Cambodia Monthly News Summary - July 2010
Published on 1 August 2010
Report on Sex Workers in Cambodia by HRW
July 20, 2010. Human Rights Watch launched a new report entitled " Off the Streets: Arbitrary Detention and Other Abuses against Sex Workers in Cambodia ". The report found that prostitutes throughout the country are victims of arbitrary arrest, unlawful detention, beatings and rape by authorities. The research was based on interviews with 90 sex workers in the past year. Problems are particularly acute in the capital Phnom Penh.
The secretary of state at the Ministry of Interior, in charge of combating trafficking, indicated that the government wants to hear of such abuses, as police are subject to the law and will prosecuted, However, complainants must name those deemed guilty to ensure an effective investigation.
Verdict of Duch Announced: Majority of Cambodians and International Community Disappointed
July 26, 2010. The UN backed Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, also known as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, announced its verdict of Toul Sleng Prison (S-21) Chief, Kaing Guek Eav, aka Duch, accused of killing and torturing more than 12,000 people. Duch was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment. The prison term was reduced to 30 years, as he was submitted to a long and unlawful pre-trail detention. Additionally since Duch has already spent 11 years in jail, the remaining prison term only adds up to 19 years.
The majority of Cambodians, specifically those who lost their relatives and families and the survivors from S-21 prison, as well as civil society and the international community, felt disappointed at the length of the sentence. However, some victims expressed their satisfaction with the positive aspects of the process and how the rule of law can be successfully implemented in Cambodian courts.
Chi Kreng Trial Adjourned
July 27, 2010. The court opened the trial of nine Chi Kreng community leaders, charged with the attempted murder of police officers, related to a long-running land grabbing dispute between Chi Kreng villagers and neighboring villagers. The arrests occurred on March 22, 2009, after military police opened fire on Chi Kreng villagers in their rice fields, injuring three people.
The trial commenced with a strong security presence outside the court room. Journalists, civil society monitors and families of the accused were barred from entering the courtroom, and only a small number of people were allowed in. The hearing was adjourned to August 2, 2010, after the defendants were interrogated, as the police witnesses for the prosecution were absent.
