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Cambodia: Brutality and Impunity of the Cambodian Security Forces Must be Stopped Through Criminal Prosecutions
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that over recent months, members of various Cambodian security forces have in separate incidents shot and injured young women in Phnom Penh, shot dead a villager in Kambong Cham, and wantonly driven a car into a smuggler there, killing him on the spot. The AHRC has also learned that no perpetrators of these crimes have been brought to justice.
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Cambodia: A Salute to the Workers’ Defiance of Politically Motivated Ban on Demonstrations
On 28 April 2006 the Municipality of Phnom Penh issued a ban on peaceful demonstrations that three trade unions had planned to celebrate International Labour Day on May 1. The trade unions--the Independent Teachers’ Association (ITA), with over 8000 members; the Free Trade Union Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC), with over 70,000 members, and the Cambodia Confederation of Apparel Worker Democratic Unions (CCAWDU), with over 2000 members--were ordered to celebrate May Day at their respective offices.
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Cambodia: New Law Removes Custodial Sentence for Defamation But Restricts Freedom of Expression
Under sustained international pressure, the government of Cambodia on April 21 decided to remove the custodial sentence of eight days to one year for defamation under article 63 of the 1992 criminal law, commonly known as the UNTAC Law. This is a positive development and should be welcomed, especially after a year of widely-condemned repression during which time Prime Minister Hun Sen used the defamation law to arrest opposition politicians and human rights defenders, silencing government critics and worsening the already endemic fear found among the Cambodian people.
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Cambodia: Bans on Protests Against Prime Minister Legalises Absolute Rule
In its meeting with NGOs on April 6, 2006 to discuss the draft law on demonstrations, Cambodia’s ministry of interior announced a ban on any demonstration to protest against the prime minister. Citing political instability, the ministry’s secretary of state, Nuth Sa An, said any demonstration calling for the prime minister’s resignation would be banned. Only a vote can oust him from power, he added. To emphasise his point, Nuth Sa An denounced the recent demonstrations in Bangkok leading to the resignation of the Thai prime minister. However, demonstrations against government ministers may be organised, asking for the prime minister to remove them.
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Cambodia: Attack on Opposition Unsolved After Nine Years
(New York) - Nine years after the grenade attack on an opposition party rally in Phnom Penh that left at least 16 dead and more than 150 injured, there has been no progress in bringing the perpetrators to justice, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch urged the U.S. government, which looked into the attack because an American was wounded, to reopen its investigation.
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Cambodia: The Authorities Must Ratify the First Optional Protocol to the ICCPR Now
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) notes that, as a result of encouragement from the international community, the Cambodian government signed the First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) on September 27, 2004. This signature is welcomed as a first step, but is meaningless without ratification. The provisions comprised within the First Optional Protocol only become legally binding upon States following ratification.
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Cambodia: Restrictive Law on Demonstrations Will Further Consolidate Dictatorial Rule
The latest draft of Cambodia’s law on peaceful demonstrations is so restrictive, that if adopted, the Cambodian people will be unable to exercise their rights to demonstrate and express their opinion at all. This law is the latest move by the government to institutionalise restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly (see AS-038-2006 for further discussion). Such restrictions are detrimental to genuine democracy and human rights
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Cambodia: Government Should Remove Obstacles to Freedom of Expression
In violation of their rights fo freedom to expression, the Kampuchea Krom community, on March 6, 2006 was denied permission to demostrate against the arrival of Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai in Cambodia. The community is an association of indigenous people of Vietnam now living in Cambodia as Cambodian citizen. The right to freedom of expression has been denied by the Cambodian authorities since 2003, when a mob attacked the Royal Thai embassy and Thai businesses in the capital, Phnom Penh. The attack was sparked by reports of derisive remarks made by a Thai actress about Cambodias ancient temple of Angkor Wat.
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Cambodia: Effective Measures Must be Taken to Stop Massive Land Grabbing
Although a group of villagers--members of an indigenous community--in Cambodia’s northeastern province of Rattanakiri were told by local authorities that their lands were reserved for development, around 10 years later no development has yet taken place. Instead, without without informing the villagers, the authorities conceded the land to a businessman.
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CHRAC Welcomes the Announcement to Decriminalize Defamation
The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a colaition of 18 local NGOs, welcomes and supports the announcement to review decriminalization defamation in the draft Penal Code by the head of the Royal Government in Kandal province on 14 February 2006 further to public appeals made by civil society including CHRAC members.
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