Cambodian authorities have been restricting civic space through legislation for years.
Four UN human rights experts today called on Cambodia to end all harassment and prosecution of human rights defenders and civil society activists and to allow them to freely exercise their civil and political rights.
"The practices we are seeing in clear violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights will undoubtedly continue to have a chilling effect on human rights in the country and may further discourage many people from participating in human rights work," the experts said. ”
Comply with human rights commitments
In recent days, a number of political and civil society activists and human rights defenders have been summoned or arrested by the authorities for actions related to civil society.
These included the arrest on 5 April of the president of the Khmer Student Knowledge Union Association. He was taken from his office to the Phnom Penh City Police Station and the next day he was transferred to the Phnom Penh City Court. He was reportedly arrested after a court ordered him to be questioned for "inciting serious disruption to social security". Human rights experts believe that his arrest is linked to the exercise of his right to freedom of expression.
The experts said that the new Cambodian government "should seize the opportunity to follow a different path from the past, abide by its commitments to human rights, and take effective measures to protect the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly." These rights are essential in a democratic society".
Ensure respect for human rights law
The experts called on the authorities to "repeal national laws that do not meet international standards, in particular the Code of Criminal Procedure, engage in dialogue with the opposition and civil society actors, respect the diversity of opinions, and ensure that national legislation is in line with international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders." ”
The joint statement was issued by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association.
The Special Rapporteur is part of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN human rights system, is the general name of the independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of the Human Rights Council, dealing with country-specific situations or thematic issues around the world. Special procedures experts work on a voluntary basis. They are not United Nations staff members and do not receive United Nations salaries. They are independent from any government or organization and serve the United Nations in their individual capacity.
