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#JusticeForJoseph ✊🏽 Attempted Murder of Lao Activist Joseph Akaravong in France !
- Manushya Foundation
- Jun 16
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 17
Transnational Repression Strikes Again?
On Saturday, 14 June 2025, prominent Lao activist and political refugee Joseph Akaravong was the victim of a brutal knife attack in Pau, France, around 11:00 AM. The assault took place in broad daylight on Boulevard des Pyrénées, a normally peaceful public area in the city center.
Joseph was stabbed multiple times in the neck and torso. Witnesses reported hearing screams for help as the assailant attacked him before fleeing the scene. Emergency responders rushed Joseph to a local hospital in critical condition. By the evening, doctors confirmed that his condition had stabilized and was no longer life-threatening.
While Joseph is now conscious and has been able to use his phone to update the public on his health, the attack was clearly meant to kill. The French police have launched an official investigation, and we hope authorities will swiftly identify and apprehend the perpetrator to ensure Joseph’s safety and prevent future attacks.
📢 A Case That Shook France
The violent nature of the assault has shocked the local community and garnered national media attention across France. Multiple outlets began reporting on the incident the same day it occurred:
France Bleu described the horror of witnesses who heard cries for help from a couple, including Joseph and a woman he was walking with at the time of the attack.
La Dépêche and Actu17 reported that the victim was initially “between life and death.”
La Semaine des Pyrénées confirmed that the attacker is still at large and that police are actively investigating the case.
While police have not yet disclosed the motive, the timing, target, and context strongly suggest this could be a case of transnational repression—the violent reach of authoritarian regimes against dissidents abroad.
🧑🏽💻 Who Is Joseph Akaravong?
Joseph is a long-time Lao democracy activist who fled Laos in 2018 after publicly denouncing government corruption, human rights violations, and the deadly collapse of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy dam in Attapeu province. His outspoken activism made him a target of the Lao regime.
With the support of Manushya Foundation, Joseph was granted political asylum in France in March 2022. Since then, he has continued to raise awareness about the deteriorating human rights situation in Laos—especially through social media, where his voice has reached thousands in the Lao diaspora.
Even in exile, Joseph remained courageous and vocal. His survival is a miracle. But this brazen attack on French soil is a reminder that speaking the truth comes at a deadly cost for many activists.
⚠️ Transnational Repression: A Deadly Pattern
Joseph’s case is not isolated. The Lao authoritarian regime has increasingly relied on transnational repression—using intimidation, surveillance, disappearance, and even violence to silence dissent abroad.
Other prominent documented cases include:
2012 – Sombath Somphone, a respected Lao civil society leader, was forcibly disappeared in Vientiane. His fate remains unknown. His disappearance sent shockwaves through Lao society and forced many activists into exile.
2019 – Od Sayavong, founder of the Free Laos democracy movement in Thailand, vanished in Bangkok. He has not been seen since.
April 2023 – Anousa “Jack” Luangsuphom was shot in Vientiane for his online activism. He miraculously survived. He now lives in hiding, fearful for his life.
May 2023 – Bounsuan Kitiyano, also a member of Free Laos, was gunned down in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. He did not survive.
2024 – Nanthida Phoumichit, a brave 21-year-old student, fled Laos after exposing her sexual assault by a National Assembly official. She now lives in hiding in fear of state retaliation.
From enforced disappearances to cross-border assassinations, these acts reveal a calculated campaign by the Lao government to eliminate dissent—no matter the border.
🚨 What We Demand - #JusticeForJoseph
This is not just a criminal case. It is a human rights emergency.
We call on:
The French government to pursue a full investigation, identify the attacker, and protect Joseph and others at risk;
The international community to condemn transnational repression and stand with Lao activists facing persecution;
Human rights defenders, civil society, and donor institutions to bolster support for refugee protection, anti-repression mechanisms, and safe exile spaces.
Joseph survived this time. Others have not. This must stop now.
✊🏽 Stand With Joseph. Stand Against Transnational Repression.
#WeAreManushyan ♾️ Equal Human Beings