Latest Human Rights News

10 July 2023

Citizens, political party representatives and civil society groups, including NGOs and activists, congregated today to mark the seventh anniversary of Kem Ley’s murder. They continue their call for a genuine and impartial investigation into his death to establish the truth and secure justice for him and his family.

6 July 2023

We, the undersigned, call for the baseless charges of incitement against 10 land activists from three communities in Koh Kong province to be immediately dropped, and for their unconditional release. These activists did nothing but peacefully raise concerns and speak out in defence of their land and fellow community members, but have been harassed and imprisoned for doing so.

The 10 activists were arrested and charged with incitement under Articles 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code on 29 June 2023. Nine of them are currently in pre-trial detention in Koh Kong provincial prison; one was released on bail with restrictive conditions. The charges followed their attempt to peacefully travel to Phnom Penh to submit a petition to the Ministry of Justice. If convicted, each activist faces up to two years in prison and a fine of up to 4 million riel (about US$1000).

3 July 2023

The ombudsman of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has determined that a compliance investigation is warranted in response to a complaint that IFC’s investments in six microfinance institutions in Cambodia, as well as four funds and investors, contributed to harms suffered by Cambodian borrowers. However, in an unprecedented move, IFC management has requested that the IFC Board review the ombudsman’s decision – which could delay or end the compliance investigation process.

The Board has 10 working days to review the request. It may either allow the compliance investigation to move forward, reverse the CAO’s decision, or give itself additional time to review the request.

“An investigation is a crucial step toward justice and remediation for Cambodian borrowers who continue to suffer due to predatory lending,” said Naly Pilorge, outreach director of LICADHO. “The IFC management’s request for board review, after the CAO decided an investigation is merited, is a shameful ploy to avoid scrutiny. The IFC needs to prove that it is committed to accountability through the CAO and stop trying to corrupt an independent process.”

28 June 2023

We, the undersigned organisations, call on the Cambodian and Italian governments to immediately halt the reopening of intercountry adoptions. Cambodia has not enacted safeguards that will sufficiently protect the best interests of the child or prevent reoccurrences of the severe fraud and corruption that marked intercountry adoptions in the past.

Multiple countries banned intercountry adoptions from Cambodia throughout the 2000s following widespread evidence of illegal and unethical practices. These included Cambodian authorities and orphanage staff falsifying documents to declare some children orphaned or abandoned, often altering their names and birthdates. Children were then adopted abroad without their parents’ knowledge or informed consent. As a result, Cambodia itself suspended intercountry adoptions in 2009.

19 June 2023

Every day, there are people across Cambodia working tirelessly to defend everyone’s rights and freedoms. They do so in the face of relentless persecution, often at the hands of authorities.

These human rights defenders include farmers, company employees, and students who share in the struggles of their communities. Their efforts do not always receive the recognition they deserve, but remain immensely valuable in shaping the future.

1 June 2023

On Children’s Day 2023, amid a soaring number of minors detained behind bars, LICADHO calls on the Cambodian government, including the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior and courts, to immediately address the ongoing crisis of children unnecessarily growing up in Cambodia’s inhumane prisons.

The number of minors detained in the 19 prisons monitored by LICADHO has soared by more than 30% over the last year according to information provided by prison administrations, reaching 1,658 minors in April 2023. More than 96% of them are boys, 52% of them were in pre-trial detention, and a further 37% were awaiting a final verdict.

26 May 2023

Members of land communities from Koh Kong, Svay Rieng, Kampong Speu, Preah Vihear and Tbong Khmum provinces continued to gather to demand the release of three Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community (CCFC) staffers who were arrested on 18 May.

Theng Savoeun, the association’s president; Nhel Pheap, senior organizing officer; and Thann Hach, community facilitator officer, were charged by the Ratanakiri Provincial Court with plotting against the nation and incitement under Articles 453 and 494-495 of the Criminal Code, respectively. All three are currently in pre-trial detention in Ratanakiri prison.

Authorities have also threatened representatives from land communities in Svay Rieng, Kampong Speu, Koh Kong and Tbong Khmum provinces with arrest if they continue to gather in Phnom Penh.
This follows a series of gatherings between 19 and 22 May 2023 of land community members from Koh Kong, Preah Sihanouk, Svay Rieng, Kampong Speu, and Kandal provinces.

24 May 2023

The arrest of three staffers from the Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community (CCFC) and the unfounded charges of incitement and plotting against the nation marks yet another case of Cambodian authorities imprisoning human rights defenders for their peaceful activism.

We, the undersigned groups, demand an end to the persecution of human rights defenders, and call for the three CCFC staffers to be immediately and unconditionally released, so they can continue their work.

22 May 2023

Members of land communities from Koh Kong, Preah Sihanouk, Svay Rieng, Kampong Speu, and Kandal provinces gathered to demand the release of three Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community (CCFC) staffers who were arrested on 18 May.

Theng Savoeun, the association’s president; Nhel Pheap, senior organizing officer; and Thann Hach, community facilitator officer, were charged by the Ratanakiri Provincial Court with plotting against the nation and incitement under Articles 453 and 494-495 of the Criminal Code, respectively. Say Kouhav, the investigating judge, sent all three CCFC staff members to pre-trial detention in Ratanakiri prison at approximately 6:30 pm today. If convicted, they face between 5 and 10 years in prison.

While hundreds of community members gathered outside the Ministry of Interior to demand the three men’s release, many others were blocked by authorities from travelling to the capital. On 19 May 2023, community members from Koh Kong province were blocked by local authorities at 2 am as they attempted to drive to Phnom Penh. They were stopped for around two hours and threatened with arrest if they continued their journey. After they returned home, authorities warned community representatives that any further efforts by community members to gather in Phnom Penh would be met with arrests.

1 May 2023

Around 2,000 people celebrated International Labour Day 2023 at two key events in Phnom Penh this morning. Workers, unionists, and civil society gathered at Wat Phnom and outside the National Assembly to call for respect for labour rights and an end to harassment of unionists.

Garment workers, construction workers, informal workers, farmers, entertainment workers, domestic workers, hospitality workers, and others gathered this morning. Unionists and workers marched from Wat Phnom to the Council for the Development of Cambodia, where they gave speeches, sang songs, and shared ideas in a public forum. Another group marched from the National Assembly to Chea Vichea's statue, where they gathered to hear speeches.

30 March 2023

More than 1,000 community members from Siem Reap, Koh Kong and Kampong Speu provinces gathered in Phnom Penh between 27 March and 29 March to petition for solutions to ongoing land disputes affecting their homes and livelihoods, in some cases facing restrictions on movement and assembly from local authorities.

Between 27 and 28 March, about 150 people from seven Siem Reap communities gathered in Phnom Penh, where representatives submitted petitions to the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of National Defence on behalf of approximately 10,000 families who live within Angkor Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site that includes the temple of Angkor Wat. Their petitions included a request for the government to return land titles to community members, enact protections for the Kleang Tuek 78 reservoir, and provide fair compensation to those already affected by evictions within the site. The government has previously said the evictions are necessary to maintain the area’s UNESCO World Heritage status.

24 March 2023

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court this afternoon convicted Seam Pluk, co-founder of the Cambodia National Heart Party (CNHP), and twelve others on charges of forgery and use of forged documents under Articles 626, 627 and 628 of the Criminal Code. In addition to Pluk, who has been in detention since April 2022, three additional co-defendants were arrested hours before the verdict for unknown reasons.

The court sentenced Pluk to two years and six months in prison and imposed a fine of 5 million riel (USD $1,250), while the other 12 defendants received two-year sentences with the same fine. Warrants for their arrest were issued. The court provided no reasoning in its judgment.

10 March 2023

LICADHO has today published “No Path to Safety: Failing to Prevent Intimate Partner Killings in Cambodia”, a report on the murders of 26 women and five children committed by current or former intimate partners between January 2020 and June 2022.

Violence against women is one of the most pervasive human rights violations in Cambodia, yet a flawed and often unenforced legal framework frequently allows violence to continue and escalate. Too often, this leads to murder. Today, LICADHO is demanding change.

8 March 2023

About 3,000 people gathered across at least 10 provinces and Phnom Penh to celebrate International Women’s Day 2023. Between 5 March and 8 March, land and indigenous community members, labour rights activists, children, youth, local authorities and NGOs joined events to give speeches, march, dance and share solidarity meals.

Participants called for equality and respect for women’s rights, as well as solutions for problems they face, such as land disputes, gender-based violence, limited access to social protection, and harmful microfinance debt.

In some communities, local authorities participated and listened to concerns, but there were also attempts at restricting several gatherings. Local authorities warned community members in Kampot province on 7 March against proceeding with their event planned for the following day, threatening that it would be forcefully dispersed. Police also monitored an event and demanded participant lists in Koh Kong province on 6 March. Both events were able to proceed.

3 March 2023

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court this morning convicted Kem Sokha, the former President of the dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), of treason and conspiracy with a foreign power under Articles 439 and 443 of the Criminal Code. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison, and immediately transferred to house arrest after being escorted from the courtroom by five police and security officers. His conviction comes less than five months prior to Cambodia’s 2023 National Election.

The court also ordered the permanent removal of Kem Sokha’s political rights to stand for or vote in an election as an additional penalty under Article 450 of the Criminal Code. The judgment stated that the level of damages is pending assessment, which is likely in relation to a civil action that may be filed in accordance with Article 22 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

23 February 2023

The Supreme Court this morning upheld the defamation conviction and financial penalty against Candlelight Vice President Son Chhay in relation to two complaints filed against him by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and the National Election Committee (NEC) over public criticisms of the Commune Elections process.

Chhay was ordered to pay 4 billion riel (about $1 million) in compensation to the CPP and two other fines totalling 20 million riel (about $5,000), as previously ordered by the Appeal Court in December 2022. Two of Chhay’s properties have been frozen by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court since November to prevent him selling or transferring them, following a request from the CPP.

13 February 2023

We, the undersigned media and civil society organizations, are deeply disturbed by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s order to revoke the license of Voice of Democracy (VOD), one of the last remaining independent media outlets in Cambodia. We also condemn the recent sexual harassment and intimidation of a female VOD journalist.

The closure of VOD and the harassment of a female VOD journalist undermine the government’s own claims regarding respect for the free press in Cambodia and appear to reflect a failure to uphold the 1995 Law on the Press. The decision to revoke VOD’s media license ahead of the July 2023 national elections represents a fresh wave of intimidation tactics against the country’s dwindling independent media that mirrors the 2017 closure of the Cambodia Daily and the 2018 sale of the Phnom Penh Post.