LIBRARY

26 April 2024

Youths from the Mother Nature Movement and other activists today led a commemorative walk in honour of murdered environmental activist Chut Wutty. Wutty was shot dead on 26 April 2012 whilst patrolling a protected forest area with two journalists in Koh Kong province. A military police officer, In Rattana, was also fatally shot on the same day and blamed for Wutty’s killing following a flawed investigation.

Around 20 youth activists from Mother Nature and six monks gathered in front of Phnom Penh’s Night Market this morning to begin the march. Participants painted messages on their faces and wore white headbands, conducted chants, held a short performance, and carried banners calling for justice for the murder. The march concluded at Hotel Cambodiana, where participants submitted a petition calling for an independent investigation into the killing to authorities from the Ministry of Justice.

26 April 2023

Youth members from Mother Nature Cambodia today led a commemorative walk and ceremony to mark the murder of environmental activist Chut Wutty, who was shot dead in 2012 whilst accompanying two journalists on a patrol of protected forest in Koh Kong province. Military police officer In Rattana, who was also fatally shot on the same day as Wutty, was blamed for the killing after a flawed investigation.

Around 25 youths from Mother Nature, the Cambodian Youth Network, and the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association this morning gathered at Botumvatey Pagoda to walk to the Ministry of Justice. They displayed photographs of Wutty and commemorative slogans, and dressed as Wutty to symbolise the continuation of his mission to safeguard the environment and natural resources.

On arrival, representatives delivered speeches about ongoing damage to Cambodia’s forests and called for the ministry to deliver justice for Wutty. They handed a petition to police for delivery to the ministry. The youths were monitored throughout the event by around a total of 15 Daun Penh para-police and plainclothes authorities.

26 April 2022

On the tenth anniversary of his murder, we the undersigned civil society groups, non-governmental organisations, activists and grassroots communities reiterate the call for relevant institutions including the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of National Defense and Koh Kong provincial authorities to undertake a credible and thorough investigation to hold all those responsible for his murder to account.

30 January 2019

Cambodia’s human rights record comes under review at the UN Human Rights Council today as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process.

LICADHO contributed to two joint submissions with the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Forum-Asia which catalogue state repression of human rights defenders, media and civil society, as well as the human cost of rampant land grabbing.

2 November 2015

To mark the United Nations’ second International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, we, the undersigned civil society organizations (“CSOs”), call upon the Royal Government of Cambodia to bring an end to Cambodia’s rampant culture of impunity, and to ensure that the perpetrators of human rights violations are brought to justice.

26 April 2014

Today, groups in Koh Kong and Phnom Penh conducted ceremonies to commemorate assassinated environmental activist Chut Wutty. This day marks two years since Wutty was shot dead whilst accompanying two Cambodia Daily journalists on an investigation into illegal logging in the protected forest of the Cardamom Mountains, Koh Kong.

More than 20 youths and 15 monks assembled at Preah Ang Dongker, Phnom Penh, to pray for Wutty, and to appeal to the government to put an end to illegal logging and to bring to justice those responsible for Wutty’s death. Security guards were present, although no violence occurred. In Koh Kong, where Wutty was murdered, approximately 95 youths, rural community members and monks, including Venerable Sovath, gathered to commemorate his life.

Military police officer In Rattana, who was shot on the same day as Wutty, was blamed for the killing following a highly flawed investigation.

23 November 2013

On November 12, 2013 a street vendor, Eng Sokhum, was killed and nine others wounded by police gunfire during a garment workers’ strike in Phnom Penh. On September 15, 2013 Mao Sok Chan was shot in the head and killed when trying to make his way home through a violent clash at a roadblock at the end of a day of post-election protest. As yet, neither incident has been properly investigated and no one has been held responsible. Investigations by LICADHO show that these recent tragedies were not exceptional and were in fact illustrative of a pervasive tendency to the unlawful use of excessive force, fueled by failure to investigate or punish.

22 October 2012

Timber Green employee Ran Boroath was sentenced to two years in prison today for allegedly killing the military police officer that the government claims killed environmental activist Chut Wutty.

Three-quarters of the sentence was suspended, however, and Ran Boroath is due to be released from prison within the next two weeks.

30 May 2012

We, Cambodian and International civil society organizations represented in this statement, condemn the use of armed force and escalating violence against citizens peacefully defending their land, labor and natural resources rights. We are referring to not only the events earlier last week on 22nd May, when dozens of peaceful Boeung Kak Lake (BKL) protesters were violently dispersed and two days later when fifteen (fourteen women and one male) BKL residents were sent to Prey Sar prison and charged and convicted of unfounded criminal offenses, but also the recent shooting incidents-the killings of environmental activist Chut Wutty in Koh Kong province and 14-year old girl Heng Chantha in Kratie province, and the shooting of three young women protesting for better working conditions in Svay Rieng province. These incidents are particularly disturbing because they indicate an increasing readiness on the part of security and military forces to use lethal force against civilians.