Latest Flash Info & Articles

Flash Info: Over 800 Land Community Members Petition Ministries Despite Police Roadblocks
Published on 6 September 2022audio available

Authorities pressured and prevented dozens of members of communities embroiled in land conflicts from travelling to Phnom Penh this morning to join with more than 800 other land community members delivering petitions to government ministries.

Around 500 people from Koh Kong province and some 360 more from Kampong Speu province rallied in the capital to demand the government resolve longstanding land disputes and deliver land titles and/or fair compensation to communities left waiting for years. Representatives of six Koh Kong communities and three Kampong Speu communities delivered petitions to the ministries of justice, interior and land management as well as Prime Minister Hun Sen’s cabinet on Tuesday amid a heavy police presence.

En route to Phnom Penh, police stopped dozens of members of Kampong Speu’s Amleang Land Community and compelled community representatives to sign agreements not to cause “social insecurity” in Phnom Penh before allowing seven of their eight vehicles to continue, claiming some vans were overloaded with passengers.

Later, police in Kampong Chhnang province pressured and appeared to target dozens of Amleang community members by threatening to fine drivers under the traffic law unless community members turned around and went home. Only five of the seven remaining vehicles continued to Phnom Penh, after paying fines of 1.2 million riel (about US$300) per vehicle.

Police also arbitrarily stopped three vehicles carrying members of Raksmey Samaki Land Community, and asked for drivers’ identification and other documents. Only one of the vehicles were allowed to continue to the capital. Authorities stopped another 12 vehicles with members of Trapeang Chour Land Community, but allowed all of them to travel on to Phnom Penh.

The three Kampong Speu communities have land conflicts dating as far back as 2010 with Phnom Penh Sugar Company, owned by okhna Ly Yong Phat. The Koh Kong communities also have land disputes with companies owned by Ly Long Phat and okhna Heng Huy.

Flash Info: Appeal Court Upholds Incitement Convictions Against 10 Activists
Published on 22 August 2022audio available

The Phnom Penh Appeal Court this afternoon upheld incitement convictions of 10 political and social activists, leaving most under court probation until late 2023.

The court denied appeals from Chhoeun Daravy, Hun Vannak, Tha Lavy and Eng Malai from social justice group Khmer Thavrak; Koet Saray, Moung Sopheak and Mean Prommony from Khmer Student Intelligent League Association; and Kong Sam An, Chhour Pheng and Chum Puthy, former members of the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court had sentenced the 10 activists to 20 months in prison, with five to six months suspended, and fined them 2 million riel each (US$500) on charges of incitement in October 2021.

Daravy and Vannak, of Khmer Thavrak, and ex-CNRP members Pheng and Puthy were each sentenced to serve 15 months in prison, while Sam An, Saray, Sopheak, Prummony, Lavy and Malai were sentenced to serve 14 months. They were arrested in August and September 2020 for peacefully gathering around the court to call for the release of then-jailed unionist Rong Chhun.

Nine of the activists were released from prison in November 2021. They were placed on probation for two years, requiring them to alert the court if they move, change jobs or want to leave the country, among other conditions.

Sam An, who was sentenced to seven years in prison on treason charges in a separate case, has been jailed since September 2020.

Daravy and Vannak were among four Khmer Thavrak activists who were detained last week by officers from the prime minister's bodyguard unit in Phnom Tamao forest.

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Flash Info: Five Journalists, Four Activists Detained at Phnom Tamao Forest
Published on 16 August 2022audio available

Authorities detained five journalists from independent news outlet VOD and four activists from social justice group Khmer Thavrak after they were arrested in Phnom Tamao forest on Tuesday morning. They were released just after 6 pm this evening after authorities required them to sign a contract.

Officers from the prime minister’s bodyguard unit arrested the journalists and Khmer Thavrak activists, including Sokun Tola, Chhem Sreykea, Chhoeun Daravy and Hun Vannak, and sent the nine to the Bati district police station in Takeo province for questioning for several hours.

The Khmer Thavrak activists were detained after one group member was live-streaming on Facebook from Phnom Tamao this morning, and the group had submitted a petition about the forest to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, another group member said. Authorities have reportedly started marking forest land with poles, drawing questions from local residents and triggering a visit by Khmer Thavrak.

The journalists detained on Tuesday were reporting on the aftermath of recent forest clearing. Bodyguard unit officers had confiscated the journalists’ equipment.

The detentions come just days after the Phnom Tamao forest underwent massive deforestation, losing up to 500 hectares of forest at the roughly 2,000-hectare site in about one week. Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the forest to be replanted on 7 August, cancelling concessions given by his government to several businessmen, including Leng Navatra and Khun Sea. The reversal came after a series of VOD articles, drone footage of the rapid deforestation and public outrage on social media over the forest’s destruction.

Flash Info: LRSU Strikers Beaten by Authorities
Published on 11 August 2022audio available

A union striker was punched in the face by a uniformed officer, and left briefly unconscious and bleeding from a gash on her nose, after authorities violently stopped around 80 strikers from walking to the front of NagaWorld casino this afternoon.

The violence occurred as strikers from the Labour Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU) sought to move past metal barricades that authorities set up to block them from accessing the area in front of the casino. Around 80 police and mixed security forces then began violently hitting, kicking, stomping on and shoving back the mostly women union members to stop them from passing the barricades.

Less than three weeks ago, on 22 July, authorities violently pushed several protesting LRSU unionists to the ground in the same area of central Phnom Penh as strikers attempted to walk to the NagaWorld casino.

LRSU members have been regularly protesting near the casino complex since December 2021 to call for the reinstatement of unjustly fired unionists and fair severance for other dismissed workers. Protesting union members have faced arrest, imprisonment, fines, violence and sexual harassment by authorities over the past seven months. Eleven union members spent up to more than two months in pre-trial detention before being released in March 2022, and continue to face years in prison if convicted of spurious charges.

Flash Info: Supreme Court Upholds Convictions of Union Leader, Activists
Published on 29 July 2022audio available

The Supreme Court today upheld incitement convictions of prominent unionist Rong Chhun and activists Sar Kanika and Ton Nimol, who remain under restrictive probation.

Chhun, who has spent years defending labour rights in Cambodia, was arrested after making a statement about the Cambodia-Vietnam border in 2020. His detention triggered a wave of further arrests of activists in Cambodia, including of Kanika and Nimol who were jailed after joining peaceful demonstrations in August and October 2020 respectively. The three were released in November 2021 and given three years of probation with a range of conditions limiting their freedoms.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court had convicted the three activists of incitement under Articles 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code in August 2021. The Phnom Penh Appeal Court suspended parts of their sentences in November 2021, ordering them to serve from over 14 months to over 15 months in prison and to pay 2 million riel (US$500) each in fines as well as jointly pay 400 million riel (US$100,000) in damages.

The Supreme Court upheld all elements of the Appeal Court’s earlier judgement this morning. Chhun, Kanika and Nimol were not present in the courtroom as the verdict was read.

In a separate case, the Supreme Court this morning also upheld incitement convictions against former Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) activists Ton Nimol, Lim San, Yoy Mom, Sat Pha, Pai Ren, San Chan Sreyneat and Hong An. The charges followed their participation in a peaceful protest outside the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh in October 2020.

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Flash Info: Mother Nature Activists’ Convictions Upheld by Supreme Court
Published on 29 July 2022audio available

The Supreme Court upheld the convictions of three activists from environmental group Mother Nature this morning, leaving them subject to restrictive probation conditions.

The activists – Long Kunthea, Phuon Keoraksmey and Thun Ratha – were​​ convicted by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in May 2021 on charges of incitement under Articles 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code. The Phnom Penh Appeal Court upheld the convictions in November 2021, including fines of 4 million riel (US$1,000) each, and suspended parts of their sentences. Ratha’s 20-month sentence was suspended by six months, while Kunthea and Keoraksmey’s 18-month sentences were each suspended by four months.

The three activists were not present in the courtroom this morning as the Supreme Court ruled to uphold the Appeal Court’s judgement. The Appeal Court had placed them under probation with onerous reporting requirements for a period of three years, during which time violations could risk them being forced to serve their remaining sentences. Two other Mother Nature activists – Chea Kunthin and Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson – were convicted in absentia by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in the same case.

Kunthea, Keoraksmey and Ratha have worked to shed light on environmental destruction in Cambodia. Their convictions followed a plan for a one-woman march in Phnom Penh to highlight the filling in of Boeung Tamok lake. The three were arrested in September 2020 and spent 14 months in prison before their release alongside three other Mother Nature activists in November 2021.

The three activists continue to face charges of plotting against the state and up to 10 years in prison in a separate case, alongside activists Sun Ratha, Yim Leanghy, Ly Chandaravuth and Gonzalez-Davidson.

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Flash Info: Authorities Violently Push LRSU Unionists
Published on 22 July 2022audio available

Several unionists from the Labour Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU) were violently pushed to the ground by authorities as they attempted to walk to NagaWorld casino in central Phnom Penh to strike this afternoon.

About 80 strikers, most of whom were women, gathered this afternoon and were met by more than 100 police and mixed security forces near the corner of Samdach Sothearos Boulevard and Preah Sihanouk Boulevard nearby the casino complex. Strikers were violently pushed by security forces as they peacefully moved through barricades blocking the road. Security forces threw several strikers to the ground, with at least one man and one woman suffering cuts to their faces as a result.

Human rights monitors were instructed by authorities to move away from the gathering and stop taking photographs prior to the use of violence.

Members of LRSU have been regularly gathering since December 2021 to call for the reinstatement of unjustly fired unionists and fair severance for other dismissed workers.

Strikers have faced arrest, imprisonment, fines, violence, and sexual harassment by authorities during their peaceful gatherings over the past seven months. Eleven union members spent up to more than two months in pre-trial detention before being released in March 2022, and continue to face years in prison if convicted of spurious charges.

Flash Info: Five Ratanakiri Forest Activists Convicted
Published on 8 July 2022audio available

The Ratanakiri Provincial Court today convicted five forest activists, including long-time environmental defender Chhorn Phalla, for allegedly instigating damage to forestland to claim ownership of it on Phnom Art in Samot Kraom village, Seda commune, Lumphat district, Ratanakiri province.

Phalla was sentenced to six years in prison. Sithan Nhan, Kham Masok, Lat Branh and Tvae Hok, who are all Tampuon indigenous people, were sentenced to five years in prison. The charges relate to a meeting the five men attended in 2017 in an effort to protect their forests and land and raise awareness about illegal logging.

The five were convicted under Articles 56(4) and 62(1) of the Law on Natural Protected Areas and Article 28 of the Criminal Code. They were not initially charged as instigators, with the charge added as the judge read the verdict today. There was not sufficient evidence presented during the trial to support the charges.

Phalla has been imprisoned in Ratanakiri prison since his arrest in September 2021. He is currently serving a five-year prison sentence in a separate case, in which he was convicted last November without substantial evidence by the Ratanakiri Provincial Court of clearing forestland and enclosing it to claim ownership. The judge did not order the arrest of the other four today and each of the activists are permitted to appeal the verdict before the judgement is final.

Phalla has spent more than ten years defending forests and monitoring natural resource destruction in Ratanakiri.

Flash Info: Elected Candlelight Commune Chief Arrested over Alleged Robbery from 2002
Published on 21 June 2022audio available

Recently elected Candlelight commune chief Nhem Sarom was arrested this afternoon and detained in Kampong Thom province for an alleged robbery committed twenty years ago. He is one of four opposition party commune chiefs nationwide who were elected in Cambodia’s commune elections earlier this month.

The alleged robbery occurred in 2002 and Sarom was charged five years later in 2007 under Article 6 of the Law on Aggravating Circumstances of Crimes. An arrest warrant was later issued in 2012. Sarom was convicted in absentia in 2014 alongside three others for allegedly stealing a generator and sentenced to 5 years in prison. The plaintiff had withdrawn her complaint prior to the conviction.

Sarom was elected less than a month ago to become the chief of the Chamna Leu commune council in Stung district, Kampong Thom province and was set to take the position following certification of the election results on 26 June. He previously served as a commune councillor in that commune in 2017 with the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) prior to the party’s dissolution, after which his seat was handed to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).

Sarom’s arrest brings the total number of Candlelight members and activists imprisoned this year to seven, including four commune election candidates. A total of 52 prisoners of interest, including political activists, land activists, and a journalist are currently behind bars.

This flash info was updated on 22 June 2022 to include information about Nhem Sarom’s conviction and update the place of detention.

Flash Info: Tbong Khmum Land Representative Conviction Upheld
Published on 15 June 2022audio available

The Supreme Court this morning upheld the conviction of land community representative Hoeun Sineath from Tbong Khmum province. Sineath was convicted by the Tbong Khmum Provincial Court in December 2020 of intentionally causing damage with aggravating circumstances of acting as a co-perpetrator under Articles 410 and 411(1) of the Criminal Code. He was sentenced to two years in prison, a decision upheld by the Tbong Khmum Appeal Court in August 2021 and the Supreme Court this morning.

Multiple communities in Dambe district, Tbong Khmum province have faced a decade-long dispute over community farmland with Harmony Win Investment Co. Ltd., a Chinese-owned rubber company. Sineath, along with eight other villagers who are not in detention, were convicted after they protested the company blocking access to and clearing their land. Sineath was the only one to appeal the verdict to the Supreme Court. He has spent more than 1 year and 10 months in Tbong Khmum prison since his arrest in August 2020.

Sineath was also convicted in a separate case following his arrest. In that case, he was convicted alongside 14 other people for obstructing public officials with aggravating circumstances under Articles 503 and 504 of the Criminal Code after they filmed authorities implementing a court order related to the disputed land. He was sentenced to spend one year in prison and fined 1 million riel (US$250). The other 14 people received fully suspended six-month sentences. Sineath has also appealed that case to the Supreme Court, with proceedings ongoing.

Around 30 members of Tbong Khmum’s Srae Prang community travelled to Phnom Penh and gathered outside the Supreme Court in support of Sineath during the trial hearing last Wednesday. Daun Penh security guards blocked them from gathering in front of the court and from walking to the National Assembly to follow up on a petition they had previously submitted.

Article: Court Convicts At Least 51 in CNRP Mass Trial
Published on 14 June 2022audio available

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court this morning convicted former leaders, members and supporters of the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) of plotting and incitement under Articles 453, 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code.

Twelve former CNRP leaders were convicted in absentia and handed prison sentences of eight years. Nineteen other members and supporters were each sentenced to six years in prison. The court issued detention warrants for these 31 people this morning.

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Flash Info: Convictions against ADHOC, NEC staff upheld by Appeal Court
Published on 23 May 2022audio available

The Phnom Penh Appeal Court this morning upheld the baseless September 2018 convictions of four current and former ADHOC staffers - Ny Sokha, Nay Vanda, Yi Soksan, and Lim Mony - and National Election Committee official Ny Chakrya, all of whom were previously imprisoned and convicted on spurious charges of bribery.

Sokha, Vanda, Soksan, and Mony were convicted on 26 September 2018 for bribery of a witness under Article 548 of the Criminal Code. Chakrya, who was serving as deputy secretary-general of the National Election Committee at the time of his arrest, was convicted as an accomplice to bribery of a witness under Articles 29 and 548 of the Criminal Code. The arrests came during a broader crackdown on civil society and the political opposition in Cambodia. All five human rights defenders served 14 months in pre-trial detention before being released on bail in June 2017, and were later sentenced to five years in prison with the remaining time suspended.

Both the defendants and the prosecutor filed appeals, with the defendants seeking to be exonerated and the prosecutor appealing to have the five human rights defenders serve the full five years in prison. The Appeal Court rejected both appeals, upholding the original convictions and suspended sentences of all five defendants.

The five human rights defenders were all current and former staff of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) at the time of their arrest. They were accused of paying a woman to make false statements regarding another case linked to then-opposition leader Kem Sokha.

None of the witnesses named in the case appeared for the lower court proceedings, during which no credible evidence was presented by the prosecution. Requests by the defence to summons witnesses at the Appeal Court hearing were denied, as was a request to delay the hearing.

Flash Info: Court Convicts 21 in CNRP Mass Trial
Published on 17 March 2022audio available

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court this morning sentenced 12 jailed former members of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) and one Interior Ministry official to 5 years in prison (with 16 months suspended), meaning the men will serve a total of 3 years and 8 months in prison on charges of incitement and plotting. They are all scheduled to be detained through the national elections in 2023.

Additionally, seven former CNRP leaders – including Sam Rainsy, Mu Sochua and Eng Chai Eang - were convicted in absentia on charges of incitement, plotting, and inciting military personnel to disobedience, and sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison. Warrants for their arrest were also issued.

The “inciting military personnel to disobedience” charge was originally filed against 21 defendants, but was dropped against those currently detained in the country and another man, Hin Chann, who was originally imprisoned alongside the 13 but later released. Chann today was sentenced to five years in prison for incitement and plotting, but had his entire sentence suspended.
The 13 detained men are Chhon Bunchhat, Long Phary, Khut Chroeb, Ngin Phea, Yim Sareth, Khoem Pheana, Thai Sokunthea, Keo Thai, Nhaem Van, Chum Chan, Sok Chantha, Peat Mab, and Sun Thun. Some of them have served more than two years in pre-trial detention in Correctional Centre 1 prison.
The judge did not provide any reasoning for the verdict.

Inside the courtroom, family members cried as the verdict was read, while defendants shouted that the verdict was an injustice. Outside the courthouse, wives and family members of the detained political activists – known as the “Friday Women” – gathered and held a sign that said “Justice for the Khmers Patriots”. The group of women have protested regularly for the release of their family members since their arrests, and have regularly been beaten or harassed by authorities.

The trial was one of the four mass trials launched against former members and supporters of the CNRP in November 2020. Evidence presented in the case included videos of speeches and meetings made in connection with the “Cambodia National Rescue Movement” abroad, as well as comments on the government or its response to COVID-19 which were made online or in private phone calls. The convictions bar any of the individuals from holding leadership positions in a political party under 2017 amendments to the Law on Political Parties.

Flash Info: Eight LRSU Unionists Denied Bail at Appeal Court
Published on 10 March 2022audio available

The Phnom Penh Appeal Court this morning upheld the lower court’s decision to deny bail to eight union members and leaders from the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU). After the verdict, the eight were returned to Correctional Centre 1 (CC1) and Correctional Centre 2 (CC2) in Phnom Penh, where they are in pre-trial detention on charges of incitement.

The eight were arrested in December 2021 and January 2022 while participating in a strike against NagaWorld casino. They include union leader Chhim Sithar, union secretary Chhim Sokhorn, and unionists Hay Sopheap, Kleang Soben, Ry Sovandy, Sun Srey Pich, and Touch Sereymeas, as well as former union member Sok Narith. The Appeal Court’s decision came one day after a high-level meeting between leaders from the police, courts, and ministries organized by Interior Minister Sar Kheng to discuss the NagaWorld labour dispute.

Three additional LRSU members - Choub Channath, Sao Sambath, and Seng Vannarith – are also in pre-trial detention after being arrested in February 2022 on charges of obstructing enforcement measures under the newly passed Covid-19 law. Despite these arrests, union members have continued their strike to call for NagaWorld to respect labour rights and reinstate improperly dismissed workers, even as the government has arrested the union’s leaders, harassed striking workers, and detained more than one hundred strikers in government quarantine facilities using the new Covid-19 law in recent months.

Article: Spotlight on 10 Imprisoned Unionists in Cambodia
Published on 7 March 2022audio available

The 10 human rights defenders (HRDs) whose profiles are outlined below are leaders and members of the Labour Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU). The unionists are all former employees of NagaWorld, a highly profitable, Malaysian-owned casino with an exclusive operating license in Phnom Penh.

These men and women are currently imprisoned in Correctional Center 2 (CC2) and Phnom Penh’s PJ prison.

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