Oppression of Rights and Freedoms

Expression and Peaceful Rally Demonstration

The gathering for the Dream for Darfur led by  Hollywood actress Mia Farrow and coordinated by the Center for Social Development (CSD) was interrupted by the armed forces.

Three assemblies of a number of people in relation to land disputes proceed as planned but the public demands are yet to be realized, while a procession held by the Free trade Union to lay down the wreath at the place where Chea Vichea, the former president of the Free trade Union was gun down was permitted with only a limited number of participants.

On January 08, 2008 a demonstration in Mondulkiri led to the release of four representatives of the ethnic communities who had been arrested in relation to land dispute. 

Oppression of Press Freedoms

A Grenade Hauled at a Journalist’s House

On December 27, 2007 a hand grenade was hauled at the house of a journalist working for Koh Santepheap daily (a well know Khmer language daily newspaper) in Svay Reang province. It did not explode however.

Mr. Van Bunthoeun, the victim, said that he had been threatened by Mr. Bush, the provincial military police. The latter arrived at the journalist's house as soon as Koh Santepheap daily published an article related to oil smuggling. Mr. Bush caused several traffic accidents that killed and injured a number of people. There has been however no conviction against him.

The police investigated the case immediately by inviting Mr. Bush for inquiry, and the case is still with the police.

A Journalist Detained

On December 24, 2007 a local journalist while on duty was detained by armed forces monitoring the dismantling of a huge Buddha statue at a pagoda in Phnom Penh.

At 11: 20 a.m. on that day Mr. Sor Visal, a journalist from Voice of Democracy (VOD) was detained and stripped of his digital camera by roughly 15 armed personnel while he was photographing, at Wat Niroth Reansey in Phnom Penh, the destroyed Buddha statue which had reportedly killed one and injured a number of people. All pictures of the 15 year old statue he had taken were deleted by the armed forces.The authorities threatened the journalist. He was detained for 35 minutes without any reason by the armed forces.

Following CCHR’s request for further investigation on the case, the Ministry of Interior on January 28, 2008 summoned Mr. Sor for the details of the incident. He suggested the case be dismissed and the Ministry should issue a guideline for the authorities to perform when encountering with journalists in order to prevent such incident from happening again.

Oppression of Political Freedoms

Signboard of the League for Democracy Party in Steung Meanchey, destroyed and sprayed red

In the evening of January 22, 2008, Mr. Seng Soy led several members of the League for Democracy Party to set up a signboard near the iron bridge on the street running from Steung Meanchey to Cheung Ek Genocidal Museum, in Steung Meanchey district of Phnom Penh.

At 6:00 pm the board was already put in place. Suddenly a group of some 30 people, 3 or 4 of whom wore police pants, arrived and asked the party’s members to remove the board on the ground that the installation was not authorized. After an argument fwith no agreement being met, the group threatened to arrest the party’s members. Then they said if the board was not removed, they would not be responsible for any damage that could happen to it. In the morning of the next day (January 23, 2008) the signboard was sprayed red on the name of the party in Khmer, and there was a sign that people attempted to dig up the board.

Norodom Rannarith Party’s Signboard Disappeared

On January 18, 2008 a signboard of Norodom Rannarith Party in Banteay meanchey province disappeared shortly after the installation. Mr. Teanh Say the party activist in the commune claimed that he saw some remains of the board that has been burnt, as he claimed, 120 meters away.

The signboard was the last one installed in the 9 villages of the commune, they added. They also said that people in this village do not support other parties other than the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). Moreover, the local authorities have not been informed about the installation from the parties either.

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CCHR is a non-governmental, non-political and independent human rights organization that envisions a Cambodian civil society where human rights and democracy are fully respected and that the people enjoy the benefits of development to which they have fully participated. CCHR is seeking to be one of the main actors in building a strong foundation of democracy at the grass-root level and it shall work on informing the public to create awareness on human rights and democracy concepts and principles. CCHR also works to protect the rights of the victims of human rights violations.