Laos political activist survived point-blank shooting in cafe, family reveals

Head of Human Rights Watch says family announced Luangsuphom’s death over fears of second attack

Anousa ‘Jack’ Luangsuphom, 25, a prominent political activist and critic of the Laos government, was shot dead in a coffee shop in the capital (Human Rights Watch)

The broad-daylight shooting of a prominent Laos government critic that was captured on camera has sparked confusion over the fate of the activist as reports now suggest he could be alive.

A day after human rights groups said Anousa “Jack” Luangsuphom, 25, was killed after he was shot twice from point-blank range, reports on Thursday said he receiving treatment in a hospital.

Mr Luangsuphom was shot twice by a gunman on Saturday at around 10.39pm in an attack that was captured on CCTV cameras.

Human Rights Watch said that Mr Luangsuphom’s family has confirmed that he “survived the shooting and is now receiving medical treatment in a hospital in Vientiane”.

It said in a statement that the reports from multiple sources that Mr Luangsuphom died on the way to the hospital “proved to be false”.

Amnesty International, which also previously said Mr Luangsuphom was killed, said: “His current medical condition is unclear”.

Mr Luangsuphom, a vocal critic of the Laos government and civil rights activist, was shot by an unidentified person in a coffee shop in the Chanthabuly district of the Laos capital Vientiane on Saturday.

A screengrab from the CCTV footage from outside the coffee shop shows the gunman who shot down Anousa Luangsuphom (Screengrab/@Reaproy)

The chilling security camera footage of the attack showed a man dressed in a brown shirt and wearing a black cap opening the door using a white handkerchief. It showed the moment when Mr Luangsuphom is shot from point-blank range in the face and chest and collapses to the floor.

Mr Luangsuphom used to run the Kub Kluen Duay Keyboard (Driven By Keyboard) Facebook page, a popular platform in and outside Laos for people to express dissenting views about the Laos government.

“Friends and family basically told people he was dead because they were worried if the gunman knew that they had not succeeded in killing him, they would return to finish the job,” said HRW spokesperson Phil Robertson, according to BBC.

Mr Robertson shared three pictures of Mr Luangsuphom lying on a hospital bed. The activist appeared unconscious in the pictures with a wound on his face and a bandage on his chest.

“Human Rights Watch emphasises the responsibility of the Lao government to ensure protection for Anousa while he recovers, and to undertake a thorough and impartial investigation into the shooting,” HRW said in an updated statement.

Luangsuphom ran Kub Kluen Duay Keyboard (Driven By Keyboard) Facebook page (Human Rights Watch)

Amnesty International called out the Laos government for not identifying the perpetrator despite the available footage.

“Lao authorities must urgently launch a prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigation into the brazen shooting of a young activist who dared to speak out about human rights issues in the country,” said Joe Freeman, Amnesty International’s interim deputy regional director for communications.

“No human rights defenders should be violently targeted for their work.”

Laos is one of the most politically repressive countries in Asia and the Communist-ruled, single-party country is known to stifle dissenting voices or political opposition.

It is the latest attack on a political activist that has put a rare spotlight on the nation’s governance and human rights record.

In 2012, Sombath Somphone, a prominent social activist, went missing after he was last seen at a police checkpoint in the capital.

More than 10 years after his disappearance his whereabouts remain unknown. Human Rights Watch noted Mr Somphone’s “enforced disappearance” and said, “even activists who have fled persecution in Laos to neighbouring countries have not been safe”.

Od Sayavong, a Lao activist living in Bangkok, Thailand, remains missing since August 2019.

The Laos government has denied any knowledge of both disappearance cases.

Update: The Independent earlier reported that Anousa Luangsuphom had died. This story has now been updated to reflect his family’s new statement saying he survived the shooting.