Laos

Elections are a sham, to the point where the real, mainstream political opposition does not have a realistic chance to meaningfully compete and possibly win. Elections are held only to legitimize the regime’s rule. The Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) is the sole recognized political party and has ruled uninterrupted since the inception of modern and communist Laos in 1975. All political parties, aside from the LPRP and other forms of organized political opposition, are prohibited.

Independent media, political leaders, civil society leaders, organizations, and members of the general public face overt and systematic retaliation if they openly criticize or challenge the regime. The regime does not tolerate dissent; there is no independent media, dissenting protests of any scale are rare, and civil society organizations operate only in service of regime policies. Those who dissent risk arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and extrajudicial killing. The regime also perpetrates transnational repression against exiled Lao activists in neighboring countries.

Institutions largely fail to serve as independent checks on the regime. The regime exercises absolute control over the appointment, removal, and discipline of judges. Courts ordinarily try dissidents behind closed doors and violate fair trial standards. They are otherwise not empowered to review regime policies.