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We, the undersigned representatives of Cambodian civil society, write to you to express concerns regarding the request by Prime Minister Hun Sen on 27 October 2010 to remove Christophe Peschoux from his position as Cambodia Country Representative for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and his threat to close the OHCHR Cambodia office.

Since its establishment in 1993 following the Paris Peace Agreements, the OHCHR Cambodia office and its staff have worked diligently in pursuit of its mandate to protect and promote human rights and have made significant contributions to the concept of democracy and rule of law in Cambodia. In January 2010, the mandate of OHCHR Cambodia was extended for an additional two years. This extension is a reflection of the current human rights situation in Cambodia and the need for the continued presence of OHCHR in the country, where a corrupt and politically-controlled judiciary continues to facilitate wide scale transfer of land from poor and marginalised groups to a small economic and political elite, and imprisons all those who dare to speak out against the rich and powerful.