Chinese human rights lawyer Lu Siwei recently commissioned lawyer Li Xiongbing to send a lawyer’s letter to the Laotian Embassy in China, holding the Laotian authorities accountable for serious violations of his personal and property rights, as well as breaches of international obligations.
The lawyer’s letter was delivered to the Laotian Embassy on October 19th and was addressed directly to Ambassador Song Peng.
The core allegations in the lawyer’s letter include the following aspects:
Firstly, Lu Siwei was arrested by Laotian police at a train station in Vientiane on July 28, 2023 and held until September 23, 2023 when he was deported back to China.
Secondly, during his detention, the Laotian authorities failed to provide any written legal documents explaining the reasons and basis for his detention.
Thirdly, Lu Siwei was physically assaulted twice by Laotian police during his detention. The first incident occurred in an office at the Vientiane International Airport immigration office, while the second took place at the Mohan Port on the China-Laos border, with personnel including two Chinese customs police officers and several Laotian special police.
Fourthly, he suffered from hunger, lack of sleep, inability to bathe, and other forms of torture during his detention; the conditions in the detention facility did not meet international standards.
Fifthly, all of Lu Siwei’s personal belongings, including multiple currencies, commemorative coins, and personal items, were unlawfully confiscated by the Laotian police and have not been returned to him to this day.
Sixthly, despite the risk of being subjected to torture, inhumane treatment, and degrading treatment upon his return after evaluation, the Laotian authorities still deported him. This led to criminal prosecution upon his return to China, resulting in an eleven-month prison sentence, with a noticeable deterioration in his health.
Lu Siwei has simultaneously made three specific demands to the Laotian government:
First, return all confiscated property, compensate for personal losses, and issue an apology.
Second, conduct a thorough investigation into Lu Siwei’s ordeal during his detention in Laos, and disclose the investigation results to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the international media.
Third, in accordance with Laotian domestic law and international human rights standards, hold criminally accountable the three police officers who assaulted Lu Siwei, and publicize the outcomes of the investigation.
Mainland lawyer Zheng Kai (pseudonym) told Dajiyuan that international human rights law requires governments to protect human rights and prohibits the use of torture and inhumane treatment against detained individuals. Lu Siwei was in possession of legal travel documents to a third country and should not have been subjected to arrest, detention, assault, and deportation while transiting through Laos.
Lu Siwei was one of the lawyers illegally arrested in the “709 Crackdown” in 2015 and had represented numerous sensitive cases. In 2021, he defended the “12 Hong Kongers Case”, leading to the revocation of his lawyer’s license by the Chinese Communist authorities.
On July 28, 2023, Lu Siwei was detained by Laotian customs police while transiting through Laos to Thailand and was deported back to China on September 23, detained at the Xindu Detention Center in Chengdu, and released on bail on October 28 of the same year. On October 10, 2024, he was arrested by the Chenghua Sub-Bureau of the Chengdu Public Security Bureau for the crime of “illegal border crossing” and sentenced to eleven months in prison. He was detained at the Chengdu Detention Center. He was released on August 5, 2025.
Lu Siwei’s human rights actions have garnered attention from international human rights organizations and the United Nations Human Rights Council special procedures rapporteurs. It is considered an important benchmark case for evaluating the safety of human rights defenders in the Southeast Asia region.