LIBRARY

2 May 2009

This briefing paper updates the LICADHO report published in May 2008, Reading Between the Lines: How Politics, Money & Fear Control Cambodia’s Media . It highlights the ongoing restrictions to Cambodia’s media, providing an updated listing of Cambodia’s news media covering newspapers, radio, television and internet sites, and also has a table highlighting reported attacks and threats made against the media during the period 1 January 2008 to 31 March 2009.

10 April 2009

This report was prepared for the forthcoming Universal Periodic Review of Cambodia's human rights record to be conducted by the UN Human Rights Council, scheduled to be held in Geneva , Switzerland, in November-December 2009.

6 March 2009

This report aims to profile female prisoners and their experiences in the prison system and to provide an insight into the crimes they committed and the conditions they live in. Each case study is based on true accounts from prisoners, where names and details have been changed to protect the identity of the prisoners. This report also provides supplementary statistical information for relevant issues collected over the period 2007 and 2008.

10 December 2008

To commemorate International Human Rights Day on December 10, 2008 and the 60th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Right, LICADHO launched and released this Human Rights Day Booklet. The booklet explains three key human rights guaranteed by the Declaration of Human Rights and the Cambodian Constitution: “Freedom of Movement, Freedom of Expression and Speech and Freedom of Assembly and Association”. The booklet cites cases that occurred during 2008 when these rights have not been respected by the government and it also provides practical tips on what to do when the government attempts to restrict them.

1 November 2008

In the Cambodian context any NGO law - regardless of its particular content - poses a threat to the work of human rights defenders and other NGOs. While human rights defenders are most at risk because of their role in continually criticizing government actions, the objectives of all NGOs and development agents - both foreign and domestic - can be compromised. And government claims that NGO Laws are enacted to promote legitimate and effective civil societies are rarely borne out.

This briefing paper discusses experiences with NGO Laws in other countries and includes a power point presentation of the briefing paper.

25 September 2008

Cambodia is a dangerous place for human rights defenders. During 2007, the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) recorded more cases than ever before of threats and attacks against activists attempting to peacefully defend the rights of others.

Throughout 2007, the patterns of threats and attacks against human rights defenders observed in previous years have continued and intensified. Representatives of communities engaged in disputes over land and housing were targeted with threats, unwarranted criminal charges, and in some cases imprisonment. Trade union leaders were assaulted, arrested and prosecuted for their legitimate union activity; one such leader was murdered. Human rights NGO workers continued to be threatened and obstructed in carrying out their work, whilst private citizens legitimately assisting asylum seekers were harassed and imprisoned.

8 May 2008

As part of the campaign against the worst forms of child labor for the wellbeing of Cambodian children, LICADHO and World Vision Cambodia have commissioned the research team, led by Dr. Poch Bunnak, to conduct a study on children working in brick factories. The study was conducted in July 2007 to identify the causes and consequences of child labor in brick factories in Battambang and Sang Ke districts, the surrounding areas of Battambang
provincial city.

Data were collected using interviewer-completed questionnaires from three main sources (132 child workers, 43 parents, and 15 brick factory owners or managers) from 26 brick factories. It is estimated that between 400 and 500 children work daily in these brick factories during the high labour-demand season.

1 May 2008

Cambodia's news media is often described as one of the freest in the region, with no official censorship and a "flourishing press".

But if we look beyond just the quantity of newspapers and magazines, and listen to journalists and editors describe their working environment, we find a media closely controlled by politics, money and fear.

Almost all Cambodia's media is aligned to a political party, with the vast majority favoring the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP). The situation varies depending on the media - television is totally owned or controlled by the government or CPP, radio has a few opposition-aligned stations and some important independent voices, while most newspapers act as mouthpieces for one party or another, with the exception of the foreign-language press.

8 March 2008

As of February 2008, there are 562 women living in 18 out of Cambodia's 26 prisons. Of these women, 4 were pregnant and 43 women brought their children to live with them in prison or had given birth to children while in prison, for a total of 50 children living with their mothers in prison.

Life in Cambodian prisons is a harsh reality for any individual. Limited access to food and clean water, overcrowding of prison cells, routine denial of quality medical services and violence towards prisoners from prison officials and other inmates is a part of everyday life. Life in prison becomes even more difficult when you are pregnant, or if you bring your children to live with you in prison.

22 January 2008

This document aims to explain the land case involving the Dey Krahorm community in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It was compiled as an advocacy and legal tool to support the families who continue to live on the site and to challenge the legality of the contract which threatens to cost them their land.

The report was researched and written by LICADHO Canada. It is based largely on documents and other information provided by community representatives of Dey Krahorm, and NGO partners involved in the case. LICADHO Canada would like to thank the community representatives and NGOs for providing information, comments and advice throughout the research; specifically Community Legal Education Center [CLEC] and LICADHO.

13 December 2007

The independence of the legal profession faces a serious threat due to attempts by the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia to limit the freedom of Cambodian lawyers to work for non-government organizations (NGOs). At stake is the future of legal aid services in the country, and whether NGOs are free to employ lawyers to represent Cambodia's poorest and most vulnerable citizens in court cases.

Over past months, the Bar Association ("the Bar") has taken a position that lawyers cannot work as employees of an NGO unless that NGO has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Bar.

The Bar's assertions have no basis in Cambodia law, which does not require any such MOUs.

6 December 2007

The Cambodian justice system has failed. Despite the UNTAC intervention and 15 years of aid to legal and judicial reform, in 2007 the primary functions of the courts continue to be to:1/ Persecute political opponents and other critics of the government, 2/ Perpetuate impunity for state actors and their associates, 3/ Protect the economic interests of the rich and powerful

This report examines the performance of the Cambodian judiciary since the Consultative Group (CG) donor meeting of 2-3 March 2006. It seeks to point out patterns in injustice and impunity, highlight the Cambodian government’s ongoing lack of tangible action to promote rule of law, and to urge the international community to revise its strategies in assistance to legal and judicial reform.

25 November 2007

Discrimination in legislation can occur in a number of forms, such as through gender-specific legal terms which have a greater negative impact on women than men, or through onerous obligations on women or through omissions which make legal definitions and prosecutions difficult or which may result in the lack of protective measures.

This report was designed to analyze whether Cambodian laws related to violence against women contravene the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and, if so, to examine the affects that these contraventions have on women in Cambodia.

21 September 2007

The LICADHO Women's Rights Office (based in Phnom Penh) developed and implemented the Pilot Project in eight villages in Ang Snoul District, Kandal Province from December 2005 - May 2007. The project was designed to promote ownership of women's rights by equipping women in these communities with the practical knowledge, strategies and resources for them to prevent and seek redress for domestic violence, rape and trafficking violations.

9 July 2007

On the morning of 20 April 2007, a mixed group of some 150 Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) personnel, military police, and civilian police armed with guns, electric batons, shields and tear gas forcibly evicted the Spean Ches community, 105 families, from Village 6 in Sihanoukville's Mittapheap District.

In the course of the raid, the security forces burned down 60 houses and completely demolished the remaining houses using heavy machinery. The evicted families were not permitted to remove possessions from their homes before they were destroyed and lost-inter alia- important documents which would have been essential in defending their case before the court. In the ensuing clashes between the authorities and the villagers two police officers and one military police officer, as well as a number of villagers, were injured. Thirteen villagers were arrested and later charged with "wrongful damage to property" (Article 52 UNTAC Law1)- charges which relate to the alleged destruction of police equipment used in the raid- and "battery with injury" (Article 41 UNTAC Law).

9 July 2007

In 1980, two families settled on plots of residential and farming land in Deum Popel village, Thmo Eth Commune, Kompong Tralach district, Kompong Chhnang province. Both families have lived and farmed continuously on the plots since that time as legally required for the right to land ownership in Cambodia. The families are now facing a criminal complaint for use of violence against another party who has also claimed ownership of the same land.

The trial was originally set for Monday July 9, 2:00 PM at the Kompong Chhnang provincial court. However, due to the absence of a key local official who was to testify for the prosecution that day, the trial was postponed to July 23rd, 7:30 AM.

19 June 2007

The assassination of trade unionist Chea Vichea and the convictions of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun represent the most glaring example of impunity and miscarriage of justice in Cambodia today. There is overwhelming evidence that the two convicted men, now serving 20-year prison terms, were deliberately targeted as scapegoats for the murder. Cambodia's justice system has not only failed them, but has actively perpetrated the injustice against them. This case highlights the grave deficiencies of Cambodia's judiciary - particularly its lack of independence and impartiality - and casts undeniable doubt upon the government's stated commitment to rule of law. The release of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun from prison is essential if the justice system is ever to have any credibility.

2 March 2007

Historically, Cambodians have suffered through a culture of violence perpetuated by the Khmer Rouge regime and other political groups. The impact of this violence continues to affect many people within Cambodia. One of the most vulnerable affected groups are the women of Cambodia. Violence against women - particularly in the form of domestic violence, rape, and human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation - is one of the most serious human rights problems in Cambodia.

Although Cambodia is beginning to recognize the significance of violence against women, the extent of the Government's willingness to educate the judiciary, the police and the public on these issues, and to implement laws and policies that prevent such violence and protect victims, is still quite limited.

30 January 2007

This report aims to provide an intimate look at the real living conditions faced by Cambodian prisoners. By drawing from first hand accounts of prisoners and from the observations and reports of LICADHO prison researchers, this report is told in the first person using a fictional identity to protect anonymity. It provides supplementary statistical information for relevant issues.

It is hoped that this report will be used by government and prison officials, human rights advocates, researchers, media, aid donors and legal professionals as a tool to identify existing problems, improve prison conditions and promote prisoners' rights. This report builds on previous reports from the past 10 years, as well as considering new information gathered over the course of 2005 and the first ten months of 2006.

This report also highlight an urging problem that needs to be addressed: children in prisons, both prisoners and those living with their sentenced mothers.

25 January 2007

With the inclusion of the prohibition of the death penalty in the 1993 Constitution, the Kingdom of Cambodia basically restituted the legal situation that existed in April 1989, when the government of the State of Cambodia banned capital punishment at the constitutional level.

Beyond domestic abolition, successive coalition governments since 1993 failed to demonstrate genuine commitment toward further ensuring the permanent prohibition of capital punishment in Cambodia by acceding to Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. For more than a decade now, Cambodia has been firmly enlisted in the camp of the more than 30 abolitionist none-State Parties to the Second Optional Protocol.