Freedom of the Press 2007: Laos

Several groups have issued a joint statement asking the Lao government to repeal a recent order for provinces to keep records of official social media channels and to enforce social media registration. The statement also called for an end of an online monitoring special task force aimed at controlling the spread of “fake news” concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lao blogger Houayheuang Xayabouly, known by her nickname Mouay, has been detained since 2019 and is serving a 5-year prison sentence for criticizing the government’s response to a flooding disaster.

Laotian blogger Muay Littlepig was sentenced to five years in prison for criticising the government’s poor response to a flooding disaster.