The European Parliament passed a resolution on Thursday, January 16th “…demanding clarifications on the investigation into the Sombath Somphone case in Laos.”
“MEPs demand a clarification of the state of the investigation into the Sombath Somphone case, considering that ‘the lack of reaction from the Lao Government raises suspicions that the authorities could be involved in his abduction’. MEPs also stress that ‘enforced disappearances remain a major impediment to Laos joining the UN Human Rights Council’.”
The press release is available in English and French. The full resolution can be found here. Video of interventions by parliamentarians can be seen here.
A year on, the enforced disappearance of Sombath Somphone continues with impunity in Lao PDR
GENEVA (16 December 2013) – A group of United Nations human rights experts today urged the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) to increase its efforts in the investigations into the enforced disappearance on 15 December 2012, of Sombath Somphone, a prominent human right activist working on issues of land confiscation and assisting victims in denouncing such practices.
“Mr. Somphone has been disappeared for one year. We are deeply concerned about his safety and security”, the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances said. “We urge the Government of Lao PDR to do its utmost to locate Mr. Somphone, to establish his fate and whereabouts, and to hold the perpetrators accountable.”
The human rights experts noted that Mr. Somphone was held in police custody following his reported disappearance, according to additional information received that sheds new light on the case. A few days after his disappearance, he was seen inside a police detention centre with his car parked in the police compound. Continue reading “UN OHCHR renews calls for investigation”
On 15 December 2012, Sombath Somphone, a recognized representative of the Lao civil society disappeared in the Vientiane capital of Lao PDR. The Government of Switzerland is very concerned about the fate of Sombath Somphone and the lack of substantive information by the Lao authorities investigation of this abduction.
For many years Sombath Somphone has worked tirelessly for the sustainable development in Laos through education and motivation of the Laotian youth. For his intensive efforts to promote fair and social development in Laos, Sombath Somphone is held in high esteem within the country and internationally.
Through its development projects in Lao PDR, Switzerland is committed to supporting an active civil society that contributes constructively to the development of the country. A reliable and conducive legal, political and social environment is indispensable for this. Continue reading “Swiss aid agency adds voice”
The International Commission of Jurists has renewed its call to the Lao courts to open a case regarding Sombath Somphone:
It is deplorable that one year after Sombath Somphone was abducted after being stopped by traffic police, the public prosecutor has yet to institute formal or criminal proceedings into his disappearance.
The government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic must immediately take effective measure to ensure an impartial and thorough investigation and bring justice to those responsible for crimes against Sombath Somphone.
Sam Zarifi, ICJ Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. The full announcement can be seen here.
We, the undersigned 62 regional and international organizations, express outrage over the Lao Government’s ongoing failure to shed light on the enforced disappearance of prominent activist and civil society leader Sombath Somphone.
62 Non-governmental organizations have released a statement calling for a new investigation into the enforced disappearance of Sombath Somphone.
Signatories include NGOs from all ASEAN countries, except Brunei and Laos. The full statement is available in English here, and in Chinese here.
“A truly compassionate attitude toward others does not change even if they behave negatively or hurt you.” – H H Dalai Lama XIV
On 15th December 2013, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) hosted Sombath’s wife, Ng Shui-Meng, who spoke on her husband’s life and work. 2 other speakers, Pablo Solon and Evelyn Balais-Serrano joined Shui-Meng to mark the one year since he disappeared.
Sombath Sompone is a well-known and respected member of civil society in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos). At around 5.30pm on 15th December 2012, he left in his car from his office in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. He was driving behind his wife Ng Shui-Meng, who was in another car. They were due to have dinner together at their home. But traffic’s police stopped Sombath at around 6pm at a police post on Thadeua Road, in Vientiane’s Sisattanak district. According to footage from a CCTV camera, he was stopped in his own vehicle by police, left it, and minutes later got into another vehicle and was driven off into darkness. He never made it home. Continue reading “Remembering Sombath, One Year On”
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Lao counterpart Thongsing Thammavong shake hands at an ASEAN meeting in Brunei, Oct. 9, 2013. AFP
Rights groups have asked Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to raise concerns about disappeared Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone at an upcoming regional summit, saying Tokyo and other international donors should push for an independent probe if Laos continues to drag its feet on the case.
Abe should urge his Lao counterpart Thongsing Thammavong, who will visit Tokyo this weekend for the Japan-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, to ensure the government fully investigates the case and provides information about Sombath’s fate, the six international rights groups said in a joint letter Wednesday.
The summit falls on the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of Sombath, a prominent anti-poverty campaigner who was last seen being stopped at a police checkpoint in the Lao capital Vientiane on Dec. 15, 2012.
Since then, rights groups have expressed dissatisfaction with the Lao government’s explanation of how he vanished, saying it has failed to fully investigate the case and could be covering up government links to his possible abduction.
The letter by the six groups—Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International Japan, Mekong Watch, Empowerment For All Japan, and two organizations that requested not to be named publicly—asked Abe to “remind” Thongsing that Laos is obligated under international human rights law to prevent and remedy any enforced disappearance. Continue reading “Japan’s PM Urged to Raise Case of Missing Lao NGO Leader”
One Year On, Sombath Somphone Remains Forcibly Disappeared
“On the one-year anniversary of Sombath Somphone’s abduction, Prime Minister Abe should break Japan’s public silence and call upon the Lao government to reveal the truth about Sombath’s fate. Japan’s words carry weight since it is the largest donor to Laos. Prime Minister Abe should use this leverage to send a strong message to the Lao leadership that it needs to stop ignoring the pleas to reveal what happened to Sombath.” Kanae Doi, Japan director
(Tokyo) – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan should raise concerns about the enforced disappearance of a prominent civil society leader in the prime minister’s meeting with Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong at the Japan-Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International Japan, Mekong Watch, Empowerment For All Japan, and two other Japanese nongovernmental organizations said today in a joint letter to Prime Minister Abe.
The Japan-ASEAN Summit, scheduled from December 13-15, 2013, falls during the one-year anniversary of the abduction and forcible disappearance of Sombath Somphone, a recipient of the 2005 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership. Sombath was taken into custody by authorities at a checkpoint outside a police station in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on December 15, 2012. Continue reading “Japan: Raise Concerns About Abducted Lao Activist”
Amnesty International has issued a further Urgent Action, calling on its global membership to:
…write immediately in Lao, English or your own language calling on the Lao authorities to:
Immediately establish a new, independent commission to undertake a thorough and impartial investigation into the enforced disappearance of Sombath Somphone, and ensure that all steps are taken to locate and return him safely to his family as soon as possible, in accordance with Laos’ obligations under international law;
Ensure that this new commission seeks technical assistance for its investigations, including established experts to carry out a forensics analysis of the CCTV footage of the disappearance;
Frequently provide detailed information about the progress of the investigations to Sombath’s family, lawyers and others with a legitimate interest.
….the abduction of Sombath Somphone nearly a year ago and the lack of progress in the investigation have sent the wrong message to the international diplomatic and business communities about Laos. Transparency and credible progress in the investigation would send the message that Laos is serious about the rule of law.
The European Parliament passed a resolution on Thursday, January 16th “…demanding clarifications on the investigation into the Sombath Somphone case in Laos.”
