LIBRARY

1 February 2010

* Human Rights Watch Releases Report on Mistreatment in Cambodian Drug Detention Centers * Opposition Leader Convicted of Racial Incitement * UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Visits Cambodia

6 March 2009

This report aims to profile female prisoners and their experiences in the prison system and to provide an insight into the crimes they committed and the conditions they live in. Each case study is based on true accounts from prisoners, where names and details have been changed to protect the identity of the prisoners. This report also provides supplementary statistical information for relevant issues collected over the period 2007 and 2008.

17 March 2008

There are over 640 women currently detained in prisons all over Cambodia and on a day that is meant to celebrate women everywhere and promote the rights of women, LICADHO, partner NGOs, comedians and musicians spent the day remembering these vulnerable members of society.

On Saturday March 8 LICADHO and partner NGOs celebrated International Women's Day by distributing food, drinks, clothes and materials to female prisoners, children living in prison and female prison guards across 20 prisons in Cambodia. These donations are greatly needed in a prison system which must subsist on a budget of 1,500 riel (USD$0.38) per prisoner per day to cover the costs of food, water, electricity, clothing and medical care.

14 March 2008

Commissioned artwork used in LICADHO's latest Cambodian prisons condition illustrates the everyday life of incarcerated mother with their child.

8 March 2008

As of February 2008, there are 562 women living in 18 out of Cambodia's 26 prisons. Of these women, 4 were pregnant and 43 women brought their children to live with them in prison or had given birth to children while in prison, for a total of 50 children living with their mothers in prison.

Life in Cambodian prisons is a harsh reality for any individual. Limited access to food and clean water, overcrowding of prison cells, routine denial of quality medical services and violence towards prisoners from prison officials and other inmates is a part of everyday life. Life in prison becomes even more difficult when you are pregnant, or if you bring your children to live with you in prison.

21 September 2007

From September 15 to 17, 2007, an art-exhibition entitled "Experience and Dreams, Drawings by Children in Prison", was hosted at the Cambodian National Cultural Centre in Phnom Penh. The exhibition put on display a collection of expressive drawings by children detained in prison that illustrated prison conditions, their personal impressions of the justice system and their thoughts and future dreams.

31 July 2007

During the wet season in Cambodia, many people suffer from the notorious dengue virus, a virus which is carried by mosquitoes that thrive in the waters that collect during the wet season. For many people, escaping the virus means vigilantly covering up and closing windows or doors; however for women and children living literally behind prison bars, this is very difficult to do. Thanks to an extremely generous donation from the Women's International Group (WIG), LICADHO was able to distribute blankets and mosquito nets to 664 minor prisoners, pregnant women and children living in 14 Cambodian prisons.

10 June 2007

All around the world one day of the year marks the celebration of the next generation - children. For many children around the world their childhood is a time of innocence and play, carefree of the world's troubles. Yet in Cambodia for many children, their childhood has been taken over by poverty and life's struggles and for the unlucky few of about 600 their childhood is spent behind bars.

To remember these children and to bring the festivities to them LICADHO celebrated 1 June, International Children's Rights Day at eight locations throughout Cambodia and in nine prisons that currently house minor prisoners, children living with their mothers in prison and pregnant women.

30 January 2007

This report aims to provide an intimate look at the real living conditions faced by Cambodian prisoners. By drawing from first hand accounts of prisoners and from the observations and reports of LICADHO prison researchers, this report is told in the first person using a fictional identity to protect anonymity. It provides supplementary statistical information for relevant issues.

It is hoped that this report will be used by government and prison officials, human rights advocates, researchers, media, aid donors and legal professionals as a tool to identify existing problems, improve prison conditions and promote prisoners' rights. This report builds on previous reports from the past 10 years, as well as considering new information gathered over the course of 2005 and the first ten months of 2006.

This report also highlight an urging problem that needs to be addressed: children in prisons, both prisoners and those living with their sentenced mothers.

11 August 2006

A slideshow presentation on Human Rights situation in Cambodia 2006.

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."

16 March 2006

In celebration of International Women's Day on 8 March 2006, representatives from the Prison Project Office of LICADHO together with representatives from the Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) visited CC2, PJ and Takmao prisons to distribute material assistance to female prisoners and female guards.

31 December 2005

Since 1997, LICADHO has issued reports on human rights in Cambodian prisons, highlighting the most serious human rights concerns and recommending avenues of change. As an independent non-governmental organization, LICADHO has several key aims: 1/Monitor Cambodian prisons and prisoners' rights 2/Disseminate relevant high-quality non-partisan information. 3/Lobby for positive reform.

It is our hope that this report will be used by government and prison officials, human rights advocates, researchers, media, aid donors and legal professionals as a tool to identify existing problems, improve prison conditions and to promote prisoners' rights.

29 June 2005

Cambodia should establish an independent body to receive and investigate complaints of torture and other abuses committed by police officers, according to LICADHO.

"Torture is all too common in Cambodia and it is time for meaningful action to prevent and punish this brutal practice," said Kek Galabru on June 26, the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. "Establishing an independent agency to investigate such abuses committed by the police is long overdue."

3 February 2005

LICADHO has found that roughly a third of Cambodia's prisoners are pre-trial detainees, of whom some are incarcerated months or years beyond the statutory limit of six months. Due to challenges to the judicial system, as well as problems with completing investigations within the pre-trial detention period, pre-trial detainees often remain incarcerated months and even years beyond the statutory limit. According to statistics gathered by LICADHO in the 18 prisons it monitors, the number of persons held in pre-trial detention beyond the statutory limit varies however, it has been as high as 225 (September, 2001) and as low as 70 (November, 2003).

7 December 2004

Resume of a speech by Dr. Kek Galabru, chairman of CAMBOW, on December 1, 2004 about the 16 Days global campaign against gender violence campaign for women’s rights.

29 November 2004

On April 3, 2001 Montha Kuan (age 27) and Sai Kuan (35, mother of four children under the age of 18) were sentenced to death on drug charges in Thai courts. Despite concerns over the conduct of the arrest and prosecution, the appeals process for the Cambodian sisters has now been exhausted.

1 November 2004

Presentation providing an overview of the background, structure and activities of the Cambodian League for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights (LICADHO). Includes information on human rights problems in Cambodia and the responses to these problems by each of LICADHO's six program offices.

1 October 2004

This report describes human rights violations in Cambodia's prisons in 2002 and 2003. It identifies several urgent issues in Cambodia's prisons: severe overcrowding, children and minors in prison, bribes and corruption and torture. These violations of prisoners' human rights occur despite legal protections set out in international and national law which Cambodian authorities are required to respect.

LICADHO urges the government to take immediate and concerted action to remedy the inadequate conditions of Cambodia's prisons and to address the human rights abuses which are documented.

1 October 2004

There is a clear connection between systemic human rights violations in Cambodia's prisons and reduced prisoner health. There are many examples of this interconnection between health and human rights. For instance, prison overcrowding facilitates the spread of infectious disease. Torture is an obvious violation of health rights as victims suffer serious physical and psychological injury. This report seeks to highlight these connections and outline the prison health issues of most pressing concern in 2002 and 2003.

LICADHO urges the government to take immediate and concerted action to address the extremely serious health issues in Cambodian prisons.