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Read More The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (“CCHR”) Releases Fair Trial Rights Annual Report Outlining Key Findings from its Monitoring at the Phnom Penh Appeal Court.
Today, CCHR’s Fair Trial Rights Project released its annual report “Fair Trial Rights in Cambodia, Monitoring at the Court of Appeal”, covering the period from 1 January to 31 December 2021. This Report analyzes data gathered through the daily monitoring of 85 randomly selected criminal cases at the Phnom Penh Court of Appeal, using a specifically designed trial-monitoring checklist to assess adherence to fair trial rights as set out in international and Cambodian law.
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Read More Immediately Release and Drop Charges Against CCFC staffers
The arrest of three staffers from the Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community (CCFC) and the unfounded charges of incitement and plotting against the nation marks yet another case of Cambodian authorities imprisoning human rights defenders for their peaceful activism. We, the undersigned groups, demand an end to the persecution of human rights defenders, and call for the three CCFC staffers to be immediately and unconditionally released, so they can continue their work. On the morning of 18 May, police formally arrested Theng Savoeun, CCFC president; Nhel Pheap, a senior organizing officer; and Thann Hach, who works as a community facilitator. They were first detained in Kratie province on the way to Phnom Penh on 17 May while they were travelling with dozens of people following an event in Ratanakiri province, and later transferred to Ratanakiri Police Commissariat.
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Read More CCHR Human Rights Defenders Alert – Phnom Penh, 23 May 2023 Three Coalition of Cambodia Farmer Community Association’s members arrested in Kratie Province
In the early afternoon of 17 May 2023, the Kratie provincial police, acting without a warrant, stopped and took 17 members of the Coalition of Cambodia Farmer Community Association (CCFC) to a police station for interrogation. Officers also brought 32 relatives of the members to the station, including children. The group was coming back to Phnom Penh from Ratanakiri Province, where they took part in a capacity building workshop and a staff reflection meeting from 13 to 14 May 2023. Three CCFC employees – President Mr. Theng Savoeun, Senior Organizing Officer Mr. Nhel Pheap, and Community Facilitation Officer Mr. Than Hach – were detained overnight before being sent to the Ratanakiri provincial police station for further questioning on 18 May. The other 14 CCFC members and the 32 relatives were freed and allowed to go home on 17 May. Authorities also seized computers and mobile phones used by CCFC staff members, as well as some of the organization's documents.
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Read More Joint Statement World Press Freedom Day
Phnom Penh, May 2, 2023—The 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day is jointly commemorated on 2nd May 2023 in Phnom Penh by over 10 civil society organizations and media association/organizations in collaboration with development partners. This event gathers around 200 participants including journalists, representatives from civil society organizations, youths, and other stakeholders.
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Read More The Cambodia Center for Human Rights (“CCHR”) marks World Press Freedom Day
3 May 2023 will mark World Press Freedom Day, a day to honor the crucial role that journalists play in delivering accurate and reliable information to the public, sometimes at the risk of their lives, and to recall the importance of press freedom in promoting good governance and democracy. This day also serves as a reminder that governments around the world need to fulfill their obligation to promote and respect press freedom, and enable a free and vibrant media landscape.
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Read More Joint Statement: States & investors have a responsibility to curtail the abuse of spyware
We, the undersigned organisations and individuals, call on the governments convening the Summit for Democracy 2023 to prioritise human rights due diligence for spyware technologies on the Summit’s agenda. We have witnessed and reported on how spyware has been repeatedly used to silence journalists, surveil human rights defenders, muzzle dissent, suppress freedom of expression of minorities, target LGBTQ+ persons and women, intimidate academia and discourage peaceful protests. To achieve greater transparency, accountability, peace and a more prosperous future for all, in alignment with the stated objective of the Summit, states and investors must act to prevent the proliferation and abuse of spyware. The unlawful and arbitrary use of spyware has a direct and often disproportionate impact on the right to privacy and degrades other human rights and civic freedoms. 1 For example, NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware is linked to at least 300 acts of physical violence in more than 45 countries worldwide. Women, LGBTQ+ persons and other vulnerable communities targeted by spyware face distinct risks of social exclusion, physical, psychological and sexual violence.
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Read More Press Release Celebration of the 112th Anniversary of International Women’s Day under the topic “Protecting Women and Girls for Inclusive Justice”
We, a group of civil society organizations (CSOs) including unions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and associations working for promoting women’s rights and gender equality in Cambodia, such as the Cambodian Food and Service Workers’ Federation (CFSWF), Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), Cambodian Alliance of Trade Union (CATU), Cambodian Tourism Workers Union Federation (BWTUC), Labour Right Supported Union (LRSU), Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA), Cambodian Youth Network Association (CYN), Youth Resource Development Program (YRDP), Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL), Sahmakum Teang Tnaut Organization (STT), Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC), Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), Klahaan Organization, and Equitable Cambodia (EC), have the honor to inform the general public, and national and international journalists that we are going to celebrate the 112th anniversary of the International Women’s Day . The topic for the 2023 commemoration is “Protecting Women and Girls for Inclusive Justice”.
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Read More The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (“CCHR”) Celebrates International Women’s Day
International Women's Day (“IWD”), celebrated annually on 8 March, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievements to celebrate women's achievements or rally for women's equality. The theme for 2023’s IWD is: “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.”
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Read More Joint Solidarity Statement Cambodia: Reverse Voice of Democracy's closure and ensure an enabling environment for independent media outlets
We, Manushya Foundation, ALTSEAN-Burma, Cambodian Center for Human Rights, ELSAM, Foundation for Media Alternatives, Free Expression Myanmar, ILGA Asia, SAFEnet, The 88 Project, and Women’s Peace Network, as the ASEAN Regional Coalition to #StopDigitalDictatorship, stand in solidarity with independent media, and call on the government to reverse its decision to revoke the license of Voice of Democracy (VOD), the leading bastion of independent journalism in Cambodia. We condemn the government’s grip on independent news outlets and ongoing digital dictatorship, which undermine free press and hinder the flow of information in the country ahead of the upcoming elections. We also condemn the avalanche of misogynistic abuse against a female VOD journalist.
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Read More Joint Statement: Media and civil society groups deeply disturbed by government’s decision to revoke VOD’s media license and the sexual harassment of a female reporter
We, the undersigned media and civil society organizations, are deeply disturbed by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s order to revoke the license of Voice of Democracy (VOD), one of the last remaining independent media outlets in Cambodia. We also condemn the recent sexual harassment and intimidation of a female VOD journalist.
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Read More MEDIA ALERT Revocation of License of Voice of Democracy (VoD)
On 9 February 2023, the Voice of Democracy (VoD) released an article quoting government spokesperson Mr. Phay Siphan stating that Mr. Hun Manet, deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and the son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who recently took the role of his father,had signed a budget contribution of $100.000 to support Turkey after the recent earthquake in the country and its neighbor Syria. According to Mr. Siphan, it was consistent to have Mr. Manet signing on the aid agreement because the premier was on a mission; however, Mr. Hun Manet denied the information reported in the article released by VoD saying he did not sign any budget contribution for Turkey. On 11 February 2023, after Mr. Manet’s reaction, the premier explained the process of the national budget management in order to clarify the confusion among the public. Moreover, the premier demanded VoD to publicly apologize to the government and his son within 24 hours, in response to a comment on the case made by one user on its Facebook page. He had previously given 72 hours to VoD to verify the facts and sources, and to apologize for the false report.
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CSOs condemn Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold the conviction of Ven Vorn, but welcome Supreme Court’s acquittal of Prey Lang activists
We, the undersigned civil society organizations (“CSOs”), condemn the decision of the Court of Appeal – on 21 September 2016 - to uphold the conviction and one-year suspended sentence of environmental activist Mr. Ven Vorn, despite the glaring deficiencies in the evidence and charges against him
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