Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)

A Cambodian rights group has expressed concern about Internet freedom and the implications of a recent government decree calling for the relocation of all Internet cafés located within a 500 meter radius of schools and educational institutions in Phnom Penh.

International Human Rights Day is an opportunity to reflect on rights issues in Cambodia, such as land evictions, freedom of expression, the independence of the judiciary, corruption and impunity for serious crimes.

The Cambodian Center for Human Rights provides an overview of the status of parliamentary immunity under Cambodian law. The case of a prominent opposition Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker, Mu Sochua, is another example of the lengths to which the government will go to intimidate opposition voices, CCHR notes.

IFEX members have condemned a “fundamentally flawed” rights declaration unveiled at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit, at the same time expressing concern about ongoing free expression concerns in Cambodia and in the region.

The Cambodian Center for Human Rights re-releases its 2011 legal analysis of the charges against opposition leader Sam Rainsy and asserts that not only his charges but also his recent exclusion from the voter list is politically motivated.

Cambodian authorities have been repeatedly disturbing the organisation of parallel civil society events in Phnom Penh, while land activists were warned that protesters would be arrested during the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit.

During a mission to the provinces to collect information regarding land conflicts, a team from the Cambodian Center for Human Rights was faced with interference and disruption to its work.

In the lead up to the forthcoming ASEAN summit, CCHR expresses concern over the lack of meaningful dialogue with Cambodian civil society or input into the process.