LIBRARY

24 October 2024

Mech Dara, an award-winning journalist, was released on bail from Kandal Provincial Prison today, close to a month after he was arrested and charged with incitement for posting alleged false information on social media.

Dara walked out of prison on Thursday after his lawyer’s submitted another bail application to Phnom Penh Capital Court. On Wednesday, a video of Dara circulated on pro-government media in which he apologised for social media posts in September that were the grounds for his incitement charge.

16 October 2024

More than 500 people in 13 land communities held celebrations from 6 to 15 October to mark World Habitat Day, despite local officials trying to block or prevent some of the events. Land communities from Kampong Speu, Koh Kong, Kampot, Banteay Meanchey, and Kampong Chhnang provinces organised public events, spoke out for their land rights, and discussed how violations threaten their livelihoods and families.

Among them were representatives from the Amleang community in Kampong Speu, which discussed their fight to defend their land after it was grabbed by Phnom Penh Sugar Company. In Trapeang Chor, the community similarly highlighted their fight for land rights amidst forced evictions linked to sugarcane plantations under the theme “Farmers Protecting Land Rights and Environmental Justice.”

14 October 2024

The Supreme Court this morning acquitted four members of the Srae Prang community who were convicted for “intentional damage” related to a long-standing land dispute with Harmony Win Investment rubber company in Tbong Khmum province.

Today’s verdict dropped the charges against Chhork Chhey, Khem Sokcheang, Pum Pich and Veun Ver following their appeal hearing on 7 October. Community members have advocated against the Chinese-owned Harmony Win Investment company, which has routinely blocked access to and cleared community farmland. This has resulted in ongoing protests and the imprisonment of at least four other community representatives.

9 October 2024

To mark World Habitat Day, listen to the families affected by ongoing evictions around the Angkor Wat temple complex.

Did you know that thousands of families are impacted by the ongoing relocation plans?

1 October 2024

We, the undersigned communities, media organisations and civil society groups, are calling for the immediate release of Cambodian journalist Mech Dara who was charged with incitement and sent to pretrial detention by the Phnom Penh Capital Court on October 1, 2024.

A court prosecutor questioned Dara on Tuesday morning and the journalist was charged by Investigating Judge Lim Sokuntheara later in the day with incitement under Article 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code for social media posts he made on September 20, 23, 26, 28 and 29. The charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 2 years and are a clear attempt to silence a brave journalist whose investigative journalism has routinely called for accountability in cases of human rights violations. Dara is being held at the Kandal Provincial Prison.

26 September 2024

If you are having trouble repaying, what can you do?

You can request a loan restructuring from the institution where you borrowed money.

Remember that no one has the right to pressure or force you to sell land or a house to pay off debts out of court.

16 September 2024

Since 23 July 2024, more than 100 people have been arrested and more than 60 have been charged and imprisoned for posting on social media, planning to assemble, or expressing opinions about the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA), a 20-year-old trade and cooperation agreement between the three neighboring countries.

The age of those detained and charged ranges between 16 and 70, including four minors under the age of 18. Most of those detained have been charged with “plotting an attack on the state”, which carries a sentence of 5-10 years in prison. Others are facing charges of “incitement to commit a felony”, which carries between 6 months and 2 years in prison, while several others face additional charges. They are being held in prisons across the country, many of which are severely overcrowded and struggling to provide people behind bars with basic services.

16 September 2024

Chhim Sithar, president of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU), was released from prison early this morning after completing her two-year sentence on charges of incitement related to the ongoing peaceful strike by her union’s members. Sithar was driven home by officials from Correctional Center 2 (CC2) at approximately 4:30am.

Sithar was first violently arrested in January 2022 as she attempted to join hundreds of striking LRSU members in front of the Australian Embassy in Phnom Penh. She was released several months later, only to be re-arrested in November 2022 upon returning from a labour rights conference in Australia. Authorities claimed she was re-arrested due to violating judicial supervision conditions, although neither Sithar nor her lawyer had been informed of those conditions.

9 September 2024

The Supreme Court today rejected the appeal of Vorn Pao, President of the Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA), and upheld his conviction on charges of “instigating intentional acts of violence with aggravating circumstances” under Articles 28 and 218 of the Criminal Code in relation to a 2014 strike action on Phnom Penh’s Veng Sreng Boulevard.

Pao was handed a suspended sentence of four years and six months in prison by the Phnom Penh Capital Court in 2014, which was upheld today by the Supreme Court. Pao spent more than four months in prison alongside 21 others in relation to these charges in 2014. He remains at risk of having the suspended sentence implemented if he is convicted on any charges in the next five years.

28 August 2024

The Phnom Penh Capital Court this afternoon convicted Mer Seng Hor, the deputy leader for the Nation Power Party (NPP) in Kampong Cham province, to two and a half years in prison on charges of public insult and incitement to discriminate over a Facebook post that was critical of the government’s democratic track record.

Seng Hor, also known as Kea Visal, was arrested in March 2024, shortly after joining the opposition NPP. He was placed in pre-trial detention in PJ prison in Phnom Penh on charges of public insult and incitement to discriminate under Articles 307, 494 and 496 of the Criminal Code. In addition to prison time, the court today also imposed a 4 million riel (around US$1,000) fine and ordered Seng Hor to pay 20 million riel (around US$5,000) in damages to Mai Hong Sreang, a former opposition official who later joined the ruling party and filed the complaint against Seng Hor.

22 August 2024

The Phnom Penh Appeal Court this morning dropped charges against Chea Chan, a unionist with the Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions (CATU) who was arrested, charged and imprisoned in February 2024.

On 20 June 2024, the Kampong Speu Provincial Court convicted Chan of being an accomplice to theft contrary to Articles 29 and 356 of the Criminal Code. He was sentenced to one year in prison with six months of that time suspended. Chan was released from detention on 19 August ahead of today’s verdict, on account of the suspended portion of his sentence.

16 August 2024

The Phnom Penh Capital Court yesterday convicted nine Samrong Tbong community members of intentional acts of violence and obstruction of a public official with aggravating circumstances under Articles 218 and 504 of the Criminal Code, with 2-year prison sentences that were fully suspended by the judge.

The charges stemmed from an incident on 1 October 2022, when the defendants Kong Tue, Phorn Sokhom, Prak Sophea, Say Sarith, Soeun Chamroeun, Soeun Sreysot, Tav Ny, and Yorn Kimyoeun attempted to reinforce a wooden door at Heng Meang’s home in order to improve security and protect her belongings. During this process, authorities told the defendants to stop, claiming that this activity was in violation of a construction ban. The defendants disagreed, leading to a dispute in which the authorities attempted to take down the door while the community members attempted to keep it up. Despite not being present at the time of the dispute, Heng Meang was convicted and received the same sentence as the other defendants.

15 August 2024

The Battambang Appeal Court this morning upheld the convictions of Ung Thap Reang, a journalist, on charges of public defamation and incitement to commit a felony under Articles 305 and 495 of the Criminal Code.

9 August 2024

The Supreme Court upheld the incitement conviction of Candlelight Party Vice President Thach Setha, who was sentenced to three years in prison by a lower court for a speech he gave to the opposition party’s supporters in South Korea last year.

Setha has now exhausted his appeals after the Supreme Court upheld a Phnom Penh Capital Court verdict from October 2023 that found him guilty of incitement to commit a felony and incitement to discriminate under Articles 494, 495 and 496 of the Criminal Code. He was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay a four million riel fine (around US$1,000).

7 August 2024

Koet Saray, a former monk and human rights defender, was denied bail by the Supreme Court this morning in a case related to comments he made calling for a resolution to a violent land dispute in Preah Vihear province.

The Supreme Court denied bail to Saray, who is the president of the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association, and justified the decision citing the “repeat” nature of Saray’s offence. The bail hearing was conducted on 31 July in the absence of Saray’s lawyers.

31 July 2024

Five opposition party members were arrested across two provinces in the last six days, while a Phnom Penh court confiscated three properties belonging to Candlelight Party President Teav Vannol in relation to his recent defamation conviction.

Two Candlelight and two Khmer Will Party members from Kampong Speu’s Basedth district were arrested between 26 and 30 July and sent to pretrial detention. Ouk Sovanchhorn, a Candlelight commune councillor; Tok Dara, Candlelight’s Basedth district chief; and Boun Sarom and Chaem Savoeun, both Khmer Will district councillors, were charged under various articles of the Criminal Code for conducting routine party work.

25 July 2024

Candlelight Party President Teav Vannol was convicted of defamation this morning and ordered to pay US$1.5 million in damages to the government for comments he made to the media in February 2024.

The presiding judge at the Phnom Penh Capital Court found Vannol, who was previously a senator with the Sam Rainsy Party, guilty of defamation under Article 305 of the Criminal Code. He was ordered to pay the Cambodian government 6 billion riel ($1.5 million) in compensation and 10 million riel (around $2,500) in fines.

24 July 2024

We, the undersigned civil society groups, associations, confederations and unions, deeply regret that on 19 July 2024 the Svay Rieng Provincial Court decided to charge and send to pre-trial detention Chea Chantha, a leader of Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA) in Svay Rieng province. Chantha’s work on 16 July 2024 was in line with the Cambodian government’s policy on the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). Despite this, he was arrested and charged with fraud under Article 377 and 378 and for conducting “activities causing misapprehension with the discharge of public functions” under Article 610 of Criminal Code. If convicted, he will face up to 3 years in prison.

IDEA has conducted public forums in several provinces to explain social protection schemes. These forums have also seen the participation of NSSF officials to help disseminate information to workers, street vendors and domestic workers so that they can understand and voluntarily register as NSSF members. Chantha and other activists have jointly done this work to follow the government’s vision and to be part of the association’s mission to help workers in the informal sector and for them to receive social protections.

20 July 2024

Chea Chantha, a local leader of the informal worker group Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA), was sent to pre-trial detention by the Svay Rieng Provincial Court on Friday evening after he was arrested on 16 July while talking to workers about accessing the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).

Chantha attended a workshop on Tuesday discussing climate change and social protections in Bavet, Svay Rieng. Later, he met with workers and was talking about the NSSF, a government social service, when police arrested him.

18 July 2024

The Siem Reap Provincial Court this morning convicted three Kuy community members as part of a long-standing dispute with the Ministry of Environment and military over land within the Chub Saom Community Protected Area (CPA) inside the Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary.

In August 2023, Ministry of Environment officials, accompanied by local authorities and military officials, destroyed trees at the mango farm of two land activists, San Sre and Breng. The incident was live streamed by Sre’s brother, San Seth. A few weeks later, all three family members — who are Kuy and have been actively advocating for roughly 250 families’ land rights amid growing pressure from authorities — were told that criminal charges had been filed against them.