Anousa “Jack” Luangsouphom
Anousa “Jack” Luangsouphom is a social media activist who runs two Facebook pages Driven by the Keyboard and Sor Tor Lor – the Republic with over 41,000 and 6,800 followers respectively, where he advocates for social, environmental, economic, and political rights in Laos. His digital platforms facilitate discussions on pro-democratic movements, issues such as child rights and LGBTQI+ rights, and other human rights violations in Laos.
Anousa “Jack” Luangsouphom set up a closed Facebook group Laos Drama in April 2020 to start a discussion on democracy and human rights in the country. Later, in March 2022, he set up the public Facebook page, Driven by the Keyboard, to call for democracy in Laos. The page advocates for an end to the one-party rule in Laos and Laos’ dependency on China, and reports on human rights abuses on the ground. Due to the growing following of Driven by the Keyboard, Anousa “Jack” Luangsouphom has been facing increased surveillance.
Laos has been a single-party republic since the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) seized power in 1975. Human rights defenders work under great difficulties and cannot operate freely. They face surveillance, intimidation, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture in custody, and enforced disappearance. HRDs have been accused of threatening national security in relation to online criticism of the Lao government. Freedom of expression, association, and assembly are heavily restricted, despite the fact that these rights are guaranteed in the Constitution. Registration and regulatory mechanisms for NGOs are onerous and allow for arbitrary state interference. Despite international pressure, the 2012 disappearance of prominent HRD Sombath Somphone remains unsolved in 2017 and continues to exert a chilling effect on civil society.
