Statements
Statement | LICADHO Calls for Immediate Closure of Prey Speu Center Following Two Deaths
3 November 2015
Following the deaths of two people unlawfully detained in the Prey Speu “Social Affairs” Center after having been arbitrarily arrested prior to Pchum Ben, LICADHO calls on relevant authorities to investigate the deaths and reiterates calls for the prompt closure of Prey Speu and all other such centers operating outside the criminal justice system. These are the second and third such deaths in less than a year.
Statement | CSOs call for an End to Impunity in Cambodia on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists
2 November 2015
To mark the United Nations’ second International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, we, the undersigned civil society organizations (“CSOs”), call upon the Royal Government of Cambodia to bring an end to Cambodia’s rampant culture of impunity, and to ensure that the perpetrators of human rights violations are brought to justice.
Statement | Civil Society Condemns Violence Against Cambodian Opposition MPs
27 October 2015
ADHOC, CCHR, CCIM, CLEC, STT and LICADHO strongly condemn yesterday’s violence outside the National Assembly and at the gate of an opposition leader that left two opposition CNRP MPs injured and bloodied, and call for an immediate independent and transparent investigation into the orchestrated violence. We further express deep concerns over the lack of police action to control a related gathering in front of Kem Sokha’s house, which was surrounded this afternoon by several hundred individuals, some of who threw rocks at the front gates while others were heard calling for even further violence.
Statement | ADHOC, CLEC and LICADHO Call for the Immediate Release of 17 Activists and Observers in Koh Kong
2 September 2015
ADHOC, LICADHO and CLEC are outraged by the detention of 17 protestors, NGO staff and media workers in Koh Kong's provincial police station and call for their immediate release. The 17 were detained in the midst of a gathering calling for a solution to Chi Kha Kraom community’s land conflict. The gathering involved 50 youths and land activists who had also participated in daily peaceful protests against the arrest and imprisonment of three activists from NGO Mother Nature since August 19.
Statement | ADHOC and LICADHO Urge Cambodian Constitutional Council to Reject Unconstitutional LANGO
30 July 2015
As the Constitutional Council of Cambodia prepares to review the legality of the Law on Associations and NGOs (LANGO), ADHOC and LICADHO call on the Council to reject the law on the basis of numerous provisions that violate Cambodian citizens’ constitutional rights and freedoms.
Statement | LICADHO condemns the conviction and sentencing of 11 CNRP officials and supporters
21 July 2015
This afternoon, 11 officials and supporters of the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) were convicted of charges relating to insurrection and sentenced to between seven and 20 years imprisonment. They were taken to CC1 prison immediately following the sentencing.
Statement | Civil Society Calls On Senate to Reject LANGO
14 July 2015
We, the undersigned civil society groups, condemn the Cambodian People’s Party’s unanimous approval yesterday of the repressive and unnecessary Law on Associations and Non-Government Organizations (LANGO) and call on the Senate to reject the law. The vote at yesterday’s extraordinary session of the National Assembly is a catastrophic development for civil society in Cambodia and is a major step in the government’s wider campaign to undermine democracy and restrict citizens’ rights and freedoms.
Statement | LICADHO Calls for Restoration of Open Access to Companies Register
25 June 2015
The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) deplores the apparent decision by the Ministry of Commerce to substantially reduce the amount of information about companies that it publicly discloses through its website. After a recent website upgrade by the ministry the only information now available on companies is the company name, the chairman’s name, and a phone number. Coming so soon after LICADHO’s request for greater transparency in relation to economic land concessions, this development is particularly disappointing.
Statement | On Stony Ground: A Look into Social Land Concessions
24 June 2015
State-involved land conflicts have been one of the largest causes of human rights abuses in Cambodia for over a decade. Many of these abuses arose from disputes involving Economic Land Concessions (ELCs) and other land concessions awarded to private companies. On the eve of this great Cambodian land giveaway, in March 2003, the Cambodian government unveiled a potentially progressive land policy with the aim of transferring land to landless and poor Cambodians – Social Land Concessions (SLCs).
LICADHO recently investigated a $13 million SLC project, supported by the World Bank and the German development agency GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), to assess whether the project has in fact benefitted rural poor Cambodians, as stated in both agencies' project reporting narratives.
Statement | LICADHO Urges Government to Support Child Rights and to Protect Youth in Prisons
31 May 2015
LICADHO’s Children’s Rights Office (CRO), in partnership with the Child Protection Group (CPG) network, will celebrate International Children’s Day 2015 in several locations. On 28 May, early celebrations took place in Dangkor Middle School, Phnom Penh. On 1 June, the official date of International Children’s Day, celebrations will take place in the morning (8:30am-11:00am) at Sangkat Norkor Thom, Siem Reap, Sal Mohorsrop Theater, Koh Kong, and at Build Bright University in Sihanoukville, Preah Sihanouk. At these locations, the CRO and CPGs will organize public forums and interactive theatre performances concerning child rights, and help distribute social assistance packages to the families of vulnerable children and youth. Approximately 2,350 people are expected to attend the celebrations.
Statement | Mothers Behind Bars: The Impact of Detention on Women and their Children
26 May 2015
Today, LICADHO releases its report “Mothers Behind Bars: The Impact of Detention on Women and their Children” which seeks to raise awareness of the harmful, and sometimes devastating, impact a mother’s imprisonment can have on her children.
Statement | Going Offline? The Threat to Cambodia’s Newfound Internet Freedoms
17 May 2015
On World Information Society Day, LICADHO releases its report “Going Offline? The Threat to Cambodia’s Newfound Internet Freedoms,” describing the vital importance of the Internet for freedom of expression in Cambodia and the imminent threat that this last bastion for independent voices now faces.
Statement | Cambodia: Withdraw Proposed Association Law and Make Legislative Drafting Process Transparent
11 May 2015
The Cambodian government must withdraw the proposed Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations (LANGO) and make the legislative drafting process in the country transparent, FIDH and its member organizations, the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) and the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), said today.
Statement | Cambodia Should Register, Not Return, Vietnamese Asylum Seekers
1 May 2015
Cambodia’s refusal to allow asylum seekers from Vietnam to register and seek refugee status demonstrates a dismal failing to abide by international refugee law, LICADHO and Human Rights Watch said today. In the last four months, Cambodia has forcibly deported 54 Vietnamese asylum seekers, and appears poised to deport 40 more.
Statement | LICADHO Opens up its Land Concessions Data, Urges Full Transparency from the Government
30 March 2015
The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) is today releasing to the public its land concession dataset and urges the government to follow suit by publicly disclosing details of all land concessions granted in Cambodia. The information released is the culmination of five years of investigation into this sector.
Statement | Long-term Solutions Necessary for the Welfare of Children whose Mothers Face Imprisonment
18 March 2015
Following the recent release of 22 women from prison, LICADHO welcomes news that the Ministries of Justice and Interior will discuss longer term solutions to ensuring the welfare of children whose mothers face prison sentences.
LICADHO has recently conducted detailed research into the arrest and sentencing of mothers with dependent children and has found that the welfare of the child is rarely taken into account when a mother is sent to pre-trial detention or at sentencing. Many women interviewed told LICADHO that judges did not even ask them if they had children or not before sending them to prison.
Statement | LICADHO Cancels its Long-Time International Women’s Day Activities in Prisons due to Government Restrictions
5 March 2015
It is with deep regret that LICADHO announces it will not conduct annual activities in Cambodian prisons this year for International Women’s Day, which will be celebrated on March 8.
For over 15 years LICADHO has visited Cambodian prisons on International Women’s Day (IWD) to provide care packages to female prisoners, female guards and to the children living in prison with their mothers. In the past 10 years, LICADHO has also coordinated special entertainment in prisons including speeches, games, traditional dancing and shows performed by the prisoners themselves. The activities have been well received by the prisoners and used to be supported by the prison authorities.
Statement | Report Documents Cambodian Government’s ongoing Failure to Implement ICCPR
3 March 2015
The Cambodian government has failed to comply with its fundamental civil and political rights obligations, FIDH and its member organizations, the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) and the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), said in a joint shadow report submitted to the UN Human Rights Committee (HRC).
Statement | Release of Imprisoned Mothers and Pregnant Women Will Provide Some Relief but Does Not Address Underlying Issues
2 March 2015
Late last week a committee headed by the Ministry of Justice announced that 16 incarcerated women, including 15 women with children and one pregnant woman, will be released before International Women’s Day on March 8, 2015. The committee also stated that the government plans to release pregnant women and women with children every year.
Statement | Withdraw Armed Forces and Court Officials from Political Party Ranks to Strengthen Rule of Law and Democracy in Cambodia
26 February 2015
We, the Electoral Reform Alliance (ERA) and Civil Society Organizations, condemn any political party which includes, or will include court officials and officers armed forces within political party’s ranks. This inclusion is a violation of the constitution, the rule of law, and the principle of democracy, in particular free and fair elections.
