LIBRARY

25 July 2006

Following the unprecedented 12-year prison sentences given last week to six Phnom Penh police officers for their roles in the torture and death of a woman in police custody, LICADHO urges greater action to investigate and prosecute other similar cases of torture.

"For the first time in years, if not decades, police officers have been convicted and sentenced to long prison terms for their involvement in torture," said Kek Galabru, LICADHO's president. "But one prosecution alone does not indicate a meaningful change in the official attitude toward the use of torture - the authorities must also prosecute other similar cases if they are serious about eliminating torture in Cambodia."

11 July 2006

The Alliance for Freedom of Expression in Cambodia (AFEC) is very worried about the fact that persons from within or close to the Cambodian government are using Article 62 of the UNTAC law on "disinformation" against journalists who criticized them. The recent complaint against two Cambodian journalists have been filed only a few weeks after that the National Assembly has taken the prison terms out of Article 63 of the UNTAC law on criminal defamation recently. The AFEC is afraid that there was no change of attitude behind this minor legal reform.

4 July 2006

The Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) and the Cambodian League for the Promotion & Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) condemn the forced evictions by police authorities of 168 families living near Preah Monivong Hospital in Phnom Penh.

According to residents, three people suffered injuries caused by violence committed by the police while evicting some of the families on the morning of July 2, 2006. One person was reportedly removed from the scene by police and instructed to thumbprint an agreement to leave his house, and the police threatened other residents and demolished their houses regardless of whether they consented to leave or not.

29 June 2006

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 21 NGO members, is concerned about the eviction of 168 families who have been living in Preah Monivong Hospital.

CHRAC observed that the Ministry of Interior sent its forces of more than 200 personnel equipped with arms, tear-gas guns, electric shock batons and shields to surround and force people to move from their houses to a new location situated in Ang Snuol district, Kandal province, more than 30 km away from Phnom Penh. The armed forces prevented people from entering or leaving the area to communicate with each other, and disconnected water and electricity. In particular, they prohibited human rights monitors and journalists from monitoring the eviction process.

19 June 2006

Today, a historic moment will take place as the newly created United Nations Human Rights Council convenes its first-ever session in Geneva, Switzerland, from 19- 30 June. On this occasion, the Cambodian Human Rights and Development (ADHOC), the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) submitted the written statement to the Council to appeal for urgent actions on deteriorating human rights situation in Cambodia.

7 June 2006

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), the Housing Rights Task Force (HRTF) and the Resettlement Action Network (RAN) are deeply troubled by the actions of the Phnom Penh municipality for using excessive force to evict and dismantle houses of the residents of Sambok Chab village, and in their arrest of nine persons including residents, journalists and NGO staff.

On 6 June 2006, approximately one thousand police and military police forces gathered in Sambok Chab village heavily armed with rifles, electric batons, tear gas and riot gear. They threatened human rights monitors and local and international journalists, and then confiscated their cameras and prevented them from recording police actions. The Phnom Penh Municipality chose to use violent means against the poor people rather than using a non-violent, transparent approach.

31 May 2006

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC) and Housing Rights Task Forces (HRTF) are gravely concerned with the ongoing human rights abuses leveled against the residents in Sambok Chab village (Village 14), Khan Chamcarmon, Phnom Penh.

Violence erupted this morning when village guards began destroying a home at the site. The demolition of homes led to the injury of two community members-a young girl and a pregnant woman. The young child required hospitalization due to the injury. These incidents, coupled with the deteriorating conditions in Sambok Chab, led to a violent reaction by the community. Villagers armed with sticks and rocks destroyed village offices and a fence surrounding the site in an expression of their anger and frustration with the eviction process.

29 May 2006

On June 1, 2006, LICADHO will commemorate this day through activities promoting children's rights and distributing essential material and food to children and pregnant women in prison.

The activities will highlight the situation of child trafficking, child sexual exploitation and child labour. In 2005, 304 cases of child rights abuse and exploitation were reported to LICADHO alone, a substantial increase of 20.2% from the previous year. Of these cases, rape represented the highest incident of abuse, at almost 70% of total reported cases.

25 May 2006

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 21 local NGOS, is pleased with the reported resolution of the long-standing land dispute in Kbal Spean Village, Poi Pet Commune, Banteay Meanchey province. But CHRAC remains concerned by the lack of justice provided over the killings of five people during the 2005 eviction of Kbal Spean community.

Provincial authorities, reportedly acting on the instructions of the Prime Minister, last week negotiated a settlement between 218 families living on the land and their village chief, who had laid claim to all their land. The settlement permits the families, who had previously each had 10-meter-by-20 meter plots of land, to retain 8-meter-by-20 meter plots of land. The remaining land goes to the village chief.

12 May 2006

On 5 May 2006 more than 50 representatives of Cambodian and international Human Rights NGOs gathered to launch a report prepared by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) with the active participation of the Cambodian Association for Human Rights and Development (ADHOC) on the implementation of the Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), ratified by Cambodia on 11 April 2002.

NGOs endorsed the recommendations contained in the Report on "ICC - Adaptation of Cambodian Law to the Rome Statute".

The ICC is the first permanent international criminal court with jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by nationals or on the territory of State Parties after 1 July 2002. Cambodia is one of the only Asian States to be a party to this historic institution.

4 May 2006

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 21 NGOs, is concerned with the measures taken by the Khan Daun Penh authority and the Phnom Penh municipality to relocate people who live in village 14 (Sambok Chab village) Khan Chamcarmon, Phnom Penh to a new location situated in Trapeang Anh Chanh village, Sangkat Trapeang Kra Sang, Khan Dangkor, Phnom Penh.

CHRAC has carried out a thorough investigation of this case and has found that it is unclear how the new land will be distributed in fairness, since the statistics put together by the people in six communities and the statistic of local authority are different. This has led people to feel unsure of whether they will be relocated or not. Furthermore, the authority has not yet built basic and adequate infrastructures and services such as health center, school, market, sewers, and electricity system at the new location.

2 May 2006

The members of the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 21 NGOs, welcome the news that the Supreme Council of the Magistracy will this week select the judges and prosecutors for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia (ECCC).

This is a very important decision and will have important implications for the future of Cambodia and Cambodians. The efficient conduct of the trials in accordance with the principles of international law will further enhance Cambodia's international reputation. Trials, open to the public, will also help Cambodians to move on from the long period of civil conflict which included the Khmer Rouge period. By participating in the Tribunal judges, prosecutors and lawyers will gain valuable experience and skills, which will help them to participate in the implementation of the Government's legal and judicial reform program.

1 March 2006

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 18 NGO members, welcomes this week's first meeting for 2006 of the Government-Donor Coordination Committee as a key opportunity to reflect upon the progress made in 2005 to achieve the benchmarks set by the Royal Government of Cambodia and Consultative Group and also to set out the indicators to measure progress for 2006.

CHRAC notes that the Royal Government of Cambodia has made some efforts in 2005 to progress its Strategy for Legal and Judicial Reform with the further development and launch mid-year of its Action Plan. However, we observe that the eight fundamental laws, identified in the CG benchmarks for December 2004 as essential to strengthening the rule of law, have not been passed.

17 February 2006

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 18 local NGOs, welcomes and supports the announcement to review decriminalization defamation in the draft Penal Code by the head of the Royal Government in Kandal province on 14 February 2006 further to public appeals made by civil society including CHRAC members.

CHRAC acknowledges that the proposed plan to change defamation from a criminal offense to a civil offense shows the Government's willingness to urge and motivate citizens and civil society organizations to fully express their views in a democratic way as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia. However, this announcement is only the first step.

6 February 2006

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 18 NGO members, welcomes the Royal pardons granted to Sam Rainsy, president of Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), and the SRP parliamentarian Cheam Channy by His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni on 5th February 2006.

CHRAC welcomes the peaceful settlement of the dispute between important Cambodian political figures is a positive act showing their mutual respect and putting the interests of the nation and the people first.

1 February 2006

The Alliance for Freedom of Expression in Cambodia (AFEC), a coalition of 27 member organizations, would like to express its deepest gratitude to all individuals, local and international NGOs, embassies, governments and international institutions who joined the recent struggle for Freedom of Expression in Cambodia. This timely and vehement support has constituted an effective influence on the Royal Government of Cambodia that led to the release on bail of five arrested individuals: journalist and radio manager Mam Sonando, unionist Rong Chhun and the NGO leaders Kem Sokha, Yeng Virak and Pa Nguon Teang.

AFEC regrets that the right to Freedom of Expression of civil rights activists has been violated. Therefore, AFEC welcomes that the Government withdraws its complaints against the above-mentioned persons, and urges that similar complaints against other individuals in Cambodia and abroad, namely Ear Channa, Men Nath, Chea Mony, Prince Sisowath Thomico, and Say Bory are also withdrawn. AFEC further hopes that all criminal defamation charges will be dropped speedily by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

26 January 2006

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), a membership-based regional organization holding a consultative status with the UN ECOSOC, and in accord with its Cambodian member organizations ADHOC and LICADHO, welcomes the resolution of IPU on Mr. Cheam Channy, Member of National Assembly of Cambodia, adopted on October 19, 2005. However, we would like to express our deep concerns and draw your attention to continuing human rights violations of Members of Parliament of Cambodia and to comment on the IPU Resolution.

17 January 2006

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 18 NGO members, welcomes the release on bail of Mam Sonando, Rong Chhun, Kem Sokha and Pa Nguon Teang, which follows the similar release last week of Yeng Virak. We are pleased that all of them have been temporarily freed from prison and are able to be reunited with their families.

We hope that this positive and encouraging news will be followed by the withdrawal of the criminal complaints against these five men and other individuals by the government, and the dropping of all charges against them by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. Such an action would be a further significant step toward ensuring the protection of freedom of expression, other human rights and future economic development in Cambodia.

12 January 2006

We, the under-signed members of Cambodian NGOs and civil society, deeply regret the arrest and detention of Cambodian Center for Human Rights president Kem Sokha, Community Legal Education Center director Yeng Virak, and Cambodian Center for Human Rights deputy president Pa Nguon Teang, on charges of defamation.

The arrests relate to the celebrations held in Phnom Penh to mark International Human Rights Day on December 10, 2005, which were attended by more than 10,000 people. This rare and important event was authorized by the government and organized by NGOs and other civil society organizations. The authorization and support for this mass gathering of people seemed to be a positive step to promote human rights in Cambodia. Therefore, we are deeply disappointed by the subsequent arrests of Kem Sokha, Yeng Virak, and Pa Nguon Teang, which have created fear within civil society and the public, restricted freedom of expression, and set back human rights in Cambodia.

23 December 2005

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 18 NGOs, is deeply concerned on resulting effects to democratic process and freedom of expression in Cambodia after seeing a series of government critics successively charged with criminal defamation under Article 63 of the 1992 UNTAC Criminal law.

CHRAC notes that, despite the government's "iron fist" policy in respect of alleged corrupted judicial system, it still remains weak and lacks the independence necessary for genuine rule of law to apply in Cambodia. CHRAC also notes that national and international organizations have expressed serious concern on the use of criminal defamation to silence critics and weaken freedom of expression guaranteed in the Constitution of Cambodia.