LIBRARY

29 September 2023

The Phnom Penh Appeal Court today announced its verdict upholding criminal charges against four out of 10 people who were arrested in front of Phnom Penh's Yak Jin garment factory on 2 January 2014, one day before the violence that took place along Veng Sreng Boulevard in January 2014. The strike was notoriously shut down on 3 January 2014 when mixed government forces opened fire on the striking workers.

The 10 workers were convicted by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in 2014 of instigating intentional acts of violence with aggravating circumstances, contrary to Articles 28 and 218 of the Criminal Code. Out of the 10 defendants, only four (Chan Puthisak, a Boeung Kak Lake land activist; Theng Savoeun, President of the Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community (CCFC); Sokun Sambath Piseth, a former staff member at Center for Labor Rights of Cambodia; and Vorn Pao, President of the Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA)) appealed their sentences.

The Appeal Court upheld the Municipal Court’s decision to sentence Theng Savoeun to four years’ imprisonment, as well as its sentences of four years and six months for Chan Puthisak, Sokun Sambath Piseth, and Vorn Pao, all of which were suspended by the lower court. All four had already spent between 3 January and 30 May 2014 in prison. The Appeal Court also dropped the 8 million riel fine (around US $2,000) imposed by the lower court on all four defendants.

15 August 2023

The Koh Kong Provincial Court this afternoon convicted 10 Koh Kong land activists of malicious denunciation and incitement to disturb social security, including three activists who have been detained in prison since June on separate cases. Around 60 community members from 197 Land Community and 955 Land Community gathered outside the court in support of the activists as the verdict was read.

The 10 convicted activists are Chhan Chheurn, Det Huor, Erb Vy, Erp Teung, Heng Chey, Inn Thou, Kert Nov, Kong Men, Puo Houn, and Sok Chey. All 10 were sentenced to one year’s imprisonment and ordered to collectively pay 40 million riel (approximately US$9,600) in compensation to tycoon Heng Huy. Erb Vy’s sentence was fully suspended, while the remaining nine intend to appeal the verdict.

Det Huor, Heng Chey and Sok Chey were already detained in Koh Kong Provincial Prison as a result of separate cases, and were transported to the court in a blacked out police van. They will remain in prison on those separate charges, while no arrest warrants were issued for the six other activists whose sentences were not suspended, indicating they will remain out of prison pending appeal.

4 August 2023

Three Koh Kong land activists were this week found guilty of criminal charges including defamation, incitement, and malicious denunciation for their peaceful activism in defence of their communities’ land rights.

On 2 August 2023, the Koh Kong Provincial Court found two women activists guilty of defamation and incitement to disturb social security. Phav Nheung and Seng Lin were sentenced to one year’s imprisonment each and ordered to pay 40 million riel (approximately US $9,600) in compensation to the plaintiff. Both were the target of a complaint launched by former community representative Chhay Vy, whom the women had accused in 2019 of having seized land. The charges were dropped against a third woman, Khorn Phun.

In a separate case this morning, the Supreme Court upheld the verdict of the Sihanoukville Appeal Court against a third land activist from Koh Kong, Det Huor. Huor was convicted of malicious denunciation and defamation following a complaint made by tycoon Heng Huy about Huor’s Facebook post dated September 2021. Huor was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment and a 2 million riel fine (approximately US $500), which was reduced to 6 months’ imprisonment and a 1 million riel fine both suspended by the Sihanoukville Appeal Court in October 2022. The Supreme Court’s judgment upholds this decision.

10 July 2023

Citizens, political party representatives and civil society groups, including NGOs and activists, congregated today to mark the seventh anniversary of Kem Ley’s murder. They continue their call for a genuine and impartial investigation into his death to establish the truth and secure justice for him and his family.

6 July 2023

We, the undersigned, call for the baseless charges of incitement against 10 land activists from three communities in Koh Kong province to be immediately dropped, and for their unconditional release. These activists did nothing but peacefully raise concerns and speak out in defence of their land and fellow community members, but have been harassed and imprisoned for doing so.

The 10 activists were arrested and charged with incitement under Articles 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code on 29 June 2023. Nine of them are currently in pre-trial detention in Koh Kong provincial prison; one was released on bail with restrictive conditions. The charges followed their attempt to peacefully travel to Phnom Penh to submit a petition to the Ministry of Justice. If convicted, each activist faces up to two years in prison and a fine of up to 4 million riel (about US$1000).

30 June 2023

At least nine land activists from four communities in Koh Kong province were arrested on 29 June 2023 and charged with incitement under Articles 494 to 495 of the Criminal Code for attempting to submit a petition to the Ministry of Justice.

On 29 June 2023, authorities blocked land community members in Sre Ambel district from travelling to Phnom Penh to deliver their petition. Community representatives from four land communities were questioned, after which 11 of the activists remained in custody and were transferred to Koh Kong provincial police station in Khemarak Phoumin town. The land activists were held overnight, in addition to the six-year-old child and 18-month-old baby of two of the activists, both of whom slept at the police station alongside their mothers. The six-year-old child’s father was called to collect the child this morning, when the 11 activists were transferred to the Koh Kong provincial court. Ten were ordered to be held in pre-trial detention in Koh Kong prison. Other community members were prevented from gathering outside the court in support of their representatives.

Around 100 community members had planned to travel to the capital yesterday to submit a petition asking Minister of Justice Koeut Rith to intervene for charges to be dropped against 30 land activists from five communities. Four vans were initially prevented by police from travelling that morning, with only one van able to continue to Phnom Penh.

19 June 2023

The Supreme Court this morning denied bail to opposition leader Thach Setha, upholding the decision of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

Thach Setha is the vice president of the Candlelight Party and was charged with incitement to commit a felony and incitement to discriminate under Articles 494, 495, and 496 of the Criminal Code in April 2023. The charges stemmed from comments made to Cambodian migrant workers abroad, and he was ordered to be held in pretrial detention.

The 70-year-old opposition leader appealed, arguing that judicial supervision conditions would be sufficient and that his health conditions could not be adequately treated in prison. However, the order of pretrial detention was upheld by the Appeal Court in May 2023.

26 May 2023

Members of land communities from Koh Kong, Svay Rieng, Kampong Speu, Preah Vihear and Tbong Khmum provinces continued to gather to demand the release of three Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community (CCFC) staffers who were arrested on 18 May.

Theng Savoeun, the association’s president; Nhel Pheap, senior organizing officer; and Thann Hach, community facilitator officer, were charged by the Ratanakiri Provincial Court with plotting against the nation and incitement under Articles 453 and 494-495 of the Criminal Code, respectively. All three are currently in pre-trial detention in Ratanakiri prison.

Authorities have also threatened representatives from land communities in Svay Rieng, Kampong Speu, Koh Kong and Tbong Khmum provinces with arrest if they continue to gather in Phnom Penh.
This follows a series of gatherings between 19 and 22 May 2023 of land community members from Koh Kong, Preah Sihanouk, Svay Rieng, Kampong Speu, and Kandal provinces.

25 May 2023

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court this morning issued incitement convictions for nine current and former union activists from the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU), including imprisoned union President Chhim Sithar. The convictions under Articles 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code are related to the union’s ongoing peaceful strike.

The court sentenced Sithar to the maximum prison sentence of two years and she was immediately detained following the verdict. Sithar and the other unionists were previously arrested and imprisoned in December and January 2022, before being bailed in March 2022. Sithar was re-arrested and imprisoned on 26 November 2022 for allegedly violating judicial supervision conditions, despite the fact that neither she nor her lawyers were ever informed of any conditions.

Five other LRSU unionists – Chhim Sokhorn, Hay Sopheap, Kleang Soben, Sun Srey Pich, and Touch Sereymeas – were each sentenced to one year and six months in prison, but the five women will remain out of prison and under judicial supervision until all appeal routes are exhausted.

24 May 2023

The arrest of three staffers from the Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community (CCFC) and the unfounded charges of incitement and plotting against the nation marks yet another case of Cambodian authorities imprisoning human rights defenders for their peaceful activism.

We, the undersigned groups, demand an end to the persecution of human rights defenders, and call for the three CCFC staffers to be immediately and unconditionally released, so they can continue their work.

19 May 2023

More than 100 community members and land rights activists gathered in front of the Ministry of Interior today to demand the release of three Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community (CCFC) staffers who were arrested yesterday.

Community members from Koh Kong, Preah Sihanouk, Svay Rieng, Kampong Speu, and Kandal provinces gathered in front of the Ministry of Interior to urge authorities to release Theng Savoeun, CCFC president; Nhel Pheap, a senior officer at the association; and Thann Hach, a project officer. Reasons for their arrests currently remain unclear and the three remain in detention in Ratanakiri province.

Six community representatives were permitted to enter the ministry to submit a petition. The ministry accepted the petition but rejected the community’s request to release the three arrested staffers.

18 May 2023

Three staffers at the Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community (CCFC) have been arrested and are expected to be sent to court, a day after police in Kratie province stopped a bus carrying 37 people and detained several people for questioning overnight.

This morning, police formally arrested Theng Savoeun, CCFC president; Nhel Pheap, a senior officer at the NGO; and Thann Hach, a project officer. Reasons for stopping the bus and the arrests are not clear. The three were among those detained overnight, while the remaining 34 people left the police station in their own bus this morning.

Authorities confiscated computers, mobile phones, and written documents from the group, and the Ministry of Interior’s Anti Cyber Crime Department were seen entering the police station following the staffers’ detention.

1 May 2023

Around 2,000 people celebrated International Labour Day 2023 at two key events in Phnom Penh this morning. Workers, unionists, and civil society gathered at Wat Phnom and outside the National Assembly to call for respect for labour rights and an end to harassment of unionists.

Garment workers, construction workers, informal workers, farmers, entertainment workers, domestic workers, hospitality workers, and others gathered this morning. Unionists and workers marched from Wat Phnom to the Council for the Development of Cambodia, where they gave speeches, sang songs, and shared ideas in a public forum. Another group marched from the National Assembly to Chea Vichea's statue, where they gathered to hear speeches.

26 April 2023

Youth members from Mother Nature Cambodia today led a commemorative walk and ceremony to mark the murder of environmental activist Chut Wutty, who was shot dead in 2012 whilst accompanying two journalists on a patrol of protected forest in Koh Kong province. Military police officer In Rattana, who was also fatally shot on the same day as Wutty, was blamed for the killing after a flawed investigation.

Around 25 youths from Mother Nature, the Cambodian Youth Network, and the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association this morning gathered at Botumvatey Pagoda to walk to the Ministry of Justice. They displayed photographs of Wutty and commemorative slogans, and dressed as Wutty to symbolise the continuation of his mission to safeguard the environment and natural resources.

On arrival, representatives delivered speeches about ongoing damage to Cambodia’s forests and called for the ministry to deliver justice for Wutty. They handed a petition to police for delivery to the ministry. The youths were monitored throughout the event by around a total of 15 Daun Penh para-police and plainclothes authorities.

30 March 2023

More than 1,000 community members from Siem Reap, Koh Kong and Kampong Speu provinces gathered in Phnom Penh between 27 March and 29 March to petition for solutions to ongoing land disputes affecting their homes and livelihoods, in some cases facing restrictions on movement and assembly from local authorities.

Between 27 and 28 March, about 150 people from seven Siem Reap communities gathered in Phnom Penh, where representatives submitted petitions to the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of National Defence on behalf of approximately 10,000 families who live within Angkor Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site that includes the temple of Angkor Wat. Their petitions included a request for the government to return land titles to community members, enact protections for the Kleang Tuek 78 reservoir, and provide fair compensation to those already affected by evictions within the site. The government has previously said the evictions are necessary to maintain the area’s UNESCO World Heritage status.

30 March 2023

The Supreme Court this morning upheld the verdict of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, which convicted 12 members of the former Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) and a former Interior Ministry official on charges of incitement and plotting, and sentenced each to 5 years in prison with 16 months suspended. No reasoning was provided by the Supreme Court in its judgment.

The 13 individuals were convicted on 17 March 2022 by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in a mass trial, alongside eight other former CNRP leaders and members who did not file an appeal. The Phnom Penh Appeal Court upheld the convictions of the 13 defendants in December. The 13 individuals are Chhon Bunchhat, Long Phary, Khut Chroeb, Ngin Khean, Yim Sareth, Khoem Pheana, Thai Sokunthea, Keo Thai, Nhaem Van, Chum Chan, Sok Chantha, Peat Mab, and Sun Thun.

All 13 men were detained throughout their trial in the lower courts, with several of them detained for up to three years while awaiting today’s final verdict. They remain in Tbong Khmum’s Correctional Centre 3 prison serving the unsuspended portions of their sentences, 3 years and 8 months. The sentences will see them imprisoned throughout Cambodia’s July 2023 National Election.

24 March 2023

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court this afternoon convicted Seam Pluk, co-founder of the Cambodia National Heart Party (CNHP), and twelve others on charges of forgery and use of forged documents under Articles 626, 627 and 628 of the Criminal Code. In addition to Pluk, who has been in detention since April 2022, three additional co-defendants were arrested hours before the verdict for unknown reasons.

The court sentenced Pluk to two years and six months in prison and imposed a fine of 5 million riel (USD $1,250), while the other 12 defendants received two-year sentences with the same fine. Warrants for their arrest were issued. The court provided no reasoning in its judgment.

24 March 2023

The Supreme Court rejected the appeal of seven women unionists this morning, all of whom are representatives of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU) and include its President Chhim Sithar. As a result of the Supreme Court’s decision, Sithar will remain in prison throughout an ongoing incitement trial, which commenced at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on 21 February 2023. The other six women – Chhim Sokhorn, Hay Sopheap, Kleang Soben, Ry Sovandy, Sun Srey Pich, and Touch Sereymeas – will remain under judicial supervision. The Supreme Court’s decision was made on the grounds that no written power of attorney was submitted as part of the appeal.

The seven women are currently on trial (alongside two other defendants) for charges of incitement as a result of their peaceful strike action. They had appealed the December 2022 decision of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s Investigating Judge, who had ordered that Chhim Sithar remain in provisional detention. The Investigating Judge had also placed the other six unionists under judicial supervision.

LRSU members have been on strike since December 2021 following mass layoffs at the NagaWorld casino, which included the LRSU’s entire leadership and a significant number of its members. The seven unionists were first arrested on charges of incitement in late December 2021 and early January 2022, and spent two months in pre-trial detention. They were released in March 2022, but Sithar was again arrested and imprisoned on 26 November 2022 at Phnom Penh International Airport while returning from a labour rights conference in Australia. Sithar was re-arrested for allegedly violating judicial supervision conditions, despite the fact that neither she nor her lawyers were ever informed of any conditions. Sithar remains in Correctional Center 2 prison in Phnom Penh.

11 March 2023

Venerable Soy Sat was arrested on 9 March 2023 in Battambang province and detained overnight at the provincial police station. The monk was defrocked and released on the evening of 10 March, and consequently forced back into civilian life.

The arrest occurred during Venerable Soy Sat’s ongoing religious march, which started on 1 March 2023 in the capital and was set to end roughly 350 kilometres away in the border city of Poipet.

Venerable Soy Sat marched to highlight seven demands, including calling for monks who join social actions to not be expelled from pagodas; for courts to not be improperly used against activists; for respect for all citizens’ freedom of expression; for the fair resolution of land conflicts; and for the release of politicians, civil society members, and youths currently detained in prison.

8 March 2023

About 3,000 people gathered across at least 10 provinces and Phnom Penh to celebrate International Women’s Day 2023. Between 5 March and 8 March, land and indigenous community members, labour rights activists, children, youth, local authorities and NGOs joined events to give speeches, march, dance and share solidarity meals.

Participants called for equality and respect for women’s rights, as well as solutions for problems they face, such as land disputes, gender-based violence, limited access to social protection, and harmful microfinance debt.

In some communities, local authorities participated and listened to concerns, but there were also attempts at restricting several gatherings. Local authorities warned community members in Kampot province on 7 March against proceeding with their event planned for the following day, threatening that it would be forcefully dispersed. Police also monitored an event and demanded participant lists in Koh Kong province on 6 March. Both events were able to proceed.