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.

Those detained include at least 6 CSO members, 4 activists, and 12 opposition politicians, as well as dozens of people who wanted to speak or gather to express their views on the CLV-DTA. Courts across Cambodia have confirmed at least 28 arrests and orders for pre-trial detention, while LICADHO monitors have confirmed more than 30 additional people in prison on charges related to the CLV-DTA.

For more information, you can visit our Prisoners of Interest webpage.

MP3 format: Listen to audio version in Khmer