Activists claim that, a political activist from Laos who was believed to have died after receiving point-blank shots to the chest and face, is still alive. Anousa Luangsuphom, 25, was shot in a café in the country’s capital of Vientiane, according to his family, he is currently recovering in a hospital.

According to other rights group, they initially said he had passed away in an effort to keep him from becoming the victim of new attacks. This reflects the level of fear for dissidents in Laos, the group added.

“Friends and family basically told people he was dead because they were worried if the gunman knew that they had not succeeded in killing him, they would return to finish the job,” Phil Robertson, spokesperson for the Human Right Watch, said.

Mr. Luangsuphom is a well-known opponent of the Laotian government. A lot of people have uploaded security camera footage of his attack on social media, and local media has covered it as well. The video shows a man in a long-sleeved brown shirt and a black cap, seen opening the cafe door while wearing a facemask before firing twice at Mr. Luangsuphom, who was seated on the floor. The attacker flee the scene after the shooting, as by-standers rushed to aid Mr. Luangsuphun.

The activist is well-known as the founder of a social media page Kub Kluen Duay Keyboard, where people voiced their criticisms and disapproval of the Communist leadership. Previously, the page’s administrators posted a message from another Laos political commentator, who is based in Europe and has huge internet audience both within and outside of Laos.

The family of the victim had asked social media influencers to inform people that Mr. Luangsuphom was still alive. This decision was made to counter the false news of Mr. Luangsuphom’s demise, being spread by international media outlets, which prompted Laos authorities to track him in a hospital in Vientiane.

The Laotian government has come under criticisms, for been reluctant in responding to the shooting. The authorities had not disclosed they were investigating the incident. “The police have yet to demonstrate that, they are adequately investigating the attack,” said Mr. Robertson, spokesperson for the Human Right Watch.

The family’s “protective” actions showed, “there is clearly no confidence in the Laos government whatsoever that it is there to protect the citizens of the country.” It comes after similar criticism of cases of other activists who went missing or got attacked.

Sombath Somphone Still Missing

The Human Right Watch has previously noted the disappearance of an activist, named Sombath Somphone, whose location remains unknown, after he was taken into police custody 10 years ago. There is less tolerance for criticisms and dissenting views, for communist bound Laos, a country regarded as one of the poorest nations in the world.

Laos is a communist country. The Lao People’s Revolutionary Party controls the landlocked nation between Thailand and China. It is a one-party dictatorship where “authorities use legal restrictions and intimidation tactics against state critics,” according to the US political advocacy group, the Freedom House.