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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Kampong Thom
Convictions of human rights defenders
On 12 October 2021, the Kampong Thom Provincial Court convicted and sentenced Chan Thoeun, a Prey Lang Community Network member and land activist, to a prison sentence of two years (which was suspended). Chan Thoeun was convicted of assault against an alleged timber trader, after the charge against him was downgraded from attempted murder to intentional violence with aggravating circumstances. Chan Thoeun, who is in hiding, says he was the victim, not the aggressor: he says he was threatened at knifepoint when he tried to capture footage of a timber trader hauling timber from a community forest in July 2020.
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
On 9 October 2021, Voeun Veasna, an exiled former CNRP activist and former land activist, shared a poem titled "Hun Sen is a Traitor" on Prime Minister Hun Sen's Facebook page. The poem criticized the Prime Minister for amending the constitution, thereby “destroying the country”, and for allowing Cambodia’s forests to be destroyed. Hun Sen responded to the post, saying it was full of "violent words" and calling Voeun Veasna an "extremist rebel", and said he hoped he would be arrested soon. Voeun Veasna said that while the Prime Minister only ordered his arrest this week, he was issued with a warrant by Phnom Penh Municipal Court in May 2021 already on charges of “obstructing the implementation of measures and inciting serious social unrest.”
RFA | UCA News | The Diplomat
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Phnom Penh
Physical and judicial threats against journalists and or human rights defenders
On 7 October 2021, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court charged multiple CNRP officials, including Sam Rainy, Eng Chhai Eang, Mu Sochua, Ho Vann and associates, with plotting and incitement. These new charges come after Sam Rainsy made a Facebook post on 5 October in which he claimed that Prime Minister Hun Sen had bought a Cypriot passport. According to the Court, the Facebook post amounted to a “plan to topple the government” because it used exaggerated information to incite the public and the armed forces.
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Preah Sihanouk
Physical and judicial threats against journalists and or human rights defenders
In the afternoon on 29 September 2021, authorities arrested Lak Keang, a former CNRP commune chief in Preah Sihanouk, was arrested at his home without showign a warrant or giving any reason or basis for his arrest. Around four cars with authorities dressed in civilian clothes arrived at his home to arrest him. Lak Keang was taken to Phnom Penh for questioning where he is being detained. A warrant issued by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court says Keang was to be questioned by a police working group to investigate land disputes and illegal encroachment of state land. According to National Police spokesman Keang is accused of forging public documents. This arrest comes just a few days after Prime Minister Hun Sen crashed a CNRP zoom meeting and railed against CNRP leader Sam Rainsy.
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Phnom Penh
Physical and judicial threats against journalists and or human rights defenders
On 29 September 2021, Tum Bunthan, a former member of a CNRP working group in Phnom Penh, was arrested while he was driving in Phnom Penh with his 2-year-old son, barely a month after returning fro exile in Thailand. Five or six motorbikes escorted his car back home so he could drop off his son. Tum Buthan was then arrested and is being detained. He is accused of incitement to discriminate and incitement to disturb social security. This arrest comes just a few days after Prime Minister Hun Sen crashed a CNRP zoom meeting and railed against CNRP leader Sam Rainsy.
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Koh Kong
Physical and judicial threats against journalists and or human rights defenders
On 30 September 2021, digital publisher Yuong Chhiv was swiftly convicted by the Koh Kong Court of incitement to commit a felony (under Article 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code) and sentenced to a year imprisonment and a 2 million riel fine ($500) for Facebook comments he made through his online media outlet Koh Kong Hot News on a land dispute between authorities and residents of Botum Sakor National Park. Yuong Chhiv was arrested and charged on 29 September after a complaint was filed by Koh Kong's Provincial Governor, who accused him of damaging his reputation with his comments and spreading fake news regarding this case.
VOD | CamboJa | KhmerTimes | VOA | VOA
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Kandal
Land rights and forced evictions
In an ongoing land dispute over 280 hectares of land between villagers in Tuol Pich commune in Kandal province and the Ministry of Defense, many villagers have been forced to accept inadequate compensation for their loss of land. The villagers have alleged that the authorities have threatened and intimidated them into accepting this low compensation offer or else they will get no offer and still be forcibly evicted from their land. Approximately 70 families have refused to accept the compensation and are currently waiting a resolution but it is unclear how many families have been coerced into accpeting the compensation offer.
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Koh Kong
Physical and judicial threats against journalists and or human rights defenders
An online news publisher and journalist of the Koh Kong Hot News website, Youn Chhiv, was questioned by police after the Defense Minister instructed local authorities to take legal action against him for alelgedly a posting 'fake news' about a land dispute in the Botum Sakor National Park. Youn Chhiv is part of the land dispute he was reporting on and his questioning took place after he made several posts on his news page on Facebook criticizing the deputy governor for encroaching on and evicting villagers from their land. On 27 and 28 September, he was forced to make a public apology to the deputy governor and one promising not to publish disinformation which confused the public. On 30 September 2021, he was charged with incitement to commit a felony under Articles 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code and convicted of the charges that same day and sentenced to a year in prison. He was also fined 2 million riel and sent to prison. Additionally on 30 September, the deputy governor of Koh Kong also filed a defamation lawsuit against Chhiv.
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Phnom Penh
Violence against activists
A young Khmer Thavrak activist, Touch Srey Nich, was attacked by four or five unknown assailants on a motorbike when she was driving down a road in Phnom Penh's Boeng Trabak district. The assailants allegedly crashed into her motorbike with their bikes and began hitting her and she ultimately fell off of her motorbike as a result of the attack. She was left with serious injuries to her head, arms, and legs yet unable to go to the hospital for medical treatment becuase she could not afford to pay for care. The attack came after she gave an interview with RFA on 24 September 2021 in which she commented on the restrictions and persecution of youth activists in Cambodia.
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Ratanakiri
Physical and judicial threats against journalists and or human rights defenders
On 20 September 2021, Chhorn Phalla, an environmental activist from Ratanakiri province, was arrested, charged with illegally encroaching on state forest land and sent to pre-trial detention. He was originally called to the commune police station to update his ID card but upon arrival, he was arrested and taken to the district police station. The warrant for his arrest was issued in February 2021 in relation to the clearing of state land in Lumphat district in 2019 and 2020. However, Chhorn Phalla was not shown the warrant when he was arrested. The activist was attacked and beaten by a mob during a public forum in July 2020 after accusing local authorities and villagers of deforestation. He subsequently filed a lawsuit against ten villagers and six local officials.
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
During a speech on 17 September 2021, Prime Minister Hun Sen said an arrest warrant has been issued for political analyst Seng Sary. On 21 July, Seng Sary made a Facebook post on the formation of a unity government, highlighting six conditions for its creation. Hun Sen said this did not fall under freedom of expression because "an illegitimate government or movement are armed forces rebels". Seng Sary, who fled to Thailand, said he was worried for his safety. Update: Prime Minister Hun Sen later retracted his comments and asked the Courts to stop legal proceedings against Seng Sary.
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
On 9 September 2021, Prime Minsiter Hun Sen tapped into a private Zoom call between former CNRP leaders, many of whom live in exile, to warn them they he had been monitoring them. The Prime Minister was reportedly able to gain access to this Zoom call because one of the CNRP members in the Zoom call had electronically shared the link and passwords with others. During the call, the Prime Minister claimed that the former CNRP memebrs were personally insulting him during their conversations. He then began to hold a 12-minute long conversation with Long Ry (a former CNRP member on the call). This exchange was video recorded and began circulating around social media. Later, Sok Eysan, a spokesman for the Cambodian People's Party denied the intrusion into the Zoom call and claimed that the video clip was a fabrication. However, on 17 September 2021, the Prime Minister, in a live television broadcast, acknowledged the exchange on the Zoom call and said that he had tapped about 20 previous calls of CNRP members without revealing his presence. He also emphasied that he was not reaching out to negotiate with the CNRP but instead to warn them against their "disruptive activities"
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Phnom Penh
Physical and judicial threats against journalists and or human rights defenders
Phnom Penh's Appeal Court upheld the decision of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court dated 11 November 2020 to convict Khmer Liberation Front member Thuy Vy for conspiracy and to sentence him to seven years imprisonment. Thuy Vy was arrested and convicted for his involvement in and support of ex-CNRP leader Sam Rainsy's planned return to Cambodia in November 2019.
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Kandal
Land rights and forced evictions
Following the arrest of 30 villagers during a protest regarding their land dispute with OCIC over the construction of the new Phnom Penh airport construction in Kandal province, nine of them, including four women, were charged with three counts of “intentional acts of violence with aggravating circumstances, obstructing a public official with aggravating circumstances and incitement to commit felony” under Articles 218, 504 and 495 of the Criminal Code and placed in pre-trial detention in Takhmao prison. The other 21 protesters were released.
VOD | CamboJa | PPP | Cambodianess | KhmerTimes
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Kandal
Physical and judicial threats against journalists and or human rights defenders
Chray Nim, a land activist and citizen journalist, reported having been arrested by the police on the morning of 13 September 2021 and detained for filming the gates of a police station and preparing to interview the relatives of the 30 protesters arrested the previous day over the ongoing land dispute over the new Phnom Penh International airport in Kandal province. She claimed to have been questioned for an hour before being released in the evening of the same day.
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Kandal
Land rights and forced evictions
On 12 September 2021, the police arrested about 30 local villagers impacted by the new Phnom Penh International airport project in Kandal province during a gathering organized by 100 affected villagers in protest against the blockade of the roads leading to farms and the clearing of their farmlands, although no agreement has been reached on an adequate compensation to be offered to the affected families for the loss of their lands. The local authorities stated that protesters were arrested for using violence against the police, injuring 13 officers. In contrast, the families of the detained protesters claimed that they were being pressured into accepting the low compensation offered by the company.
VOD | VOD | RFA | CamboJa | KhmerTimes
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Phnom Penh
Violence against activists
Phnom Penh district authority guards prevented approximately 10 Friday Women from gathering in from of the US Embassy to call for the release of their husbands from prison. The police used violence against the women to disperse their protest and pinched them, snatched banners from their hands, twisted their arms, and sprayed alcohol in their eyes, causing minor injuries. The justification used by authorities for dispering their protest was that it was against COVID-19 regulations to gather in a group. The authorities also threatened the women with 14 days detainment if they did not disperse their protest.
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced seven former CNRP activists in abstenia to 18 months in prison for incitement under Articles 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code and ordered each defendant to pay a $500 fine. The conviction stems from posts the defendants made on Facebook throughout 2020 which allegedly criticized the government leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting deaths from the governments poor response. The defendants include, Nou Sothea, Rin Roth, Run Chanthy, Mao Vibol, Sim Sophea, Pech Sambo, and Neang Sokhon. All of the defendants fled Cambodia last year in fear of being targeted and arrested. During the trial, the defendants were accused of posting and spreading 'fake news' about COVID-19.
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Koh Kong
Land rights and forced evictions
Around 100 villagers in Koh Kong, Botum Sakor district have said that authorities began clearing their crops and dismantling their homes, starting from 29 August to 4 September 2021. Villagers lost 12 hectares of cashew trees, 9 hectares of planted fruit, among other crops. The destruction of the crops has cost the villagers several thousand dollars and their livelihoods. The officials have accused the villagers of illegally occupying state land in the national park area, even though many of the families have been living and farming in the area for over a decade.
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Kandal
Land rights and forced evictions
A mother and a son, Heang Heak (42) and Tuon Dina (18) who have been contesting the construction of the new Phnom Penh International airport were arrested and detained after they took pictures of their rice fields being cleared by the land developer. After Dina took the picture of the rice fields, authorities approached the pair and inquiried as to why they were in the area. The authorities then took the mother and son to the Kandal Provincial Police headquarters where they were questioned for several hours before bing forced to thumbprint a contract pledging not to visit the rice fields anymore. The authorities also confiscated Dina's cellphone and released Dina and KHeak on the evening on 8 September 2021. Heak says she is now really worried about her safety because she said the authorities threatened to arrest her husband and take away her property if she continued to demand adequate compensation for the land. Police are now allegedly stationed outside of her home and her husband, Toun Vannak, is not allowed to enter the home.