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15 December 2025.
On the 13-year anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Lao civil
society leader Sombath Somphone, we, the undersigned civil society
organizations and individuals worldwide, urge once again United Nations
(UN) member states and Laos’ development and international cooperation
partners to demand the Lao government promptly resolve Sombath’s
enforced disappearance and deliver justice and an effective remedy and
reparations to him and his family.
Despite calls by civil society organizations
for states to use the fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Laos in
April 2025 to express their concern over the Lao government’s
protracted failure to determine Sombath Somphone’s fate or whereabouts, only one —
Canada — recommended the Lao government conduct a credible
investigation into Sombath’s enforced disappearance.
We deplore this silence over Sombath’s enforced disappearance, as it
is likely to continue to facilitate the Lao authorities in their
determination to shield the perpetrators of such a serious crime from
accountability.
We note that various individuals who occupied high-ranking positions
in the government when Sombath disappeared retain important official
roles in the country’s political sphere today. These individuals could
and should play a proactive role in clarifying Sombath’s fate and
achieving truth and justice.
For example, Thongloun Sisoulith, who served as Foreign Minister and
Deputy Prime Minister of Laos at the time of Sombath’s enforced
disappearance, is now the country’s President and the General Secretary
of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party – effectively, the supreme
leader of Laos. Chaleun Yiapaoher, then-Minister of Justice, is now one
of the National Assembly’s Vice-Presidents. Thongsing Thammavong,
then-Prime Minister, is currently a National Assembly member. These and
other influential individuals hold the key to resolve Sombath’s enforced
disappearance - a case that has been described by the International
Commission of Jurists as “eminently solvable.”
UN member states and Laos’ development and international cooperation
partners should press the government to establish the fate or
whereabouts of Sombath and all other victims of enforced disappearances
in the country, identify the suspected perpetrators of such serious
crimes, and provide victims with an effective remedy and full
reparations. To date, no case of enforced disappearance in Laos has been
resolved and no perpetrators have been identified or brought to
justice.
In its September 2025 report,
the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
emphasized that the disappearance of community leaders such as Sombath
resulted in a collective impact on the groups to which they belonged,
including by weakening community ties, depriving them of leadership, and
increasing their vulnerability to “cultural erosion and environmental
exploitation.” The Working Group further stated that Sombath’s
disappearance created a chilling effect on public participation, noting
reports of “serious risks and fear” of retaliation when his name is
mentioned.
We urge the Lao government to promptly ratify, without reservations,
the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from
Enforced Disappearance, which it signed in September 2008, and fully
implement it into national law, policies, and practices.
We continue to stand in solidarity with Sombath and his family and
urge UN member states to support our calls for truth, justice, and
accountability for all cases of victims of enforced disappearance in
Laos.
Even if 13 years have passed, the Lao government is obligated to
answer the question we and many others have been asking since 15
December 2012: “Where is Sombath”?
Background
Sombath Somphone, a pioneer in community-based development and youth
empowerment, was last seen at a police checkpoint on a busy street in
Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on the evening of 15 December 2012.
Footage from a traffic CCTV camera showed that police stopped Sombath’s
vehicle at the checkpoint and that, within minutes, unknown individuals
forced him into another vehicle and drove him away in the presence of
police officers. CCTV footage also showed an unknown individual arriving
and driving Sombath’s vehicle away from the city center. In December
2015, Sombath’s family obtained new CCTV footage from the same area and
made it public. The video shows Sombath’s car being driven back towards
the city by an unknown individual.
For further information, please visit: https://www.sombath.org/
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