Statements
Statement | Police Beat Boeung Kak Protesters, Leaving Five Injured
13 March 2013
Authorities’ escalated their ongoing crackdown on the Boeung Kak Lake community today, as police launched a brutal attack on demonstrators who had gathered in a public park outside the Prime Minister’s house.
Three people were detained and five were seriously injured, including Lous Sokorn, the husband of imprisoned Boeung Kak rights activist Yorm Bopha. The demonstrators were calling for the release of Bopha, who has been designated a Prisoner of Conscience by Amnesty International.
Statement | LICADHO highlights alarming increase in female prisoner population to mark International Women’s Day
7 March 2013
The number of women and girls in Cambodian prisons continues to soar at an alarm-ing rate.
By mid-December 2012 there were 1,270 female inmates in the Cambodian prison system, an increase of 39% since December 2010. Women and girls represent 8% of prisoners in Cambodia but their incarceration rate has been growing four times faster than the male prison population.
Statement | Human Rights in Cambodia Suffered ‘Devastating Blows’ in 2012
18 February 2013
The human rights situation in Cambodia began 2012 teetering on the edge of a precipice, and by the end of the year had fallen off the cliff, according to a new report from LICADHO.
The past year was the most violent year ever documented in terms of the authorities using lethal force against activists, according to the report, “Human Rights 2012: The Year in Review.” The year also saw four deaths related to conflicts over natural resources, a growing atmosphere of fear and intimidation and the mass arrests of activists.
Statement | Walmart and H&M Supplier Fails to Attend Conciliation with Kingsland Employees
18 January 2013
We, the undersigned members of civil society, international labor support organizations and trade unions express our extreme discontent that Kingsland factory owners have failed to attend conciliation regarding outstanding payments of almost S$200,000 owed to Kingsland employees.
We further express our extreme dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Labor’s decision made on January 16, 2013, not to send the case to the Arbitration Council.
Statement | Legal Persecution of Land Rights Activists Must End and Yorm Bopha Should be Released Immediately and Unconditionally
27 December 2012
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court convicted Yorm Bopha on a trumped up charge and sentenced her to three years’ imprisonment. The charges against her and three other defendants were purportedly in connection with the beating of a suspected thief, but the real case against her is crystal clear – she, and the rest of the Boeung Kak community land activists are thorns in the side of the authorities, and they need to be silenced.
Statement | Scapegoats Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun Unjustly Back in Jail
27 December 2012
We, the undersigned organizations, condemn in the strongest terms the unexpected decision by Appeals Court Judges Chhoun Sunleng, Seng Sivutha and Khoun Leang Meng to uphold the Phnom Penh court’s grossly unfair verdict against Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun. The two were arrested by Ministry of Interior police officers in the hearing room and sent back to jail earlier this morning.
The pair, widely believed to have been framed as scapegoats for the 2004 killing of unionist Chea Vichea, had been freed in December 2008 by a courageous Supreme Court, in a decision which ordered further investigation into the killing amid extensive evidence of their innocence.
Statement | New Circular Aims to Shut Down Internet Cafes in Cambodia
13 December 2012
The government has issued a new circular ordering the closure of all Internet cafes within a 500 meter radius of schools and educational institutions – an order that, if implemented, would amount to a near-complete ban on such businesses in central Phnom Penh.
The circular, issued by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on November 12, 2012, also provides for further restrictions not limited by this school buffer zone. All Internet cafes are also required to forbid playing “all kinds of games,” essentially equating such activity with viewing pornography or committing crimes
Statement | LICADHO Marks International Human Rights Day with Report, Visits to Imprisoned HRDs
9 December 2012
The climate for human rights defenders (HRDs) in Cambodia has soured dramatically since 2009, creating the country’s worst human rights environment in more than a decade, according to a new report from LICADHO.
The report, “Attacks & Threats Against Human Rights Defenders in Cambodia 2010-2012,” is being released on Dec. 10, 2012, the same day that LICADHO will visit 18 prisons across the country to celebrate International Human Rights Day.
Statement | Thousands Set to Mark International Human Rights Day in Cambodia
8 December 2012
Nearly 62,000 Cambodians will gather on Dec. 8, 9 & 10 to mark International Human Rights Day (IHRD) – including hundreds who will convene another day in front of the National Assembly in Phnom Penh to present petitions to the country’s lawmakers.
Statement | Free Detained Community Members from Thmor Kol Village and Stop Police Crackdown ahead of ASEAN Summits
15 November 2012
We, the undersigned civil society organizations, condemn the arrest today of eight residents from an airport-area community after they painted the letters “SOS” on their rooftops in an apparent plea to United States President Barack Obama, who arrives in Phnom Penh next week for the 21st ASEAN Summit and 7th East Asia Summit.
Statement | Stop disrupting civil society events and restricting freedom of expression and assembly ahead of ASEAN Summit
15 November 2012
We, the undersigned civil society organizations, strongly urge the Cambodian authorities to immediately end the ongoing intimidation, threats and harassment of organizers, venue owners and participants involved in civil society events in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh ahead of the 21st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and the 7th East Asia Summit. We strongly urge the Cambodian authorities to respect the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly in accordance with their constitutional and international obligations, in particularly in view of rising concern that it will heighten its crackdown on these fundamental freedoms ahead of the two summits.
Statement | Conclusion of Two Cases Related to Chut Wutty Slaying Leave More Questions Than Answers
22 October 2012
Timber Green employee Ran Boroath was sentenced to two years in prison today for allegedly killing the military police officer that the government claims killed environmental activist Chut Wutty.
Three-quarters of the sentence was suspended, however, and Ran Boroath is due to be released from prison within the next two weeks.
Statement | Venerable Loun Sovath Wins Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders
2 October 2012
Venerable Loun Sovath was awarded the 2012 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders on Oct. 2, becoming the first Cambodian ever to win the prestigious honor.
The award, known colloquially as the “Nobel Prize for human rights”, was created in 1993 to honor and protect individuals who demonstrate exceptional courage in defending and promoting human rights. Sovath is the first Buddhist monk and first Southeast Asian to win the award. He was on hand to receive the award during a special ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland.
Statement | Phnom Penh Court Sentences Independent Radio Station Owner to 20 Years
1 October 2012
We, the undersigned civil society organizations, condemn the Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s shocking conviction of independent radio station owner Mam Sonando today, and the draconian 20-year sentence that he received. At age 70, Sonando is likely to die in prison if he serves his full term.
Sonando, the owner of Beehive radio, was arrested on July 12 on charges that he masterminded a so-called “secessionist movement” in Kratie. Several co-defendants were charged with organizing the movement on the ground. They were all convicted as well, though two of the previously identified “ringleaders” had their sentences suspended, echoing the Prime Minister’s public statement that those who confess would be spared punishment.
Statement | Two Days, Two Unjustified Pre-Trial Detention Order
6 September 2012
In the past three days, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court has ordered the unjustified pre-trial detention of two female land rights advocates in unrelated cases. These two incidents are the latest in a long string of incidents in which the courts have been wielded as a weapon to silence victimized communities.
The two arrested activists have long been struggling to advocate on behalf of powerless residents involved in land disputes with some of Cambodia’s most well-connected and powerful business tycoons.
Statement | Charges Against ADHOC Staffer Mark Decade’s Most Serious Threat to Human Rights Work in Cambodia
15 August 2012
We, the undersigned civil society groups, deeply regret the Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s decision to pursue politically-motivated charges against outspoken human rights worker Chan Soveth for legitimate actions related to his work.
Statement | Agricultural Land Law Threatens to Destroy Private Property Rights and Eliminate All Limitations on Economic Land Concessions
23 July 2012
The Cambodian government has quietly released a draft agricultural land law could be used as legal cover for land-grabbing and natural resource exploitation.
As increasing violence and human rights abuses related to land conflicts throughout the country continue to race towards a crisis point, the introduction of this draft law could not come at a worse time. The law - officially titled the Law on the Management and Use of Agricultural Land - would have grave implications for private landholders, taking away their ability to make fundamental land use decisions on their own property under threat of criminal prosecution.
Statement | Release Mam Sonando, Owner of Cambodia's Oldest Independent Radio Station
16 July 2012
The undersigned organizations are deeply disturbed by independent radio station director Mam Sonando's arrest on Sunday, July 15, 2012, and call for his immediate release. Mr. Sonando, who holds both Cambodian and French citizenship, is the owner of Beehive Radio, which is among the few independent radio stations in Cambodia. Sonando is also the founder and president of the Democrat Association.
Statement | Beating of Unionist a Black Eye for Cambodia in Midst of Major ASEAN Summit
11 July 2012
We, the undersigned organizations, condemn the authorities' vicious and unprovoked beating of a union activist today in Phnom Penh, which came after trade union workers peacefully presented a petition to the Prime Minister.
Statement | Inmate Growth Eases, but Surge in Drug Arrests Leaves Prisons Packed
8 July 2012
The number of inmates incarcerated for drug offenses increased by 163% in 2011, but the Cambodian prison population grew only modestly overall, according to
a new LICADHO report.
The General Department of Prisons (GDP) reported that there were 2,747 inmates held on drug-related charges in November 2011, up from 1,046 in November 2010. The surge came during a yearlong drug crackdown that resulted in nearly 1,000 arrests.
