LIBRARY

28 November 2022

We, the undersigned, call on the Cambodian government to stop being afraid of Chhim Sithar’s strength and bravery. We call for her immediate and unconditional release from prison and an end to the judicial harassment of the union’s leader and members.

Sithar, the recently re-elected president of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU), was arrested at immigration at the Phnom Penh airport on Saturday morning, as she was returning from the International Trade Union Confederation World Conference in Australia.

27 November 2022

Throughout the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, which runs from 25 November to 10 December, LICADHO will be sharing six videos in this album featuring labour rights activists who are standing up for just working conditions and fighting to end gender-based violence at work. Each with different backgrounds, together they represent factory workers, sex workers, entertainment workers, casino workers, teachers, tuk tuk drivers, domestic workers and more.

26 November 2022

Union leader Chhim Sithar was detained by immigration police at the Phnom Penh International Airport today after returning to Cambodia following a 12-day trip to Australia. She was detained at immigration at around 10:30 am and has been sent to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

Sithar’s lawyer, who was present at the airport, has not been allowed to accompany the union leader during questioning and has been unable to contact her for several hours.

Sithar, the president of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU), was charged with incitement under Articles 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code in January 2022 after the union began a strike action. She was violently arrested while trying to join fellow strikers and spent over two months in pre-trial detention alongside other union leaders and members before being released on bail in March this year. Upon her release, neither Sithar nor her lawyers were informed of any judicial supervision or probation conditions, such as travel restrictions.

25 November 2022

LICADHO is marking the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence by celebrating all women who are standing up for labour rights and fighting to end gender-based violence at work. In “Women United for Labour Rights in Cambodia”, LICADHO shares the stories and recommendations of six activists fighting as leaders and members of trade unions, associations and federations.

Together, they represent factory workers, sex workers, entertainment workers, casino workers, teachers, tuk tuk drivers, domestic workers and more. They are all calling out the violence and sexual harassment that their members face at the workplace.

17 November 2022

We, the undersigned civil society organisations in Southeast Asia and Europe, decry the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s (AIIB) approval of US$175 million in financing to Cambodian microfinance institutions, despite years of widespread public reporting on human rights violations in the sector.

AIIB, a multilateral investment bank with 105 members including Germany which holds significant shares, chose to begin financing two Cambodian microlenders the same month that the IFC’s Compliance Advisor Ombudsman accepted a complaint alleging that the IFC’s investments in those same microlenders and others are linked to predatory lending and abusive collection practices.

15 November 2022

A complaint against six microfinance institutions and banks in Cambodia that are funded by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) will move into the Compliance stage, an important step toward a much-needed investigation into years of abuses and violations of IFC performance standards by microloan providers in Cambodia.

The Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) of the IFC has announced that the complaint, filed in February this year by LICADHO and Equitable Cambodia (EC) on behalf of affected Cambodian borrowers, will move to Compliance following the decision of some complainants, and after other complainants and financial institutions did not reach a mutual agreement to enter into dispute resolution.

10 October 2022

Members of communities affected by land conflicts gathered across Cambodia in the weeks leading up to and following World Habitat Day to call on the government to ensure the right to adequate housing, and to call for a solution to their long-running land disputes.

7 October 2022

Son Chhay, vice president of the opposition Candlelight Party, was convicted of defamation in two cases by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court this afternoon following his public criticism of Cambodia’s June 2022 Commune Elections. He was ordered to pay 3 billion riel (about US$750,000) in compensation to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and two fines totalling 17 million riel (about US$4,250).

The CPP and the NEC filed separate criminal complaints against Chhay in June 2022, alleging that he damaged their reputations after he commented on the fairness of the election results in a media interview. Chhay had claimed that the NEC was controlled by one political party, and that there were irregularities before and during the elections, including intimidation and vote-buying and stealing.

Chhay was charged with defamation under Article 305 of the Criminal Code in August 2022 on the basis of both complaints. Following separate trial hearings, the municipal court announced its judgements related to both complaints this afternoon. Chhay was fined 8 million riel (about US$2,000) and 9 million riel (about US$2,250) in relation to the CPP’s and NEC’s complaints respectively. The judge further announced additional penalties under Article 310 of the Criminal Code, including that the judgements must be posted publicly at Chhay’s residence, his local commune office, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court and all polling stations in Phnom Penh for two months, as well as publicised through the media for eight days at Chhay’s expense.

5 October 2022

Lakes and wetlands surrounding Cambodia’s capital are home to thousands of people and essential for livelihoods, flood protection and wastewater treatment. Their destruction for development projects is causing evictions, loss of income and food insecurity, and leaving Phnom Penh exposed to worsening flooding.

29 September 2022

The Covid-19 Law, officially titled the Law on Preventive Measures Against the Spread of Covid-19 and Other Severe and Dangerous Contagious Diseases, was hurriedly passed on 11 March 2021 without consultation with civil society and other stakeholders, and took immediate effect. The law, reinforced by two hastily drafted sub-decrees on health and administrative measures, grants the government extraordinarily broad powers and discretion to significantly interfere with fundamental social, political and economic rights. There are inadequate provisions for independent oversight of authorities’ measures, and a lack of meaningful limits on the duration and scope of oppressive restrictions. Over half the text of the Covid-19 Law is devoted to penalties, including prison sentences of up to 20 years for vaguely phrased violations.

29 September 2022

Cambodia’s repressive Covid-19 Law has resulted in serious rights violations against human rights defenders, land rights demonstrators, unionists, and other citizens over the past year due to authorities’ discriminatory application of the law’s overly broad scope and powers, and the imposition of excessive penalties. Authorities can charge individuals under the law effectively at any time, despite decreasing case numbers. The potential misuse of the law to suppress criticism and fundamental freedoms is an ongoing threat, and serves as an example of harms caused by rushed legislation granting new, unfettered powers to the government.

14 September 2022

A study commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) provides further evidence of widespread over-indebtedness in Cambodia, resulting in an “alarmingly high” and “unacceptable” number of distressed land sales. The study’s findings indicate that more than 167,000 Cambodian households have had to sell land to repay loans over the past five years. FIAN as well as Cambodian NGOs LICADHO and Equitable Cambodia call on the German government and other donors of the microfinance sector to fulfil their responsibilities and take immediate and concrete action to address this untenable situation.

13 September 2022

The Phnom Penh Appeal Court this morning upheld the March 2022 convictions and prison sentences of 12 former Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) members and one former Interior Ministry official on charges of plotting and incitement.

The case was one of several mass trials launched against former supporters and leaders of the CNRP since November 2020. It centred on alleged support for the “Cambodia National Rescue Movement” abroad and opinions regarding the government’s response to COVID-19 that were made in private online and phone chats and conversations.

The 13 individuals – Chhon Bunchhat, Long Phary, Khut Chroeb, Ngin Khean, Yim Sareth, Khoem Pheana, Thai Sokunthea, Keo Thai, Nhaem Van, Chum Chan, Sok Chantha, Peat Mab, and Sun Thun – were convicted on 17 March 2022 by Phnom Penh Municipal Court and sentenced to 5 years in prison, with a portion of their sentences suspended. The 13 men were detained throughout their trial in the lower court – some were held in detention for over two years – and all are currently serving their remaining sentences of 3 years and 8 months in prison. Last month, at least 12 of the convicted activists were transferred to remote Correctional Centre 3 prison in Tbong Khmum province, as part of a larger group of imprisoned CNRP activists transferred from Phnom Penh to the prison.

6 September 2022

Authorities pressured and prevented dozens of members of communities embroiled in land conflicts from travelling to Phnom Penh this morning to join with more than 800 other land community members delivering petitions to government ministries.

Around 500 people from Koh Kong province and some 360 more from Kampong Speu province rallied in the capital to demand the government resolve longstanding land disputes and deliver land titles and/or fair compensation to communities left waiting for years. Representatives of six Koh Kong communities and three Kampong Speu communities delivered petitions to the ministries of justice, interior and land management as well as Prime Minister Hun Sen’s cabinet on Tuesday amid a heavy police presence.

En route to Phnom Penh, police stopped dozens of members of Kampong Speu’s Amleang Land Community and compelled community representatives to sign agreements not to cause “social insecurity” in Phnom Penh before allowing seven of their eight vehicles to continue, claiming some vans were overloaded with passengers.

25 August 2022

If borrowers understand the abusive activities that are sometimes committed against debtors and their legal rights with regards to MFI debt, it can help them protect their rights and interests under the law.

22 August 2022

The Phnom Penh Appeal Court this afternoon upheld incitement convictions of 10 political and social activists, leaving most under court probation until late 2023.

The court denied appeals from Chhoeun Daravy, Hun Vannak, Tha Lavy and Eng Malai from social justice group Khmer Thavrak; Koet Saray, Moung Sopheak and Mean Prommony from Khmer Student Intelligent League Association; and Kong Sam An, Chhour Pheng and Chum Puthy, former members of the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court had sentenced the 10 activists to 20 months in prison, with five to six months suspended, and fined them 2 million riel each (US$500) on charges of incitement in October 2021.

19 August 2022

We, the undersigned press freedom, human rights and civil society groups, condemn the recent violence, arbitrary detention and intimidation of five journalists and four activists by officers from the prime minister's bodyguard unit (BHQ) in Phnom Tamao forest.

Five journalists from independent news outlet VOD and four activists from social justice group Khmer Thavrak were unjustly detained for about seven hours on 16 August 2022. They were arrested in Phnom Tamao forest on Tuesday morning by BHQ officers and then brought to the Bati district police station in Takeo province.

16 August 2022

Authorities detained five journalists from independent news outlet VOD and four activists from social justice group Khmer Thavrak after they were arrested in Phnom Tamao forest on Tuesday morning. They were released just after 6 pm this evening after authorities required them to sign a contract.

Officers from the prime minister’s bodyguard unit arrested the journalists and Khmer Thavrak activists, including Sokun Tola, Chhem Sreykea, Chhoeun Daravy and Hun Vannak, and sent the nine to the Bati district police station in Takeo province for questioning for several hours.

The Khmer Thavrak activists were detained after one group member was live-streaming on Facebook from Phnom Tamao this morning, and the group had submitted a petition about the forest to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, another group member said. Authorities have reportedly started marking forest land with poles, drawing questions from local residents and triggering a visit by Khmer Thavrak.

11 August 2022

A union striker was punched in the face by a uniformed officer, and left briefly unconscious and bleeding from a gash on her nose, after authorities violently stopped around 80 strikers from walking to the front of NagaWorld casino this afternoon.

The violence occurred as strikers from the Labour Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU) sought to move past metal barricades that authorities set up to block them from accessing the area in front of the casino. Around 80 police and mixed security forces then began violently hitting, kicking, stomping on and shoving back the mostly women union members to stop them from passing the barricades.

Less than three weeks ago, on 22 July, authorities violently pushed several protesting LRSU unionists to the ground in the same area of central Phnom Penh as strikers attempted to walk to the NagaWorld casino.

1 August 2022

Online money lending networks are targeting Cambodian women on Facebook and Telegram, trapping them into growing debts and extorting them using naked photographs and videos. Social media companies and Cambodian authorities are failing to act, allowing these predatory groups to exploit women with impunity.

In the last year, LICADHO has provided services to three women who have been harassed by informal online lenders. Each with similar experiences, the women first borrowed sums as small as $50 to pay for daily expenses or medical care from groups advertising on Facebook, but ended up being blackmailed and extorted after sending naked photographs and videos in an attempt to escape the cycle of debt.