

3) Freedom of expression, media, and access to information 

4) Freedom of peaceful assembly.

The report not only highlighted the persistent impunity in the country, including the pending case of the enforced disappearance of Sombath Somphone, as well as the worsening situation of civic space violation and the transnational repressions against human rights defenders in the country and beyond.

FORUM-ASIA, CIVICUS and Amnesty International call on the Government of Lao PDR to create and maintain, in law and in practice, an enabling environment for civil society, in accordance with the rights enshrined in international human rights law and standards, including but not limited to the ICCPR, to which the Country is a state party since 2009, the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and Human Rights Council resolutions 22/6, 27/5 and 27/31. At a minimum, the following conditions should be guaranteed: freedoms of association, expression and peaceful assembly, the right for civil society to operate free from unwarranted state interference, the right to communicate and access information, the right to seek and secure funding

For check the specific recommendations for each issue please check here

This post was originally published on FORUM-ASIA.