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.

Filter LANGO Timeline

LANGO Timeline

  • ICNL comments on the 4th draft of LANGO

    ICNL comments on the 4th draft of LANGO

    Advocacy(Analysis)

    ICNL on 13 December released its comment on the fourth draft of LANGO

    ICNL | ICNL

  • Fourth Draft of LANGO

    Fourth Draft of LANGO

    Draft Law

    The fourth draft of LANGO was not much changed to the previous version.

    Sithi | LICADHO | Sithi | LICADHO

  • Joint Letter to Huruhiko Kuroda, President of Asian Development Bank, regarding draft law threatening civil society in Cambodia

    Joint Letter to Huruhiko Kuroda, President of Asian Development Bank, regarding draft law threatening civil society in Cambodia

    Advocacy(Letter)

    The draft law poses a serious threat to civil society’s freedom of association and freedom of expression as it contains broad and vague provisions that could be used to arbitrarily deny registration or close NGOs or associations. The ADB should convince the Cambodian authorities to immediately withdraw the draft law.

    HRW | HRW

  • UN experts criticize draft NGO law

    UN experts criticize draft NGO law

    Advocacy(Statement)

    United Nations experts have said that Cambodia’s proposed NGO law could violate international law and have called for a meeting with the government to discuss it.

    PPP | OHCHR | OHCHR | PPP

  • CCHR Releases a Briefing Book on the Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations and the Shrinking Space for Civil Society in Cambodia

    CCHR Releases a Briefing Book on the Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations and the Shrinking Space for Civil Society in Cambodia

    Advocacy(Briefing Book)

    Briefing Book discusses the threat posed to civil society and democratic space in Cambodia in light of recent actions by agencies of the Royal Government of Cambodia (“RGC”) and the controversial draft Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations ("LANGO").

    CCHR | Asian Human Rights Commission | CCHR | Asian Human Rights Commission

  • Ministers react to UN criticism of NGO Law

    Ministers react to UN criticism of NGO Law

    Government Action

    Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said the criticisms were ill-directed as there was a fourth generation of the law that heeded advice from international organizations.

    PPP | PPP

  • UN Urged to Speak Out on NGO Draft Law

    UN Urged to Speak Out on NGO Draft Law

    Advocacy(Letter)

    Ten international right groups sent out a letter calling UN to take an opposition against NGO law that would threaten to the activities of civil societies in Cambodia

    OHCHR | Sahrika | The Wall Street Journal | The Thomson Reuters Foundation | OHCHR | Sahrika | The Wall Street Journal | The Thomson Reuters Foundation

  • UN Special Rapporteur on Cambodia urges authorities to stop the current draft NGO law

    UN Special Rapporteur on Cambodia urges authorities to stop the current draft NGO law

    Advocacy(Report)

    The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Surya P. Subedi, urged the Cambodian authorities to carefully review the current draft Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations, expressing concern that "it may hamper the legitimate work of NGOs in the country."

    OHCHR | OHCHR

  • Draft of NGOs law under discussing at Council of Jurist today of Cambodia

    Draft of NGOs law under discussing at Council of Jurist today of Cambodia

    Government Action

    Draft of NGOs law is under the hand of council of minister team which was set by Prime Minister to review this draft today Sept 5, 2011. After the team review it, the draft law will be returned to Ministry of Interior (MoI) and after that MoI review it and send to Council of Jurist.

    Khmer journal of Cambodia | VOA | Khmer journal of Cambodia | VOA

  • Government slams critics of NGO law

    Government slams critics of NGO law

    Government Action

    A government spokesman has hit back at a coalition of 10 prominent rights groups that have urged Cambodia’s foreign donors to consider freezing funding if the controversial law on NGOs and associations is passed in its current form.

    Sahrika | Sahrika

  • Human rights organizations are calling on donor governments to reassess their aid programs to Cambodia if the country passes a law that can be used to muzzle local and foreign NGOs

    Human rights organizations are calling on donor governments to reassess their aid programs to Cambodia if the country passes a law that can be used to muzzle local and foreign NGOs

    Advocacy(Letter)

    Ten groups have written to William Hague, the foreign secretary, Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, and Australia's foreign minister Kevin Rudd, sounding the alarm on a draft law now before Cambodia's council of ministers.

    The Guardian | Thomson Reuters Foundation | Devex | The Guardian | Thomson Reuters Foundation | Devex

  • International Org. Write a letter to various international individuals on the concerns on LANGO

    International Org. Write a letter to various international individuals on the concerns on LANGO

    Advocacy(Letter)

    10 international Org. including Human Rights Watch, OMCT, SEAPA, FIDH wrote a joint letter sent to Hilary Clinton and French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé and so on.

    HRW | Sahrika | Devex | HRW | Sahrika | Devex

  • Policy Paper by the Cambodian Center for Human Rights on the Current Status of the Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations

    Policy Paper by the Cambodian Center for Human Rights on the Current Status of the Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations

    Advocacy(Analysis)

    The purpose of this Policy Paper is to provide an overview both of the current status of the Draft Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations (the “Law”) and CCHR’s main concerns with the Law in light of the recommendations that it has made in response to previous drafts of the Law.

    CCHR | CCHR

  • A letter of CIDSE to Seamus Gillespie, a head of Unit of South East Asia on concerning of LANGO

    A letter of CIDSE to Seamus Gillespie, a head of Unit of South East Asia on concerning of LANGO

    Advocacy(Letter)

    CIDSE request sir Seamus Gillespie to take action with the government of Cambodia to prevent law from being passed and raised their directly concerns.

    CIDSE | CIDSE

  • Licadho released a comment on the third draft of LANGO

    Licadho released a comment on the third draft of LANGO

    Advocacy(Briefing Paper)

    The analysis mentioned about the violations the Cambodian’s freedom of Association, Assembly, and expression.

    LICADHO | LICADHO

  • CCHR'S Legal Analysis Of the Third Draft Of LANGO

    CCHR'S Legal Analysis Of the Third Draft Of LANGO

    Advocacy(Legal Analysis)

    CCHR released a third legal analysis on LANGO.

    CCHR | CCHR

  • Sahmakum Teang Tnuat Suspended

    Sahmakum Teang Tnuat Suspended

    Government Action

    The Ministry of Interior issued a letter to local NGO Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT) to "suspend [its] activities" until December 31, 2011, a period of five months.

    LICADO | Thomson Reuter Foundation | MoI Letter | LICADHO | Thomson Reuter Foundation | MoI Letter

  • Comments on the Third Draft of the Kingdom of Cambodia Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations

    Comments on the Third Draft of the Kingdom of Cambodia Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations

    Advocacy(Analysis)

    ICNL addressed the third draft of LANGO revealed by the government. The analysis mentioned about the violations the Cambodian’s freedom of Association, Assembly, and expression.

    ICNL | ICNL

  • Released third draft of LANGO by MoI

    Released third draft of LANGO by MoI

    Draft Law

    Sithi | ICNL | HIV/AIDS Coordinating Committee | Sithi | ICNL | HIV/AIDS Coordinating Committee

  • Joint Statement of Cambodian Associations and NGOs on second draft of LANGO

    Joint Statement of Cambodian Associations and NGOs on second draft of LANGO

    Advocacy(Joint Statement)

    They raised a concern that the law in its second draft gives far-reaching power to the authorities to control the rights of citizens to organize and express themselves.

    CCHR | CCHR