Six Christians who were arrested in Tahae village, Khammouane Province, Laos, on 22 June were released from prison without charge on 25 July.
Pastor Mum and five other church members, Mr Liang (40), Mr Pa (24), Ms Laen (50), Ms Lan (23) and Ms Khoon (28), were held for over a month in Xaibouathong district prison. Local advocacy groups suggested that they were arrested for hosting a small church service in Pastor Mum’s home, which was deemed illegal as the church is not officially registered.
The local and national government have not taken responsibility for the arrests, and the group appear to have been detained at the discretion of the village chief in Tahae.
CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW welcomes the release of these six Christians who should never have been imprisoned in the first place. We call on authorities in Khammouane Province, and specifically on the chief of Tahae village, to ensure that their freedom is respected and that freedom of religion or belief is upheld for all Lao citizens.’
In a separate development, a prominent Lao pastor was shot and killed by a masked gunman in his home in the Vanghay village of Oudmxay Province on 25 July. Thongkham Philavanh was in his early forties and a member of the Khmu ethnic group. Pastor Philavanh was taken to the local hospital by his wife, but he was pronounced dead on arrival. It is unclear at this stage who is responsible for Pastor Philavanh’s death and what their motives were.
Mervyn Thomas added: ‘The brutal murder of Thongkham Philavanh is a deeply worrying development amid deteriorating conditions for religious freedom in Laos and CSW will closely monitor the situation. We have seen in the past that the government of Laos is slow if not entirely unwilling to investigate crimes against religious and ethnic minorities: Sy Sengmany’s killers are still at large, churches are being burnt down and believers arbitrarily detained. CSW calls on the government to open a clear and impartial investigation into the death of Thongkham Philavanh.’