"Arbitrary detention of Lao women activist, increased online surveillance, persecution of minorities", 6 August 2021.

In June 2021, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) determined that the arrest and subsequent imprisonment of Lao human rights defender and environmental activist Houayheuang Xayabouly — also known as “Muay” — was arbitrary and in violation of international law. In the decision, the UNWGAD concluded that Laos had failed to establish any legal basis for Muay’s detention and that her imprisonment had resulted, in part, from the exercise of her right to freedom of expression... Muay had repeatedly used Facebook to criticise the Lao government, from instances of corruption to the mishandling of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy dam collapse in Attapeu Province. She was arrested in September 2019 on defamation charges...