(2023年8月1日) ラオス当局は、2023年7月28日以降、著名な中国の人権弁護士盧思位（ル・シウェイ）を逮捕、拘留していると報じられています。我々は彼が強制的に中国へ送還され、拷問や他の不適切な待遇を受ける高い可能性があるという深刻な危険に直面していることを大いに懸念しています。
東南アジアの政府はしばしば、脆弱な個人を強制的に中国に送還することを迫られています。そこでは、彼らは恣意的な拘束、不公正な裁判、拷問、強制失踪、他の不適切な待遇を受けてきました。我々の組織は、2009年のカンボジアからウイグル人の強制送還から、2022年8月のベトナムから中国民主活動家董広平（ドン・グァンピン）の失踪まで、多数のケースを文書化しています。書店主の桂民海（グイ・ミンハイ）は、2015年にタイで消え、パスポートなしで中国に再び現れました。これらの人々は、実質的に長期間消え去り、家族や同僚が情報を得ることができるのは数ヶ月後や数年後になることがあります。
我々は第三国の政府に対し以下の行動を強く求めます:
1. ラオス当局に対し、盧思位の送還を直ちに停止し、関連する国連当局と彼が選んだ弁護士との接触を早急に確保するよう求めること； 2. 中国当局に対して、盧思位に対する潜在的な告発を公に撤回するよう要求すること。
盧思位を中国当局に引き渡すことで、ラオス政府は盧思位を拷問や非人道的な待遇の深刻なリスクにさらすことになるでしょう。国連の人権専門家たちは、中国政府が頻繁に人権活動家や弁護士を拷問や非人道的な待遇にさらしていると指摘しています。国際慣習法と、2012年9月以降、拷問及び他の残虐な、非人道的な又は品位を傷つける取り扱い又は、刑罰に関する国連条約（CAT、拷問等禁止条約）の締約国であるラオス政府は、高い確率で拷問を受ける可能性がある国に人を返送しないという非送還義務を負っています。この義務はCATの第3条で定められています。
我々はラオス政府に対して以下の行動を強く求めます:
1. 盧思位の送還の全ての過程を停止し、国際人権義務に従い彼を直ちに釈放すること； 2. 彼が関連する国連当局や自身が選んだ弁護士と会う手続きを整えること； 3. 彼が必要に応じてアメリカなどの国の外交官と会い、現在アメリカにいる家族と再会する旅を再開する手助けをすること； 4. 上記を待つ間、彼の居場所を公表し、彼の個人的な安全と肉体的・精神的健康を保証すること。
盧思位は、中国で著名な権利擁護者であり弁護士で、脆弱なグループのために擁護し、多くの政治的反体制派を代表してきました。中国当局は独立した権利擁護に対してますます不寛容になる中で、盧思位を脅迫と嫌がらせの対象としてきました。これには、「国家の安全を危険にさらす」オンライン発言による2021年1月の弁護士資格の剥奪が含まれています。盧思位は、剥奪の審理への出席中に身体的に攻撃を受けました。それ以来、盧は中国当局により密接に監視され、2021年5月以降、出国禁止となっています。彼がラオスを経由して家族のもとに向かうアメリカに向かう途中だったと理解されています。
Joint Statement: NGOs and Lawyers Groups Call on Governments & Lao Authorities to Ensure the Immediate Release of Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Lu Siwei
(1 August 2023) Lao authorities have reportedly arrested and detained well-known Chinese human rights lawyer Lu Siwei since 28 July 2023. We are gravely concerned that he is at serious risk of forced repatriation to China where he faces the high likelihood of torture and other ill-treatment.
Southeast Asian governments have frequently been pressured into forcibly returning vulnerable individuals back to China, where they have faced arbitrary detention, unfair trials, torture, enforced disappearances, and other ill-treatment. Our organizations have documented numerous cases, ranging from the 2009 forced return of Uyghurs from Cambodia to the August 2022 disappearance of Chinese democracy activist Dong Guangping from Vietnam into Chinese custody. Gui Minhai, a bookseller, was disappeared in Thailand in 2015 only to resurface in China without his passport. These individuals are effectively disappeared for extended periods, with family members and colleagues unable to obtain information until months or years after.
We urge third party governments to:
1. Ask Lao authorities to immediately halt Lu Siwei’s repatriation and to move quickly to ensure he has access to the relevant UN authorities and a lawyer of his choice; and
2. Publicly call on Chinese authorities to drop any potential charges against Lu Siwei. By handing Lu Siwei over to the Chinese authorities, the Lao government would be putting Lu Siwei at grave risk of torture and inhuman treatment. UN rights experts have found that the Chinese government frequently subjects rights defenders and lawyers to torture and inhuman treatment.[1] Under international customary law and as a state party to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) since September 2012, the Lao PDR government has a non-refoulement obligation as stipulated in Article 3 of the CAT not to return a person to a state where they are at high likelihood of being subjected to torture.
We urge the Lao government to: 1. Halt all processes of repatriation for Lu Siwei and release him immediately according to its international human rights obligations; 2. Arrange for him to meet with the relevant UN authorities and a lawyer of his own choosing; 3. Allow him to meet with diplomats from the United States and other countries, as needed, to help him resume his journey to reunite with his family currently in the United States; and 4. Pending the above, to disclose his whereabouts and ensure his personal safety as well as his physical and mental well-being. Lu Siwei is a renowned rights defender and lawyer in China, advocating for vulnerable groups and representing numerous political dissidents. As the Chinese authorities have become increasingly intolerant of independent rights advocacy, they have targeted Lu with intimidation and harassment, including disbarment in January 2021 for online speech that allegedly “endangered national security”. Lu Siwei was also physically attacked while traveling to the hearing for his disbarment. Since then, Lu has been closely monitored by the Chinese authorities and subject to an exit ban since May 2021. It is understood that Lu was in Laos en route to joining his family in the United States.
Undersigned, in alphabetical order
以下署名者（アルファベット順） 29 Principles ALTSEAN-Burma Amnesty International ARTICLE 19 Asia Democracy Network (ADN) Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales Bytes For All, Pakistan Campaign For Uyghurs Chicago Solidarity with Hong Kong China Change ChinaAid Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) Civic Initiatives CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation Comité pour la Liberté à Hong-Kong Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt (CADTM) CSW Exile Hub, Thailand, Myanmar FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Focus on the Global South Foundation for Media Alternatives Free Expression Myanmar Freedom Seekers International Freiheit für Hongkong e.V. Fresh Eyes, United Kingdom Front Line Defenders Georgetown Center for Asian Law Gill H. Boehringer, Professor, Chair, Australian Branch, IAPL Girl Up Southeast Asia Hong Kong Aid Hong Kong Democracy Council Hong Kong Watch Hongkonger in Deutschland e.V. Human Rights in China Human Rights Online Philippines (HRonlinePH) Human Rights Watch Humanitarian China HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement ILGA Asia Indonesia Save Uyghur Innovation for Change Innovation for Change South Asia Innovation for Change-East Asia International Association of People's Lawyers (IAPL) Monitoring Committee on Attacks on Lawyers International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) International Society for Human Rights International Tibet Network Secretariat Internet Policy Observatory Pakistan Japan Hong Kong Democracy Alliance (JHKDA) Judicial Reform Foundation Lady Liberty Hong Kong (LLHK) Lamp of Liberty Lawyers for Lawyers Manushya Foundation Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) New School for Democracy Association New Yorkers Supporting Hong Kong ( NY4HK ) Open Net (Korea) PakVoices.pk PEN America Public Virtue Research Institute Safeguard Defenders Saskatchewan stands with Hong Kong Social Innovations Advisory Society of Young Social Innovators (SYSI) Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet) Taipei Bar Association Human Rights Committee Taiwan Bar Association Human Rights Protection Committee Taiwan Support China Human Rights Lawyers Network Texans Supporting Hong Kong (TX4HK) The Rights Practice Tibet Initiative Deutschland e.V. Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy Uyghur Human Rights Project Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation Wang Dan, Dialogue China We The Hongkongers Winnipeg Hong Kong Concern World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Young Leadership for Social Change Network Re-water CIC