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🚨 Confirmed: Mr. Khaen is Dead ‼️Justice Must Follow ‼️
- Manushya Foundation
- 8 hours ago
- 4 min read
On 21 February, Mr. Khaen’s brother confirmed via a Facebook post that the motorbike found at the scene belonged to Mr. Khaen and stated that identification would take place on 22 February.
On 22 February, the same day Laos held national elections, Mr. Khaen’s brother publicly confirmed via a Facebook post that the deceased body found on 20 February is Mr. Khaen, and and announced funeral arrangements to be held on 23 February 2026 at 13.30 PM. That post was later deleted. Screenshots of the original post continue to circulate online.
On 23 February 2026, the Head of Houay Teuy Village, Xaythany District, Vientiane Capital, issued a Letter of Certification stating that claims circulating online by Mr. Montha that his brother, Mr. Sisay Luangmonda (Mr. Khaen), died on 21 February 2026 and that a cremation ceremony was scheduled for 23 February 2026 at 13:30 at Houay Teuy Village Cemetery are “entirely without merit and completely false.”
The Village Administration further requests that relevant authorities assist in tracking and investigating the individual who made the alleged false claim in order to proceed with legal action in accordance with the law.
Observations: The public confirmation of death, the subsequent deletion of the post, and the issuance of an official letter denying the death claim present contradictory public records. These inconsistencies raise serious concerns regarding transparency, due process, and the safety of the family member involved.
A translation of the letter from Lao to English are provided below ⤵️
Letter of Certification Village
Head – Houay Teuy Village, Xaythany District, Vientiane Capital
This is to certify that the family of Mr. Montha has never reported the death (which is a fraudulent claim) of Mr. Sisay Luangmonda, born on October 21, 1994. It was falsely alleged that he passed away on February 21, 2026, at the age of 32, with a cremation ceremony scheduled for February 23, 2026, at 13:30 at the Houay Teuy Village Cemetery.
I hereby confirm that the claim made by Mr. Montha regarding the death of Mr. Sixay Leuangmontha is entirely without merit and completely false. Therefore, the Houay Teuy Village Administration requests that the relevant authorities assist in tracking and investigating this perpetrator (the person making the false claim) to proceed with legal action in accordance with the law. The Village Administration has issued this certificate to serve as official evidence.
Presented with the highest respect.
At Houay Teuy Village,
Date: February 23, 2026
Village Head
(Signed and Stamped)
Bounthavy LAOIN
Background: What Happened?
Yesterday, 22 February, as Lao citizens were called to vote, Mr. Khaen, a known government critic, was confirmed dead.
Repression in Laos
This is not an isolated tragedy. It reflects a deeper crisis of civic space in Laos, where dissenting voices face intimidation, disappearance, and deadly consequences.
(See Manushya’s extensive, evidence-based documentation of State repression against Lao human rights defenders: 2025 CESC Report, 2024 UPR Report and 2024 CEDAW report).
A “mini North Korea”
What does voting mean in an authoritarian one-party state where dissent is unsafe?
Laos has no political pluralism. There is only one ruling party. Critics disappear. Independent media does not exist. Civic space is suffocated.
For years, Laos has operated as one of the most closed political systems in the region - a de facto “mini North Korea” in Southeast Asia - where fear, surveillance, and repression replace democratic accountability.
The international community must stop pretending otherwise.
Mr. Khaen’s Death is Not Just a “Motorbike Accident”
The rescue report noted that alcohol was found at the scene. The presence of alcohol does not erase the timeline of disappearance and reported abduction. There is serious and legitimate concern that this death may be presented as a motorbike accident by Lao authorities. The truth must be established through full transparency.
This is not the first time a Lao democracy activist has been found dead near a motorbike, with such deaths presented to the public as simple accidents.
In recent years:
Ms. Bounleut was found dead near her motorbike in June 2024, months after participating in the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) in February 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Mr. Maythong Sanbounkhounxay was found dead near his motorbike in September 2023, months after participating in the APFSD in March 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand.
The pattern is deeply alarming.
When critics are repeatedly found dead near motorbikes, in forested areas, following public engagement in regional advocacy spaces, these cases cannot be dismissed as routine accidents.
Read the August 2025 UN Experts’ Communication (LAO 2.2025) to the Lao government demanding answers on investigations into the enforced disappearances and deaths of Lao human rights defenders.
As Decolonial & Intersectional Feminists, we refuse silence in the face of fear. We refuse narratives that dismiss suspicious deaths without scrutiny. We refuse a system where speaking out can cost you your life.
We call for:
An immediate, independent, and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Khaen’s death.
Full disclosure by Lao authorities of forensic findings and the complete timeline of events.
The United Nations, international human rights mechanisms, and the diplomatic community to closely monitor this case and to urge the Lao government to guarantee accountability and protection for those who speak out.
✊🏽 Lao people deserve truth.
✊🏽 They deserve accountability.
✊🏽 They deserve justice.
We stand in solidarity with Mr. Khaen’s family.
We stand with all those who dare to speak.
🔎 Learn more: bit.ly/JusticeForKhaen
#WeAreManushyan ♾️ Equal Human Beings