Polish activist not among prisoners to be pardoned in Laos this year
A Polish citizen of Lao heritage jailed in Laos for criticizing the government online will not be among hundreds of prisoners granted pardons by the end of the year because he “does not meet the proper criteria,” according to a public security official.
Lao authorities arrested Bounthanh Thammavong, a 52-year-old democracy activist, in June and sentenced him three months later to nearly five years in prison for “disseminating propaganda against the government with the intention of undermining the state” in a Facebook posting.
