Posted on January 7, 2015 by Admin
UN LogoThe Lao PDR is scheduled for the second Universal Periodic Review of its human rights record on 20 January 2015. In preparation for this event, many organisations from civil society, the United Nations and the Lao government have submitted reports.
Nearly all of the submissions from stakeholders not subject to Lao government control raise the disappearance of Sombath Somphone, many emphatically. These include:
Alliance for Democracy in Laos
Asian Parliamentarians for Human Rights
Forum Asia & the Asia-Europe People’s Forum
Human Rights Watch
International Commission of Jurists
International Federation for Human Rights & the Lao Movement for Human Rights
International Service for Human Rights
The United Nations, and specifically the UN Lao Country Report, also raise concerns about Sombath’s disappearance, despite reported pressure from the Lao government to exclude any such reference.
In its report, the Lao government, which has repeatedly claimed it is more concerned than anybody else, ignores the issue entirely.