International Mechanism Submissions

This report addresses the Lao People’s Democratic Republic’s compliance with its international human rights obligations with respect to the death penalty and related issues.

The Lao People’s Revolutionary Party maintains a stronghold over Laos. It controls the political process, restricts civil liberties, and faces no opposing parties or organized opposition groups.

Laos is “abolitionist in practice,” meaning that authorities have not carried out executions for any crime in the past ten years and “are believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions,” even though courts continue to hand down death sentences. Even though there are no reports of Laos carrying out any executions since 1989, laws still authorize the death penalty for a wide variety of offenses.

The available information is limited, but women face particular risks with respect to the death penalty and related issues.