On the 13-year anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone, civil society organizations and individuals 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’s fate or whereabouts, only one — Canada — recommended the Lao government conduct a credible investigation into Sombath’s enforced disappearance.
