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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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
The government ordered the US-funded NGO, National Democratic Institute (NDI ), to stop activities and remove foreign staff. Cambodia's foreign ministry accused the NDI of operating without registration and said foreign staff had seven days to leave. The order came after the NGO was accused of providing the Cambodia National Rescue Party with an “ill-intended” plan to overthrow the government.
VOA | PPP | CD | Khmer Time | VOD | VOA | PPP | CD | Khmer Time | VOD
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Koh Kong
Land rights and forced evictions
On 22 August 2017 approximately 100 villagers from Koh Kong province, gathered in front of the Land Management Ministry in Phnom Penh to hand over a letter regarding a land dispute, involving a 782-hectare sugarcane plantation owned by Heng Huy and CPP senator Ly Yong Phat. The villagers attempted to walk to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s house in protest and claimed they were pushed and kicked during a run-in with security guards as they protested.
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
The Ministry of Information ordered the suspension of operations of two indepedent radio stations, Women’s Media Center of Cambodia (WMC) and Moha Nokor, for violating terms of their licence agreement. These stations both leased airtime to two US media outlets deemed critical of the government, RFA and VOA. However the Ministry of Information rejected suggestions that it was targeting RFA and VOA.
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Kandal
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
The Kandal Provincial Court summonsed three villagers for questioning over their roles in a protest against sand dredging. Villagers blame sand dredging for the loss of several farms and homes, which collapsed into the river in the Sa’ang distric. The three villagers appeared at Kandal provincial court on 30 October 2017 over accusations that they had incited the protests.
CD | Khmer Time | PPP | CD | Khmer Time | PPP
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
Sourn Serey Ratha, head of the Khmer Power Party and a frequent government critic, was arrested in relation to a facebook post criticizing the recent deployment of Cambodian troops to the Laos border. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison and a 2,500 USD fine for “inciting military personnel to disobedience, demoralization of the army and incitement.”
PPP | RFA | Khmer Time | CD | RFI | VOD | Fresh New | PPP | RFA | Khmer Time | CD | RFI | VOD | Fresh New
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
Radio Free Asia and Voice of America were accused by the Ministry of Economy and Finance of failing to pay taxes and failing to register correctly with the Tax Department.
PPP | CD | Khmer Time | PPP | CD | Khmer Time
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
Political analyst, Kim Sok, was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment, a fine of 8 million riel (approximately $2,000) to be paid to the State, and a fine of 800 million riels (approximately $200,000) to be paid to the CPP, for having suggested during a radio interview that the ruling party (CPP) was involved in the murder of notorious political analyst and frequent government critic, Dr. Kem Ley, who was shot dead on 10 July 2016.
CD | PPP | Khmer Time | CD | PPP | Khmer Time
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
Human rights NGOs, Adhoc, Licadho and elections monitor Comfrel were called to questioning by the Ministry of Finance’s Taxation Department in relation to their tax payments. All three organizations maintained that they have paid the d taxes.
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Koh Kong
Torture, arrests and illegal detentions
Cambodian authorities detained and questioned a youth activist from the domestic environmental NGO Mother Nature, in Kandal province. The youth activist was arrested after he joined a protest with villagers to demand an end to local sand dredging and was accused of 'inciting a community to protest' and illegally flying a drone.
RFA | PPP | Khmer Time | CCHR | Fresh News | Khmer Time | CD | PPP | VOD
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Phnom Penh
Torture, arrests and illegal detentions
On 3 August 2017, Khmer National United Party President, Nhek Bunchhay, was arrested and taken in for police questioning, over a 2007 drug production case in Phnom Sruoch district, Kampong Speu.
Fresh News | Khmer Time | CD | PPP | VOD | Fresh News | Khmer Time | CD | PPP | VOD
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
An amendment of the Law on Political Parties was approved by Cambodia’s Constitutional Council and signed into effect. It bans political parties from associating with or using the voice, image or written documents of anyone convicted of a criminal offense. Any party in violation of this amendment may be dissolved, banned from political activities for up to five years or prohibited from running in elections.
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
The Ministry of Interior issued a series of letters to NGOs warning them that failure to comply with all aspects of LANGO, by the end of September, would result in legal action. In letters to the NGOs Comfrel and Nicfec – both members of the election monitoring coalition the “Situation Room” – the ministry warned the watchdogs against violating Article 24 of the LANGO, which stipulates that groups must be politically neutral. NGOs had until the end of September to submit all their local bank accounts details, and had to send annual and financial reports to the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Economy and Finance for 2016.
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
The Prime Minister ordered an investigation into the ad hoc election monitoring group known as the Situation Room, on the basis that it was not registered under the LANGO. The group was accused of using election observation as a pretext for attempting a color revolution, shortly after the platform gave a mixed review of the elections, stating that they could not be considered “free and fair” due to intense pre-election repression of the main opposition party and repeated threats of violence from senior government and military figures.
CD | PPP | Fresh News | CD | PPP | Fresh News
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
Australian filmaker James Ricketson, who was being held in pre-trial detention at Prey Sar prison, was charged under Article 446 of the Cambodian Penal Code with receiving or collecting information, processes, objects, documents, computerised data or files, with a view to supplying them to a foreign state or its agents, which are liable to prejudice the national defence, for flying a drone over a CNRP rally without prior authorisation. He was eventually convicted of espionage on 31 August 2018 and released following a royal pardon on 21 September 2018.
PPP | SMH | The Guardian | PPP | SMH | The Guardian
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
The Ministry of Interior publicly announced in the news that the government was investigating multiple NGOs, including human rights NGOs LICADHO and ADHOC, and election watchdog Comfrel, for allegedly violating neutrality by supporting political parties.
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Oddar Meanchey
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
Four monks were arrested by police after attending a CNRP rally in Samraong city. Their mobile phones were seized and photos and videos of the event were deleted by the authorities. They were also asked to delete posts about the event which they had posted on Facebook.
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Svay Rieng
Land rights and forced evictions
Eight individuals out of a group of 200 villagers from Ampil commune, in Romeas Hek district involved in a land-dispute with a development company, were summonsed to court over allegations that they were illegally occupying state land in relation to a three hour stand-off with police on the land in question. Villagers claimed that they owned the land and that it was illegally taken from them.
Khmer Time | RFA | VOD | Khmer Time | RFA | VOD
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
Villagers from Oddar Meanchey province, who had come to Phnom Penh to submit a petition to various ministries regarding a land dispute, were prevented from marching in Phnom Penh by Daun Penh security guards, on the basis that it posed a threat to the city's security.
Khmer Time | VOD | Khmer Time | VOD
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Phnom Penh
Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
Thuy Vy and Lim Sophea, two organisers of a Khmer National Liberation Front (KNLF) press conference, were arrested by police in Phnom Penh after one called for the release of KNLF members and other political prisoners from prison. The Police Chief claimed they were arrested because they had distributed leaflets that incited the people in the past. The Cambodian authorities consider the KNLF a terrorist group.
PPP | CD | Khmer Time | PPP | CD | Khmer Time