LIBRARY

9 June 2011

I gave up school for a job as domestic worker when I was very young. I earned just 100,000 Riels (approximately USD 25) per month, which was already advanced by my mother. In addition to housework, I was also assigned to sell fried crickets at night at various beer gardens and bars. Just three months after I came to work for the family, the male house owner raped me while I was in the house alone. I was subsequently raped on further occasions, and intimidated into not disclosing the information. The owner also gave me contraceptive injections.

- A 13-year-old girl from a remote province fell into bonded labour as a domestic worker for a family.

LICADHO and World Vision Cambodia will mark World Day Against Child Labour on June 10 and June 12 by organizing two community events to raise public awareness and actions on the worst forms of child labour.

2 June 2011

HRTF urges the organisers of the Bayon Challenge to find an alternative venue for the football tournament planned to be held at Phnom Penh's 7NG Field this weekend. The field sits on land that was illegally and violently seized from the Dey Krahorm community in 2009. If an alternative venue cannot be found, we call upon participating teams and sponsors to withdraw from the tournament.

1 June 2011

Phnom Penh - LICADHO and friends will mark International Children's Day on June 1, 2011 by distributing food and materials to children and pregnant women in 14 of Cambodia's prisons.

In cooperation with prison department at Ministry of Interior, LICADHO will also hold special Children's Day events at Correctional Center 2 ("CC2") and Takhmao prisons. The events at CC2 and Takhmao will include games, prizes and guest speakers who will discuss children's issues.

Some 730 juvenile prisoners were incarcerated in Cambodia's 25 prisons as of April 2011, according to government statistics. The General Department of Prisons defines juvenile prisoners as those who were between ages 14 and 17 when they committed their crime; they may continue to be classified as juvenile prisoners if they reach their 18th birthday in prison. Fourteen is the age of criminal responsibility in Cambodia.

8 May 2011

ADHOC, CLEC and LICADHO strongly condemn the government's brutal dispersal of union garment workers in Phnom Penh on Sunday morning during an ongoing strike over a labor dispute that begun with the recent burning of the workers' factory. The protest left at least eight workers injured, some seriously.

Approximately 2,000 workers from Mithona garment factory gathered on Sunday morning at the burnt factory on Ponchentong Road near the capital's airport. The group intended to temporarily block the road to draw the attention of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who was scheduled to return from abroad via the airport, to their situation. The action was organized by a local wing of the Free Trade Union Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC).

21 April 2011

The Housing Rights Task Force (HRTF) strongly condemns the violence used earlier today against peaceful Boeung Kak lake protesters and the arrest of 11 villagers - including young children - in front of the Phnom Penh municipal cabinet.

At around 8:30AM, about 100 villagers from the Boeung Kak lake gathered in front of the Phnom Penh municipal cabinet to attempt once again to meet authorities to discuss two issues: i) to stop the lake filling causing flooding in the area, and ii) to stop evictions until authorities enter into negotiations with the villagers and reach an agreement with the affected residents.

31 March 2011

Phnom Penh - The second draft of the proposed Association & NGO law (NGO Law) is not significantly different from the first draft, and remains the most serious threat to civil society in Cambodia today, according to a new briefing paper from LICADHO.

The first draft of the law, released on Dec. 15, 2010, was widely condemned by civil society and international observers as an assault on Cambodians' right to freedom of association, assembly and expression. The second draft, released by the Ministry of Interior on March 24, does nothing to assuage these fears.

Registration is still mandatory for all NGOs and Associations (Article 6). Nonregistered groups are banned from operating. Key provisions are vague and open to arbitrary interpretation. And in many circumstances, the government has carte blanche to shut organizations down without appeal (Article 18 was removed from second draft).

8 March 2011

The number of women and girls in Cambodian prisons has soared 41 percent since 2007, outpacing the already extraordinary overall growth rate of 29 percent during the same period.

At the end of 2010, a total of 914 women were incarcerated in Cambodia. An average of 12 of these women was pregnant; while an average of 47 young children were living alongside their incarcerated mothers.

LICADHO and its partner NGOs are marking International Women's Day this year by drawing attention to the plight of imprisoned women and children. LICADHO and its partners will deliver food and supplies to female prisoners at 18 prisons and hold special events at Correctional Center 2 ("CC2") and Takhmao prisons. The events at CC2 and Takhmao will include traditional dancing and games, as well as guest speakers who will spread out International Women's Day impression.

2 March 2011

We, the undersigned civil society organizations, commend the Supreme Court's decision today to release Thach Saveth, who was wrongly convicted of murdering union leader Ros Sovannareth in 2004.

The Supreme Court overturned Thach Saveth's conviction and ordered him released on bail pending a reinvestigation of the case. Thach Saveth was originally convicted in February 2005 and sentenced to 15 years in prison. His conviction was then upheld by the appeal court in February 2009.

16 February 2011

The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) condemns the ongoing censorship of the Internet in Cambodia, which has targeted news and opinion sites critical of the government.

"Until now, Cambodia's Internet environment had been noticeably freer than in neighboring countries," said LICADHO President Pung Chhiv Kek. "More importantly, the Internet was the only audio or visual media not fully controlled by the government. The censoring of controversial Web sites marks a significant milestone in the march toward a more oppressive media environment."

The ongoing disruption of certain Web sites began for some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) on January 19, 2011, with the blockage of the controversial Web site KI-Media (and initiall all blogs hosted by the domain Blogspot). The problem affected ISPs Ezecom, Metfone, WiCAM and possibly others.

27 January 2011

We, the undersigned members of civil society, deeply regret the conviction on defamation charges of community representative Reach Seima and ADHOC staff member Sam Chankea, following their work to help the victims of a land-grab in Kampong Chhnang province. The verdict is a setback for freedom of expression, and represents yet another instance where the Cambodian judiciary has been misused to punish a human rights defender who dared to
publicly demand justice for victims of human rights abuses.

Sam Chankea, ADHOC's Kampong Chhnang provincial coordinator, was convicted and sentenced by the court on January 25, 2011. The court ordered him to pay a 1 million riel fine and an additional 3 million riel in compensation to the plaintiff, the K.D.C. International Company. Last week, the same provincial court also sentenced community representative Reach Seima, who was a victim of land grabbing by the same company. He was also convicted of defamation and sentenced to pay a 2 million riel of fine and an additional 8 million riel of compensation. He faces 6 months in prison if he cannot pay.

20 December 2010

The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) condemns the groundless conviction of United Nations' World Food Program national staff Seng Kunnaka by the Phnom Penh court on Sunday morning, December 20, 2010.

Seng Kunnaka was arrested on Friday before noon by the Russei Keo district police. The arrest occured after Kunnaka printed and shared material found on the website ki-media, an online blog dedicated to aggregating news articles and opinions on Cambodia including material critical of its government.

20 December 2010

Cambodia took a step backwards on freedom of expression issues in 2010, and is poised to continue the trend in 2011, according to a new report from LICADHO.

The report, "Freedom of Expression in Cambodia: The Illusion of Democracy" documents nearly 50 cases in which the government violated individuals' expressive freedoms during 2010. The incidents, taken together, illustrate a disturbing trend: Authorities are growing increasingly bold in their campaign to silence those who speak out against the political and economic elite. As a result, Cambodians are being excluded from participating in their own democracy.

10 December 2010

More than 20,000 Cambodians from communities and other civil society groups around the country, including trade unionists, students, farmers, fishermen, musicians, youths, entertainment workers, tuk tuk drivers, motorcycle drivers and NGO workers, will celebrate International Human Rights Day (IHRD) in their communities this year.

These celebrations are tied together with the common theme "We All Need Justice and Sustainable Livelihood!" and a common symbol ‐ the blue Kramar to represent the important role of human rights defenders in Cambodia.

Initiatives from civil society groups will mark the achievements made in human rights in Cambodia, but also focus on critical issues still facing the country's citizens - including exploitation of land and natural resources; restrictions to the freedoms of expression, association and assembly; and violations of labor rights.

9 December 2010

In summer 2010, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay provoked strong condemnation from the Cambodian government when she criticized the judiciary's and ling of cases involving opposition politicians Mu Sochua and Sam Rainsy.

As of Dec. 10, 2010, the same criticism could make her a criminal in Cambodia.

Under Article 523 of the Penal Code, which comes into effect tomorrow, any person who criticizes a "judicial act or decision" aiming to "endanger Cambodian institutions" can be sentenced to up to six months imprisonment and 1 million riel fine.

The provision is one among several problematic provisions highlighted by LICADHO in a brief analysis of new penal code sections which may potentially affect freedom of expression in Cambodia. The nalysis is being released to mark the official enactment of the code, which coincidentally falls on International Human Rights Day.

28 October 2010

The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) condemns the authorities’ brutal response to peaceful protesters who demonstrated during the visit of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The incident took place during a protest in front of the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital this morning, October 28, 2010, where a group of fifty protesters gathered to seek intervention by the UN Secretary-General into the ongoing Boeung Kak land grab in Phnom Penh by Shukaku Company, owned by a ruling party senator.

Around 10:15AM, as the UN Secretary-General was visiting the Hospital with government officials, a mixed group of armed anti-riot police and administrative police officers launched a violent assault on standing protesters, pushing people to the ground, beating some with walkie-talkies and shocking others with electric batons.

21 September 2010

We, the undersigned organizations, are deeply disappointed with the government’s actions to intimidate and threaten workers and union members who have joined the four-day-garment strike from September 13-16, 2010.

The government’s response to this entirely legal - and long-declared - strike has included attacks on protesters, legal threats against organizers, and the court-sponsored retaliation against union members. This must stop immediately if the two sides are to reach an agreement during upcoming talks on September 27.

Thousands of workers from the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Unions (C-CAWDU), the National Independent Federation of Textile Unions of Cambodia (NIFTUC) and 13 other unions took part in a peaceful strike to demand an increase in the current wage to meet minimum living standards.

2 September 2010

The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) condemns the conviction on disinformation charges of LICADHO employee Mr. Leang Sokchouen. This politically-motivated decision has no basis in fact or law, and underscores the dire state of Cambodia’s judiciary. The disproportionate two-year prison sentence also sends a disturbing message to members of Cambodian civil society.

Sokchouen was accused of distributing anti-government fliers in Takeo Province on January 4, 2010. Sokchouen was a longtime acquaintance of co-defendant Tach Khong Phoung, but consistently testified that he had no knowledge on the flier incident. The so-called evidence provided by the police against Sokchouen consisted of a simple list of phone numbers claiming Sokchouen and Tach Khong Phoung had called each other.

2 September 2010

In June 2009, Khmer Machas Srok newspaper editor-in-chief Hang Chakra was accused of creating political instability and charged with disinformation after publishing articles about alleged corruption in the government. At a preliminary hearing, the court pressured Chakra to reveal his sources inside the government. He refused, explaining that the Press Law of 1995 guaranteed the protection of his sources.

"You are the court," he told the judge, "and you have to uphold the law."

On June 26, Chakra was tried in absentia, convicted and sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of nine million riel (USD $2,250).

The case of Hang Chakra was perhaps the most publicized threat to Cambodia's human rights defenders (HDRs) in 2008 and 2009. But it was by no means the only one. Chakra's case was one among 66 serious abuses against HRDs investigated and documented by The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO). These cases are featured in LICADHO's latest report, "Attacks & Threats Against Human Rights Defenders in Cambodia January 1, 2008- December 31, 2009," which will be released on September 1, 2010.

8 August 2010

The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) strongly condemns the violent dispersal and forced removal of about fourty-five villagers from Phnom Penh by the municipal and district police, and security guards. The villagers had peacefully assembled at a distance of a hundred meters from Prime Minister Hun Sen’s villa in central Phnom Penh earlier this morning.

The group of villagers, composed of men, women, and children, including babies, had reached the capital either one or two days earlier. The trip was organized to raise awareness about a longstanding land dispute between the villagers and local authorities, including members of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. This dispute involves over 400 families in the Doun Ba commune, Koas Krolar district, in Battambang.

25 July 2010

We, the undersigned organizations, would like to salute the courage and determination of union members from the Cambodian Labour Confederation (CLC) and Cambodian National Confederation (CNC) who took part in a peaceful rally in front of the National Assembly on the morning of July 25, 2010, despite initial restrictions by Phnom Penh authorities. Between 3,500 and 4,500 union members gathered to demand a minimum wage increase that would meet minimum standards of living.

We also welcome the late change of mind by the Phnom Penh police this morning to tolerate this peaceful assembly of workers.