A young critic of the communist regime in Laos through social networks was shot dead last weekend, reported this Wednesday the humanitarian organization Human Rights Watch (HRW), which has described the incident as suspicious and has asked that it be "investigate thoroughly." Anousa "Jack" Luangsuphom, 25, was shot twice at point-blank range, in the face and chest, while he was in a cafeteria in Vientiane, a city on the border with Thailand, on Saturday night.
Moments before the attack, the assailant, wearing a mask and dressed in a brown shirt and black cap, used a handkerchief to open the door of the establishment -with the intention of not leaving any traces-, according to security camera images. In a first approach, the man stayed at the entrance pretending to have made a mistake and closed the door, at which point he took a pistol from his back with which he re-entered the cafeteria to execute his victim, before realizing on the run
The young man, who died on the way to the hospital, had a popular Facebook page where he openly criticized the Lao government and served as a platform for other people to dare to comment on the communist authorities in this nation.
“The cold-blooded murder of a prominent young political activist in central Vientiane sends a chilling message that no one who criticizes the government in Laos is safe,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW). in a statement urging a "credible and impartial investigation" into Anousa's death. According to HRW, the Laotian authorities have not yet opened an investigation into the incident.
For its part, the NGO Asia Democracy Network stressed on Twitter that "it is not a coincidence that activists who speak out against the (Laotian) government are killed or disappear," referring to previous cases such as the 2012 kidnapping of activist Sombath Somphone, after being stopped at a police checkpoint in the capital.
The Communist Party of Laos, the only legal party in the country, exercises tight control over the media, where criticism of the State is not allowed, and has been denounced by NGOs and the United Nations on numerous occasions for violating individual liberties. .
