LIBRARY

25 January 2018

Koh Kong provincial court considered the case of two activists from the Mother Nature environmental group this morning who were arrested in September while filming suspected illegal sand dredging activity.

Dem Kundy and Hun Vannak were arrested in Kiri Sakor district on 12 September 2017 and charged on suspicion of violating privacy and incitement to commit a felony. They have been held since then in pre-trial detention. Their arrest came just two days after the group posted an online video​ highlighting potential smuggling of silica sand to Taiwan.

If convicted of the two charges, the activists face up to two years in prison and fines of up to six million riel (US$1,500) under article 495 (incitement to commit a felony) and article 302 of the Criminal Code (unauthorized recording of a person’s image).

22 January 2018

Trade union and civil society activists gathered in central Phnom Penh this morning to mark the fourteenth anniversary of the murder of former trade union leader Chea Vichea.

A ceremony was held to pay tribute to the former President of the Free Trade Union of the Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC) who was gunned-down in broad daylight on 22 January 2004. Two innocent men – Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeurn – were falsely convicted for the crime and spent five years in jail before their sentences were overturned.

Participants at the commemoration called on authorities to find the real perpetrators and provide justice for Vichea and his family and friends. Vichea’s brother Chea Mony, also a former FTUWKC leader, was absent. He was due in court this morning for questioning following a complaint brought by government-aligned trade unions.

12 January 2018

The Appeal Court overturned defamation convictions and dropped all charges against three Equitable Cambodia (EC) staff this morning related to internal disciplinary proceedings involving Chan Vichet, a former EC employee. In delivering the verdict Judge Nhung Thol stated that there was no evidence of defamation.

Chheang Phea, Eang Vuthy and Phen Kimsong were convicted by Phnom Penh Municipal Court on 22 August 2016 and ordered to pay fines and damages over a written staff warning issued to the plaintiff.

The plaintiff claimed that he was unfairly dismissed from the EC in 2015 and that private information regarding the dismissal was revealed by management. However, the warning was issued privately after a due process.

3 January 2018

Borei Keila community in Phnom Penh marked the sixth anniversary today of the violent forced eviction by authorities on 3 January 2012 to make way for a high rise housing development. The community is still seeking fair compensation and re-location near the site of their former homes.

A religious ceremony was held as well as speeches highlighting the plight of the community which has faced violence, intimidation and unjust imprisonments since the first forced evictions in 2009.

The building firm Phanimex obtained a land sharing agreement with the community and the government in 2003 to develop the site and pledged to build ten apartment buildings to re-locate more than 1,700 families. Only eight of the ten buildings were completed.

2 January 2018

Borei Keila community in Phnom Penh marks the sixth anniversary of the violent destruction of their homes and forced eviction on 3 January 2012 to make way for a high rise housing development. The community is still seeking fair compensation and re-location on the site of their former homes.

22 December 2017

This morning the Appeal Court considered the conviction of three Equitable Cambodia (EC) managers – Chheang Phea, Eang Vuthy and Phen Kimsong – on criminal defamation charges brought by Chan Vichet, a former employee, related to an internal written staff warning.

Neither Vichet nor his lawyers were present at the court which meant cross-examination was not possible. The Appeal Court prosecutor echoed the unusual remark made by the Municipal Court prosecutor in 2016 that there was no evidence of any intentional wrongdoing by the EC managers.

Vichet claimed that he was unfairly dismissed from the land rights NGO in 2015 and that private information regarding the dismissal was revealed by management.

10 December 2017

More than 3,000 Cambodians have been gathering around the country in over a dozen, mainly rural, locations to celebrate the 69th International Human Rights Day - despite ongoing government restrictions on civil society.

Communities and civil society organisations spoke out about land grabbing, natural resource protection and minority rights in a series of events since Friday.

Despite the current climate of fear, communities, grassroots groups and trade unions demonstrated solidarity in private and public events. Several faced restrictions from local and provincial authorities, including not being allowed to march.

9 December 2017

On the eve of International Human Rights Day (IHRD) we, the undersigned members of Cambodian civil society, call for an end to government attacks on human rights defenders and civil society groups and the lifting of unjustifiable restrictions on fundamental freedoms.

Respect for fundamental freedoms is a basic requirement for a functioning civil society. It is also guaranteed by the Cambodian constitution and international law.

Civil society organisations (CSOs) have been longstanding contributors to Cambodia’s post-war peace-building efforts, development and the promotion of human rights and democratic principles. The legitimate work of CSOs must be valued and protected as a fundamental pillar of sustainable development, rather than being wrongly characterised as a threat to national security.

Despite this, the space for civil society has been dramatically diminished in recent months.

8 December 2017

This morning the Supreme Court upheld the conviction of three Boeung Kak Lake activists – Tep Vanny, Kong Chantha and Bou Chhorvy – on charges of “insult [of a public official]” and “obstruction of a public official with aggravating circumstances”. Their six month sentences were also upheld.

No enforcement order was issued. This means their arrest and enforcement of the sentences can be ordered at any time at the discretion of the Phnom Penh municipal prosecutor.

Tep Vanny was immediately returned to Correctional Centre 2 (CC2) where she has been in detention since 15 August 2016. She is awaiting an appeal against a conviction and 30 month sentence in another protest-related case. Kong Chantha and Bou Chhorvy were not immediately detained.

2 December 2017

LICADHO’s report No Punishment, No Protection: Cambodia’s Response to Domestic Violence presents evidence of the failure of the Cambodian justice system to properly protect victims of domestic violence or to punish the perpetrators. It is based on a review of 237 closed domestic violence cases, investigated by LICADHO between the beginning of 2014 and the end of 2016.

2 December 2017

To mark the global campaign 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, running from November 25 to December 10, LICADHO is publishing a new report No Punishment, No Protection: Cambodia’s Response to Domestic Violence. It presents evidence of the failure of the Cambodian justice system to properly protect victims of domestic violence or to punish the perpetrators.

24 November 2017

This morning the Supreme Court considered the conviction of four Boeung Kak Lake activists – Tep Vanny, Kong Chantha, Bov Chhorvy and Heng Mom – on charges of "insult [of a public official]" and "obstruction of a public official with aggravating circumstances".

If the verdict is upheld, they face six-month prison sentences – under Articles 502 and 504 of the Criminal Code – related to a 2011 land rights protests outside Phnom Penh city hall. Tep Vanny has been in detention since 15 August 2016 and is appealing another protest-related conviction.

Lawyers and witnesses for the plaintiff did not appear in court which meant cross-examination was not possible.

18 November 2017

Two former Radio Free Asia (RFA) journalists were charged at Phnom Penh Municipal Court this afternoon on suspicion of treason and sent to pre-trial detention at Correctional Centre 1 (CC1). Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin have been detained by police since Tuesday night, accused of sending news reports to US-based media.

Both men worked for RFA until the media outlet shut its Phnom Penh Bureau on 12 September 2017, citing government repression and the forced closure of its FM radio broadcasts.

Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin were charged under Article 445 of the Criminal Code which covers providing information to foreign states or agents which can “undermine national defence”. The charge carries a prison sentence of between 7 and 15 years.

14 November 2017

We, the undersigned Cambodian and international civil society organisations (CSOs), call for the immediate release of Hun Vannak and Doem Kundy, environmental activists affiliated with the recently deregistered NGO, Mother Nature Cambodia (MNC), who have been wrongfully detained for over two months on spurious charges. We are deeply concerned by the arbitrary nature of their arrest and pre-trial detention, which appears to be an attempt to stifle and punish their legitimate work as environmental human rights defenders.

13 September 2017

Two activists from the Mother Nature environmental group, arrested while filming suspected sand smuggling activities in Koh Kong province, have been charged on suspicion of violating privacy and incitement to commit a felony. Dem Kundy and Hun Vannak were arrested in Kiri Sakor district Tuesday – just two days after Mother Nature posted an online video highlighting potential smuggling of silica sand to Taiwan.

The video has been viewed more than 950,000 times on Facebook. The group has repeatedly sought to expose discrepancies in trade figures indicating large scale sand smuggling to several countries including India and Singapore.

If convicted of the two charges, the activists face up to two years in prison and maximum fines of six million riel (US$1,500) under article 495 (incitement to commit a felony) and article 302 of the Criminal Code (unauthorized recording of a person’s image).

9 September 2017

Radio is a major source of public information for people living in rural parts of Cambodia where Internet access is less common.

In late August 2017, Cambodian authorities ordered the closure of 32 FM radio frequencies across 20 provinces.

The shutdown particularly hit stations relaying independent Khmer-language news: Radio Free Asia (RFA), Voice of America (VOA) and the Cambodian non-profit, Voice of Democracy (VOD) were all taken off the air.

22 August 2017

This morning more than 100 farmers from Chi Kha Kraom community in Koh Kong protested outside the Ministry of Land Management, demanding that the government resolve a land conflict affecting at least 15 families. Police and para police pushed the protesters from the roadside, hurting two female members of the community and smashing the group’s megaphone.

In 2010, the affected community lost their farmland to an Economic Land Concession (ELC) held by the Heng Huy Agriculture Group which cleared it for sugar production. The community has struggled to find a solution for seven years, repeatedly presenting their case at the local and national level. More than 120 members of the community travelled to Phnom Penh on 2 February 2017 and spent several months petitioning authorities.

Returning five days ago, the community met with a representative of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s cabinet who pledged to find a solution. After several hours protesting outside the land ministry today, a spokesman informed the group that their case was still being examined.

15 August 2017

Supporters of land activist and human rights defender, Tep Vanny, have marked the one year anniversary of her unjust detention by calling for international help to secure her release.

A group from Boeung Kak Lake community delivered petitions to embassies and international organisations, starting Monday at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and at six embassies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). They continued Tuesday at nine others, including the US, Japan, Germany and the European Union.

Tep Vanny was arrested a year ago and charged during a peaceful protest supporting five jailed human rights defenders who are now released on bail. She was subsequently convicted of “insulting a public official” and sentenced to six days in prison. While she was imprisoned, three long dormant cases related to other peaceful protests were re-opened in politically-motivated trials which fell far short of acceptable legal standards. She is currently serving a 30 month sentence. A further six month sentence is awaiting a final appeal decision and she is on trial on a third re-activated charge.

15 August 2017

Tep Vanny, one of Cambodia’s most prominent land activists and human rights defenders, will have spent one year in prison on 15 August for defending her community and exercising her human rights. We, the undersigned, condemn her arbitrary imprisonment. We call for her convictions to be overturned, for all ongoing politically motivated and unsubstantiated charges against her to be dropped, and for her immediate release from prison.

8 August 2017

This morning the Court of Appeal upheld the conviction and sentence of land rights activist Tep Vanny on a years-old charge which was reactivated following her participation in the peaceful "Black Monday" campaign last year. Today’s verdict follows an appeal hearing on 27 July in which no plaintiffs were present, preventing cross-examination and – as in the first instance trial in February – no credible evidence was presented by the prosecution.

The appeal attempted to overturn her conviction by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on 23 February 2017 for “intentional violence with aggravating circumstances” in a trial which fell far short of acceptable legal standards. The case itself relates to a 2013 protest in Phnom Penh – over the jailing of another activist – where para-police brutally beat and injured Vanny and other protesters.