Laos: Pastor murdered on his way to Christian event

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A Christian pastor in Laos was tortured before being murdered last month in an attack police was likely on account of his faith, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.

Pastor Seetoud, who led the Lao Evangelical Church in Nakai District, Khammouane Province, was found dead on October 23 after failing to arrive at a Christian event on Oct. 20 in Thakhek, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from his home, MSN reports. In recent months, Pastor Seetoud had been harassed by relatives and neighbors who threatened him with harm if he continued to share his faith in Christ; his frequent trips to attend meetings in Thakhek were tracked, and he was followed.

According to MSN, Pastor Seetoud was found by the side of the road near his abandoned motorcycle. His body was “severely disfigured and showed signs of torture.” The pastor leaves behind his wife and eight children.

“No words can describe the pain that Seetoud’s family and the local churches are experiencing,” a Laotian evangelical leader told MSN. “The great injustice about the whole situation is that those in authority were either directly or indirectly involved in Seetoud’s murder.”

Thakhek provincial and district police have launched an investigation into Pastor Seetoud’s death, MSN said.

Ruled by a communist authoritarian government, Laos ranks 26th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2022 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.

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