LIBRARY

24 January 2025

The Supreme Court has upheld the verdicts issued by the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court on 7 February 2024 and Battambang Appeal Court on 12 June 2024 in the case of Chao Veasna, the head of Candlelight Party’s Poipet Municipal branch and steering committee member.

Veasna, 59, was sentenced to three years in prison, fined 6 million riels, and ordered to pay 80 million riels (approximately $20,000) in compensation to the civil plaintiff. Additionally, he has been deprived of political rights for five years. These charges stem from accusations of "incitement to commit a felony" and "incitement to discriminate," under Articles 495 and 496 of the Criminal Code. The charges were related to an incident on 23 July 2023, when Veasna allegedly encouraged voters to invalidate their ballots as protest for the arbitrary exclusion of the Candlelight in that year’s national assembly election.

24 January 2025

The Supreme Court this morning upheld the conviction of journalist Ung Thap Reang on charges of defamation and incitement to commit felony under Articles 305 and 495 of the Criminal Code.

The Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court had convicted the journalist on 25 January 2024, handing him a fully suspended six-month prison sentence and ordering him to pay a 2 million riel (about US$500) fine. The Battambang Appeal Court upheld the lower court’s verdict in full on 15 August 2024. The Supreme Court upheld the conviction and suspended prison sentence this morning although dropped the previously imposed fine.

22 January 2025

Politicians, labour activists and members of civil society gathered this morning at the statue of slain union leader Chea Vichea in central Phnom Penh to mark the 21st anniversary of his murder. The gathering was joined by Chea Mony, Vichea's brother and president of the opposition Nation Power Party (NPP).

Chea Vichea, the former president of the Free Trade Union of the Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC), was shot and killed outside of the Wat Langka pagoda on 22 January 2004. Two innocent men, Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeurn, were falsely convicted of his murder and imprisoned for five years before having their convictions overturned.

Participants at this morning's rally called for justice for Chea Vichea and for a proper investigation into his slaying, as well as justice for all other slain union activists.

20 January 2025

Hundreds of garbage collection workers from Phnom Penh-based 800 Super-GAEA Cambodia gathered to support their representatives as they negotiated with the company and authorities, part of a strike prompted by the dismissal of four union leaders at the company.

Union leaders said the strike was triggered by the company’s dismissal of four union leaders shortly after they had submitted paperwork to formalize a union to both the company and the Labour Ministry earlier this month. Workers allege that the company rejected their request and failed to address workers' demands for improved labor practices and benefits.

14 January 2025

The Supreme Court this morning denied bail for Ream Sreypich Rothana and Thy Thorn, two vice-presidents of the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association (KSILA), upholding the decision of the Investigating Chamber of the Phnom Penh Appeal Court from 5 December 2024. The two youth activists, aged 23 and 24, are charged with "plotting" under Article 453 of the Criminal Code, which carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years if convicted.

Rothana and Thorn were arrested in August 2024 as part of a larger crackdown on over 100 people accused of expressing opinions or planning to assemble in reaction to the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA), a regional cooperation agreement from which Cambodia has since withdrawn. In total, more than 60 people were charged and imprisoned during the crackdown.

14 January 2025

The Supreme Court today upheld the conviction and three-year prison sentence of social activist Kong Saron, who was arrested for a Facebook livestream video in which he expressed political opinions shortly before the July 2023 National Election.

Saron was arrested a few hours after posting his Facebook video and detained for 10 days before being released on bail on 11 July. On 22 November 2023, the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court convicted Saron of incitement to commit a felony, public insult, and insulting the King under Articles 495, 307, and 437 bis of the Criminal Code. Saron was arrested several days later and has been in prison since. The lower court’s decision was upheld by the Battambang Appeal Court in February 2024.

3 January 2025

Today, around 50 people gathered at Solidarity House in Phnom Penh to mark 11 years since government forces violently suppressed a garment workers’ strike on Veng Sreng Boulevard. The crackdown left at least four dead, 38 injured, and Khem Sophath, a 15-year-old boy, missing to this day after being shot.

The remembrance event, attended by union leaders, NGO representatives, and community members, began with prayers led by monks and called for accountability and justice for the victims.

11 December 2024

A wave of detentions, arrests and imprisonments in 2024 affected political activists, unionists, students, environmentalists, human rights defenders and everyday Cambodians. Authorities relentlessly silenced people who criticised official policies, advocated for the environment and human rights, and expressed their views.

5 December 2024

Five youth and student group members from the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association (KSILA) and Youth Resource Development Program (YRDP) were denied bail by the Phnom Penh Appeal Court in a private hearing this afternoon.

The five include KSILA vice-presidents Ream Sreypich Rothana and Thy Thorn, both 23-years-old; KSILA member Seun Sreymai, 21; and YRDP staffers Sak Kanika, 33, and Chheang Rithy, 36. They are each charged with plotting under Article 453 of the Criminal Code, and face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

26 November 2024

The Appeal Court in Battambang upheld convictions against three Kuy Indigenous community members who were convicted in July for crimes related to the Law on Protected Areas.

Land activists San Sre and Breng Hing were convicted and sentenced to five years in prison for felling trees or encroaching on forest land, under Article 56 and 62 of the protected areas law. San Seth, Sre’s brother, was sentenced to one year in prison for obstructing environment officials. All prison sentences were suspended.

24 November 2024

Six environmental activists are being questioned by Stung Treng provincial authorities today after they were taken into custody on Saturday morning while conducting investigations into illegal logging.

Ouch Leng, Heng Sros, Tat Oudom, Out Latin, Men Mat and one other person were arrested by mixed armed forces officers Saturday morning in Stung Treng’s Sesan district, after which their location was unknown for around 12 hours. The six were later moved to the provincial police headquarters and are still being questioned by authorities as of Sunday morning.

21 November 2024

The Phnom Penh Capital Court convicted Ny Nak of incitement to discriminate and defamation today, sentencing him to two years in prison for comments he made on social media about the government giving away land in Kampot province to a man named Heng Sour.

The 44-year-old outspoken social commentator was sent to pre-trial detention on 6 January 2024 for a Facebook post in which he questioned the Cambodian government's decision to allocate 91 hectares of land to Heng Sour, who Nak identified as the current minister of labour. Labour Minister Heng Sour, who is the plaintiff in the case, filed a complaint, claiming he was not the Heng Sour to receive the land. In addition to his prison sentence, Nak was ordered to pay a 3 million riel fine (around $750) and an additional 200 million riel (around $50,000) in compensation to the minister.

19 November 2024

The Phnom Penh Capital Court convicted three Samrong Tbong community members on Tuesday of obstructing authorities who wanted to demolish a small shop outside their house near the Boeung Tamok lake.

Kong Tue, Yorn Kimyoeun and Yorn Sambath were convicted of “obstruction of public officials” with aggravating circumstances under Article 504 of the Criminal Code. They were each sentenced to 6 months in prison and fined $250, with the prison sentences and fines suspended by the court. The three family members’ charges stemmed from an incident on 19 December 2023, in which authorities demanded they take down a grocery stall that they had constructed outside their house. The family refused and officials proceeded to demolish it.

7 November 2024

A community affected by a land conflict in Kratie province camped outside of the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction in the capital yesterday to call on authorities to resolve a dispute with Kasekam Youveakchun Svay Rieng Co. Ltd, a company which started clearing their land and crops in June of this year.

Around 30 community members, who represent 252 families in Kratie’s Sambor district, arrived in Phnom Penh on Wednesday and waited outside the ministry’s front gate to request meetings with government officials to submit a petition. Officials from Kratie province, including the deputy governor, met with them in Phnom Penh and asked them to return to the province, but community members insisted on sleeping outside the ministry in a makeshift camp using hammocks, mats and blankets until a solution was found.

6 November 2024

Koet Saray, president of the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association (KSILA), was convicted of incitement this morning by the Phnom Penh Capital Court and sentenced to four years in prison for comments he made earlier this year about a violent eviction in Preah Vihear province.

Saray, who was forcibly defrocked by Cambodian authorities in 2021, was arrested outside the association’s office in April 2024 after he spoke to the media about a land conflict in Preah Vihear province during which authorities burned down people’s homes. He was charged with incitement to commit a felony under Article 494 and Article 495 of the Criminal Code. He was also charged for “committing a misdemeanour after sentencing for a misdemeanour” under Article 88 of the code, which allows for a doubling of a defendant’s prison sentence if they have been convicted of the same misdemeanour within five years. This article was applied to Saray’s four-year prison sentence, who will also pay an around US$500 fine.

24 October 2024

Mech Dara, an award-winning journalist, was released on bail from Kandal Provincial Prison today, close to a month after he was arrested and charged with incitement for posting alleged false information on social media.

Dara walked out of prison on Thursday after his lawyer’s submitted another bail application to Phnom Penh Capital Court. On Wednesday, a video of Dara circulated on pro-government media in which he apologised for social media posts in September that were the grounds for his incitement charge.

14 October 2024

The Supreme Court this morning acquitted four members of the Srae Prang community who were convicted for “intentional damage” related to a long-standing land dispute with Harmony Win Investment rubber company in Tbong Khmum province.

Today’s verdict dropped the charges against Chhork Chhey, Khem Sokcheang, Pum Pich and Veun Ver following their appeal hearing on 7 October. Community members have advocated against the Chinese-owned Harmony Win Investment company, which has routinely blocked access to and cleared community farmland. This has resulted in ongoing protests and the imprisonment of at least four other community representatives.

16 September 2024

Since 23 July 2024, more than 100 people have been arrested and more than 60 have been charged and imprisoned for posting on social media, planning to assemble, or expressing opinions about the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA), a 20-year-old trade and cooperation agreement between the three neighboring countries.

The age of those detained and charged ranges between 16 and 70, including four minors under the age of 18. Most of those detained have been charged with “plotting an attack on the state”, which carries a sentence of 5-10 years in prison. Others are facing charges of “incitement to commit a felony”, which carries between 6 months and 2 years in prison, while several others face additional charges. They are being held in prisons across the country, many of which are severely overcrowded and struggling to provide people behind bars with basic services.

16 September 2024

Chhim Sithar, president of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU), was released from prison early this morning after completing her two-year sentence on charges of incitement related to the ongoing peaceful strike by her union’s members. Sithar was driven home by officials from Correctional Center 2 (CC2) at approximately 4:30am.

Sithar was first violently arrested in January 2022 as she attempted to join hundreds of striking LRSU members in front of the Australian Embassy in Phnom Penh. She was released several months later, only to be re-arrested in November 2022 upon returning from a labour rights conference in Australia. Authorities claimed she was re-arrested due to violating judicial supervision conditions, although neither Sithar nor her lawyer had been informed of those conditions.

9 September 2024

The Supreme Court today rejected the appeal of Vorn Pao, President of the Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA), and upheld his conviction on charges of “instigating intentional acts of violence with aggravating circumstances” under Articles 28 and 218 of the Criminal Code in relation to a 2014 strike action on Phnom Penh’s Veng Sreng Boulevard.

Pao was handed a suspended sentence of four years and six months in prison by the Phnom Penh Capital Court in 2014, which was upheld today by the Supreme Court. Pao spent more than four months in prison alongside 21 others in relation to these charges in 2014. He remains at risk of having the suspended sentence implemented if he is convicted on any charges in the next five years.