As being a member of the ASEAN, All ASEAN countries are favorable towards the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and adopted the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action of the World Conference on Human Rights. Human Rights Treaties ratified by the Lao DPR include :

International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) in 1974
Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1981
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1991.
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 39/4 of December 1984 entry into force 26 June 1987, in accordance with article 27
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, 07/12/2000) ;
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR, 07/12/2000)
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Adopted by General Assembly resolution 39/4 on October 1999 and opened for signature on 10 December 1999, Human Rights Day entry into force 22 December 2000.

Laos strategically emphasis universal ratification of core human rights treaties to meet western pressure, but in fact, human rights treaties ratification and economic liberalization are not accompanied by any echo in the political sphere. The Constitution legitimates only one single party, the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, which monopoly remains beyond contestations thereby scorning Lao People’s political rights since they don’t have the right to change their government.

There are no domestic nongovernmental human rights organizations and the investigation of human rights issues remains theoretical. But there is a human rights unit in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of International Treaties and Legal Affairs has responsibility for inquiry into allegations of human rights violations. But keeping in mind the low capacity of the country to fulfill those obligations and the willingness to do so, no wonder why allegations of human rights violation is still a constant issue on the international scene.

Hmong lobbying of human rights issues and disrespect of religious freedom in the Lao PDR

Hmong lobbying and rights of political freedom make up the heading concerning human rights issues in the international press outside Laos. Hmong benefit from strong a support from Hmong communities based in the United States, Australia, Canada and France that had flew out of the country in 1975 and that have succeed since that time to smuggle information out of the Laos. The other pool of human rights denunciators is composed by the LRG in exile to whom the Vietnames-sided Pathet Lao never gained the legitimacy of power’ their target is the regime itself.

Human rights organizations address human rights issues in Laos through both biases. Hmong lobby wins the first place and the non respect of religious freedom, (in Laos more Christian, both catholic and protestant, more than muslims) call upon the attention of Amnesty International, The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State; while advocacy organizations such as the World Rainforest Movement or Probe International focus on infrastructure impact on environment issues, etc. None of those foreign based institutions or organizations had ever denunciate the internal displacements of populations in the frame of rural development.

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Fact Finding Commission, Californian based advocacy group, have succeed in documenting testimonies and information about human rights abuses of Hmong guerilla groups and recently surrendered to the authorities in three provinces of Laos.

Laos’ foreign relations

Lao traditionally cultivate friendly relations with all states. The logic of Lao foreign policy is financially motivated: Lao rely on foreign investment for economic development since the state income and export, wouldn’t cover expenditures and importations.

International community support politically correct project and programs such as gender (violence against women), rural development, environment conservation, but democratization, the reform of the Penal Code, the reform of the Constitution and the respect of fundamental rights remain under silence.

Amnesty International has called on Laos to humanely treat hundreds of Hmong hill tribe people--some believed to be rebels fighting the communist government--who turned themselves in for resettlement in recent weeks. 06 mars 2004

The London-based human rights group also requested that Laotian authorities give international aid workers access to the Hmong and their families to help them with basic humanitarian needs such as food and medical treatment. ``The organization calls upon the (Laotian) government to ensure that all those who put down their arms and their civilian noncombatant family members are treated humanely and with dignity and respect.

First ask international actors to support Lao PDR’s resettlement policy in terms of emergency, i.e. food and medical treatment, without questioning the sustainability of the resettlement of Hmong household from forested area to resettlement site.

According to the Fact Finding Commission, California organization which has been smuggling information from the Hmongs' jungle bases for several years, said that more than 900 people from Hmong guerrilla groups, including women and children, have surrendered in three provinces (Bolikhamxay, Louang Prabang and Xieng Kouang). Amnesty argues that Lao government should seize this opportunity to find a peaceful solution to decades of fighting and the high human cost on all sides to the conflict.

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