The timeline below offers a visual representation of some of the key human rights violations and restrictions which have occurred in the Kingdom of Cambodia from 2013-2023, and follows our previous timeline covering 1993-2012 which can still be accessed here. The incidents recorded on the timeline from 2013-2023 represent human rights violations by the Royal Government of Cambodia as well as third parties, cover a wide range of issues including extrajudicial killings, convictions of human rights defenders, land grabs, forced evictions, restrictions of the rights to peaceful assembly, association and expression, torture, arrests, arbitrary detention and legislative and institutional developments relevant to human rights. The information is gathered from the Khmer and English media, CCHR’s own Fundamental Freedoms Monitoring Project, and from the commentary and analysis of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working on these issues. Each entry is accompanied by a short description and provides links to media articles reporting on the event or to the work of CSOs active in the field. It should not be forgotten that the cases included in the timeline are those that have garnered the attention of the media or CSOs, and are as such particularly emblematic or high-profile. The timeline is therefore only representative of a small fraction of the actual number of human rights violations occurring in Cambodia.
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Battambang
Land rights and forced evictions
Sin Chan Pov Rozet, CNRP member and commune chief candidate in Battambang province’s O’Char commune, was summonsed to court, alongside 13 others, for taking part in a January protest objecting to the transfer of land to a local police officer following a court order. The protesters were challenging the court's decision, hoping that the land would be turned into a health centre or a school. Sin Chan Pov Rozet asserted that she was only present that day to monitor the protest as part of her official role.
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Koh Kong
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
The police in Smach Meanchey commune, Koh Kong province, forcibly removed banners calling for the release of imprisoned human rights defenders, known as the ADHOC 5, at the office of three NGOs, despite them having been hung up for more than three months. The removal took place the day after the Phnom Penh Municipal Court extended the pre-trial detention of the ADHOC 5.
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
More than 1,000 workers attempting to conduct a march to the National Assembly on International Workers' Day in Phnom Penh were prevented from doing so by police officers who claimed that the march should be stopped to protect national security. Following negotiations, the workers were permitted to conduct a short march, accompanied by about 100 armed riot police. The authorities said that the march contravened a city hall ban and took place in sensitive locations.
PPP | CD | Khmer Time | PPP | CD | Khmer Time
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Ratanakkiri
Physical and judicial threats against journalists and or human rights defenders
Six journalists who were investigating possible illegal timber trafficking near the Vietnam border, following a truck they suspected was involved in illegal activities, were arrested and taken to a police station by the Ratanakkiri provincial police. No explanation was given for the arrest, and at the police station they were asked for a permission letter from the provincial governor, even though this is not d by law and they had media passes. The journalists were released after 30 minutes, by which time the truck they had been following was gone.
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
Eight female land activists were detained by Daun Penh security forces after attempting to hand over a petition to the World Bank, as soon as they had arrived. The petition asked that all external grants to Cambodia be halted until the government resolved the land disputes at Boeung Kak Lake and Borei Keila. According to the activists, security forces dragged them onto a truck and sent them to Wat Phnom to prevent the submission of their petition.
Khmer Times | PPP | VOD | Khmer Times | PPP | VOD
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
Former CNRP president Sam Rainsy was convicted in absentia of incitement and defamation through the media by the Phnom Penh court for comments he made on Facebook, alleging that political commentator Kem Ley’s murder was an act of “state sponsored terrorism”. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison and a fine of 10 million riel. This was the fourth conviction against Sam Rainsy in 2017.
PPP | CD | Khmer Time | PPP | CD | Khmer Time
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
Two women human rights defenders were arrested while gathering in Phnom Penh’s Borei Keila neighborhood, carrying placards calling for the release of political prisoners, including Boeung Kak Lake activist Tep Vanny and election official Ny Chakrya. The pair were released about 12 hours later, after promising to cease their campaigning. Later, comments by public officials associated such actions with a color revolution.
CD | PPP | Business and Human Rights Resource Centre | CD | PPP | Business and Human Rights Resource Centre
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Phnom Penh
Physical and judicial threats against journalists and or human rights defenders
Oeuth Ang was convicted of murder and illegal gun posSomething is wrong and sentenced to life in prison in relation to the July 2016 murder of political analyst and frequent government critic, Kem Ley. The hearing lasted about 30 minutes with the suspect confessing to the crime. Despite the conviction, many commentators called for a further independent and impartial investigation into possible other accomplices, since the reason given by Oeuth Ang for the killing - an unpaid debt - was widely decried by those close to Kem Ley and Oeuth Ang as being improbable.
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
The screening of a documentary on the murder of political analyst Kem Ley by the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association, to a small audience in a private residence, was interrupted by a group of about 50 armed police and security guards on the basis that permission was not requested from the authorities. Four students were arrested and questioned for three hours before being released on the condition that they would ask for permission from the municipal authorities before screening the documentary again.
PPP | CD | Khmer Time | PPP | CD | Khmer Time
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Phnom Penh
Legislative and institutional developments relevant to human rights
Senators from the ruling CPP party approved controversial amendments to the Law on Political Parties, in the absence of the opposition, which boycotted the hearing. The amendments allow the government to dissolve or ban any political party if its leader is convicted of criminal offences, and ban such individuals from becoming president or deputy president of a political party.
Khmer Time | CD | CCHR&CSO | OHCHR | Khmer Time | CD | CCHR&CSO | OHCHR
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Phnom Penh
Physical and judicial threats against journalists and or human rights defenders
Land activist and woman human rights defender Tep Vanny was found guilty of intentional aggravated violence and sentenced to two and a half years in prison for allegedly ordering an attack on Daun Penh security guards,at a peaceful protest in 2013, when she called for the release of fellow Boeung Kak Lake activst, Yorm Bopha. She was also fined five million riel ($1,240) and ordered to pay four million and five million riel compensation to the security guard plaintiffs.
PPP | CD | Khmer Time | LICADHO | PPP | hCD | Khmer Time | LICADHO
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Phnom Penh
Physical and judicial threats against journalists and or human rights defenders
Political analyst Kim Sok was charged with incitement and placed in pre-trial detention for having suggested, during a radio interview, that the ruling party (CPP) was involved in the murder of popular political analyst and frequent government critic, Dr. Kem Ley, who was shot dead on 10 July 2016.
CD | Khmer Time | PPP | CD | Khmer Time | PPP
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Banteay Meanchey
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
Chao Veasna, a commune chief and CNRP official who was a candidate in the upcoming commune elections, was detained as a result of his involvement in a 2015 protest at the Poipet border crossing, when about 150 porters clashed with the police over hightened custom duties. Chao Veasna was charged with incitement, conspiring for intentional damage with aggravating circumstances and destruction of public property by the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court. He asserted that he was just monitoring the situation in his role as commune chief. No arrests took place in relation to the violence used against certain protesters by the police forces that day.
Khmer Time | PPP | CD | Khmer Time | PPP | CD
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
Protesters who were heading to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Phnom Penh mansion, to seek the Prime Minister's intervention in multiple long-running land grab disputes in Kampot province involving CPP Senator Ly Yong Phat and the company Heng Huy Agriculture, were violently repressed by Daun Penh district security guards. According to reports, some of the protesters were pushed to the ground and beaten by security guards, leaving some of them unconscious.
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Phnom Penh
Physical and judicial threats against journalists and or human rights defenders
Human rights defenders Am Sam Ath (LICADHO) and Chan Puthisak, (Boeung Kak Lake community representative) appeared before the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for instigating intentional violence as a result of claims made by Daun Penh security guards in relation to an October 2016 protest for World Habitat Day, which the two accused were monitoring. The accused were questioned, and no conviction or decision resulted from the hearing. During the 2016 protest, both Am Sam Ath and Chan Puthisak were severely beaten by security guards. Police blocked the march to Freedom Park, forcibly confiscated musical instruments and banners from the marchers and then violently attacked Chan Puthisak, who was filming the march. Am Sam Ath was attacked as he attempted to peacefully de-escalate the situation. Both men were left injured and in need of medical assistance.
Khmer Time | PPP | CD | LICADHO | Khmer Time | PPP | CD | LICADHO
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy (CNRP) was the subject of a defamation lawsuit regarding claims he made on Facebook, that Prime Minister Hun Sen bribed Thy Sovantha, former CNRP supporter and social media personality, to launch an online campaign against the CNRP. The lawsuit was filed by Thy Sovantha. The following day, the Prime Minister filed a separate complaint based on the same facts asking for one million US dollars as compensation.
CD | PPP | Khmer Time | CD | PPP | Khmer Time
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Siem Reap
Torture, arrests and illegal detentions
A deputy on a commune executive committee, who was also the top candidate for the CNRP in Angkor Chum's Tasom commune, was arrested and placed in pre-trial detention by the Siem Reap Provincial Court. He was accused of sand mining without a licence. The district chief of police denied the arrest being linked to politics even though others in the area who carried out similar activities were not arrested.
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Stung Treng
Physical and judicial threats against journalists and or human rights defenders
Uk Mao, a land activist and indigenous Kuoy who had been raising awareness of state and community forest clearing in Thala Borivat District, was arrested and interrogated by the authorities after having led reporters to the forest in Sam Ang Commune to show the negative effects of the land-clearing. He reported having been threatened with defamation charges for reporting false information and threatened with jail.
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Ratanakkiri
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
Sieng Piseth, an ice block vendor who was broadcasting League for Democracy Party (LDP) political messages over a loudspeaker on his motorbike, was stopped by police in Ratanakkiri province as his actions took place outside of the official political campaign period. He was made to sign a contract promising not to repeat his actions.
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Pursat
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
Land rights activist Kuch Veng was questioned by the Pursat Provincial Court following allegations of defamation, incitement to commit a felony and discrediting court decisions made by the Sna Anasa commune chief. The allegations related to events in 2012-2013, when he spoke out against the eviction of 21 families, and his public criticism of the five year sentence handed down in 2015 to an individual who protested the eviction.