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A small victory for Christians in communist Laos
Pastor is released after a year in jail but convicted of disrupting unity for holding religious services
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Pastor Sithon Thippavong attends a Christian wedding ceremony in Savannakhet province in September 2018. He has been released after spending a year in prison. (Photo: Radio Free Asia)
A Laotian pastor who was kept in police detention for more than a year for conducting religious activities related to his Christian faith is a free man again.
Sithon Thippavong, 35, a Christian leader from the southern province of Savannakhet, was convicted on April 6 by a provincial court on charges of “disrupting unity” and “creating disorder.”
Lao Christian Pastor Detained since 2020 Finally Released
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According to Radio Free Asia, an official of the provincial prosecutor’s office told RFA that Pastor Sithon Thippavong, 35, was released on April 9 after being convicted by the Provincial People’s Court on April 6 on charges of “disrupting unity” and “creating disorder.”
“He was sentenced to one year and two months in jail and fined a total of four million kip [U.S. $426], with two million kip paid for each charge,” the official who asked for anonymity said.
Laotian authorities urged to release Christian pastor
Sithon Thippavong was arrested a year ago after authorities accused him of holding religious services without permission
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Pastor Sithon Thippavong at a Christian wedding ceremony in Savannakhet province in September 2018. (Photo: Radio Free Asia)
A prominent rights advocate has called on Laotian authorities to release a Christian pastor who has been languishing in prison for more than a year simply for holding religious services.
Sithon Thippavong, a 34-year-old Christian pastor, was arrested on March 15 last year in the southwestern province of Savannaket after local authorities accused him of conducting religious services without permission.