Cambodia

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Spotlight: Free Expression & the Law Freedom of Assembly Cambodia

Cambodia's human rights record under spotlight in third Universal Periodic Review

30 January 2019
Mong Palatino for IFEX

Cambodia is among the 41 states whose human rights records are under scrutiny at the ongoing 32nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council's UPR Working Group. Cambodia's report was delivered on 30 January.

Organisations call on Cambodia to step up the fight against endemic impunity

To mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, civil society groups and communities in Cambodia and beyond condemn the rampant impunity for attacks against journalists and human rights defenders, and call for immediate action to bring all perpetrators to account.

‎ Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), ARTICLE 19, Cambodian Centre for Independent Media (CCIM), Human Rights Watch (HRW), IFEX, Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)‎ 1 November 2018

Free Expression & the Law Cambodia

Cambodia: Quash convictions of 'Adhoc 5' rights defenders

Five activists were found guilty of bribery in a 'fabricated' case

‎ Human Rights Watch (HRW)‎26 September 2018

Free Expression & the Law Freedom of Assembly Cambodia

Cambodia land rights activist Tep Vanny now free

After two years of unjust detention, Tep Vanny was given a royal pardon on 20 August 2018. Her release came just days after local, regional, and global organizations called on Cambodia's government to free her.

‎ Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)‎22 August 2018

Latest from Cambodia

Civil society groups call for the release of Tep Vanny

‎ Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), Human Rights Watch (HRW), IFEX, Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)

Free Expression & the Law Cambodia 14 August 2018
Unfree and unfair: IFEX condemns Cambodia's pre-election crackdown on free expression

‎ IFEX

Cambodia 25 July 2018
Lessons in Resistance: Defying repression and impunity in Cambodia

‎ Mong Palatino for IFEX

Impunity Cambodia 20 July 2018
Cambodian groups seek revocation of new online directive ahead of elections

‎ Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)

Digital Rights Censorship Cambodia 15 June 2018
Taking back the land: Tep Vanny

‎ IFEX

Freedom of Assembly Cambodia 15 June 2018
Civil society groups express concern over the sale of Cambodia's last independent newspaper

‎ Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)

Censorship Free Expression & the Law Cambodia 9 May 2018
CSOs sign petition amid legislative assault on Cambodian peoples' rights and freedoms

‎ Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), Human Rights Watch (HRW), IFEX

Free Expression & the Law Freedom of Assembly Cambodia 27 February 2018
#FreeJournalistsKH: Cambodian journalists Oun Chhin and Yeang Sothearin remain in detention for treason

‎ Cambodian Centre for Independent Media (CCIM), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Southeast Asian Press Alliance

Free Expression & the Law Cambodia 15 February 2018
Cambodian CSOs slam Supreme Court's decision upholding the conviction of Tep Vanny

‎ Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)

Freedom of Assembly Free Expression & the Law Cambodia 12 February 2018
IFEX network condemns Hun Sen's brazen attack on local member, CCHR

‎ IFEX

Cambodia 28 November 2017
Prime Minister Hun Sen threatens to close down Cambodian Center for Human Rights

‎ Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)

Attacks Censorship Cambodia 26 November 2017
When the Supreme Court dissolves democracy

‎ Human Rights Watch (HRW)

Free Expression & the Law Cambodia 21 November 2017
Death is not the end: Keeping Kem Ley's message alive

‎ Mong Palatino for IFEX

Impunity Cambodia 10 November 2017
Immediate action needed to end attacks on democracy in Cambodia

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Cambodia 22 October 2017
Cambodia: CCIM report identifies challenges for independent media

‎ Cambodian Centre for Independent Media (CCIM)

Attacks Free Expression & the Law Cambodia 27 September 2017
Kem Ley: Breaking down the façade of justice

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Impunity Cambodia 20 September 2017
Cambodia: a hostile environment for rights defenders

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Cambodia 20 September 2017
Save press freedom from escalating assault in Cambodia

‎

Cambodia 30 August 2017
Cambodia launches systematic attack on independent media

‎ Southeast Asian Press Alliance

Free Expression & the Law Cambodia 28 August 2017
Send a Message of Support to Tep Vanny

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Cambodia 23 August 2017
One Year On: Cambodia must immediately release Tep Vanny

‎ Cambodian Center for Human Rights

Cambodia 14 August 2017
Pressure mounts on Cambodia a year after Kem Ley's killing

‎ IFEX

Impunity Cambodia 10 July 2017
Radio Free Asia journalist flees Cambodia under legal threat

‎ Committee to Protect Journalists

Free Expression & the Law Cambodia 4 May 2017
Cambodia: Use anniversary of rights defenders' arrest to "FreeThe5KH"

‎ Human Rights Watch

Free Expression & the Law Cambodia 28 April 2017
Stand with the Khmer 5 in a photo of solidarity

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Cambodia 4 April 2017
After conviction, civil society demands independent inquiry into murder of Kem Ley

‎ IFEX

Cambodia 23 March 2017

At a glance

Cambodia

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Most covered free expression issues in this country

More from Cambodia

Cambodia Fundamental Freedoms Monitor April 2017 - March 2018

The report provides a comprehensive overview of the exercise of freedom of association, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly in Cambodia from 01 April 2017 to 31 March 2018.

Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) 22 September 2018
Challenges for Independent Media 2017

Cambodia's facade of media freedom collapsed in 2017. Authorities shut- tered 32 radio stations carrying opposition, U.S.-funded or independent content,1 hit often-critical media outlets with tax investigations that closed down newsrooms, and threatened and arrested journalists for “incitement” and “espionage” amid heated rhetoric that claimed foreign agents were attempting to topple the government.

Cambodian Centre for Independent Media (CCIM) 7 March 2018
Freedom on the Net 2017: Cambodia

Hackers attacked email and social media accounts operated by activists and journalists

Freedom House 15 November 2017

Freedom of the Press 2017: Cambodia

Political commentator Kem Ley was shot and killed in July, a few days after he spoke on Radio Free Asia about a highly sensitive Global Witness report detailing the vast wealth accumulated by the prime minister’s family.

Freedom House 28 April 2017

Cambodia HRW Report: Events of 2016

The murder of popular political commentator Kem Ley, who had voiced many criticisms of the government, on 10 July 2016, remains unanswered. Authorities systematically denied Cambodians their right to peaceful assembly by suppressing protests and issuing a series of ad hoc bans on non-violent gatherings and processions.

Human Rights Watch 16 January 2017

Legal analysis of pre-trial detention of five Cambodian human rights defenders

Four senior staff members of the Cambodian Human Rights have been detained in Phnom Penh since April 2016.

Cambodian Center for Human Rights 22 November 2016

Discrimination against transgender women in Cambodia's urban centres

This research report documents human rights issues faced by transgender women in Cambodia's urban centres, and recommends actions to secure their rights to equality, dignity, health and security.

Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) 21 September 2016

Democracy Under Threat 2016: Fulfilling the Promise of the Paris Agreements, 25 Years On

2016 is a highly significant year for Cambodian democracy. Looking back, 2016 marks 25 years since the conclusion of the Paris Peace Agreements (the “Paris Agreements”), which brought an end to 20 years of conflict in the Kingdom of Cambodia (“Cambodia”) and laid the framework for a political settlement based on human rights and liberal democracy; looking forward, 2016 marks the unofficial start of the lead‐up to the local and national elections in 2017 and 2018, respectively, as political actors across the spectrum begin to position themselves.

Cambodian Center for Human Rights 17 September 2016

Recent Official Interference with Freedoms of Assembly and Expression

Events at recent demonstrations and protests indicate that the fundamental freedoms of expression and assembly in the Kingdom of Cambodia are facing ever-greater interference and restriction at the hands of local and national authorities.

Cambodian Center for Human Rights 2 September 2016

Freedom of the Press 2016: Cambodia

Freedom House 24 April 2016

Freedom on the Net 2015: Cambodia

Government working group established to restrict "immoral" online content

Freedom House 31 October 2015

Cambodia: Democracy under threat

Cambodian Center for Human Rights 25 September 2015

Challenges for independent media in Cambodia in 2014

In 2014 Cambodian journalists increasingly found themselves in the news, as reporters faced injury and even death for covering the news. 2014 proved the deadliest year for Cambodian journalists since the political turmoil of 1997, with two Cambodian journalists confirmed murdered in relation to their work and a third, foreign journalist found dead under suspicious circumstances.

Cambodian Centre for Independent Media 9 May 2015

[Cambodia] Using violence and rules to suppress the media

The first months of 2014 saw a continuation of the political unrest that rocked the capital city of Phnom Penh in the months following the disputed July 2013 national elections. Political protests continued throughout the city in 2014 as the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) boycotted its National Assembly seats over alleged widespread irregularities in the previous year’s election, which maintained control of the legislative body under the Cambodian People’s Party, and its long-ruling leader Prime Minister Hun Sen, who in 2014 marked 30 years as head of state.

Southeast Asian Press Alliance 4 May 2015

Freedom of the Press 2015: Cambodia

Ranked 154th in annual global media freedom report

Freedom House 1 May 2015

Report on Cambodian Internet users: Perceptions of online freedom of expression and political engagement

Cambodian Internet users overwhelmingly see the country’s Internet as increasingly becoming more accommodating of free expression but remain concerned about the effects of recently proposed government actions related to Internet surveillance and controls, according to the results of a study by CCIM, which surveyed almost 1,000 Cambodian Internet users from 22 provinces.

Cambodian Centre for Independent Media 11 April 2015

The situation of human rights defenders in Cambodia in 2014

Despite protecting human rights defenders (“HRDs”) falling under the protection of legally binding international instruments, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (“ICCPR”), many HRDs in the Kingdom of Cambodia (“Cambodia”) remain at high risk of a plethora of threats including arbitrary arrest and detention, physical violence and murder, and threats and intimidation and harassment.

Cambodian Center for Human Rights 1 April 2015

"Work Faster or Get Out" - Labor Rights Abuses in Cambodia's Garment Industry

This 140-page report documents lax government enforcement of labor laws and brand actions that hinder monitoring and compliance. In recent years, wage protests, instances of garment workers fainting, and burdensome union registration procedures have spotlighted the plight of workers in Cambodia’s garment factories.

Human Rights Watch 12 March 2015

Impunity in Cambodia: CCHR Briefing Note

Cambodian Center for Human Rights 2 November 2014

Outcome report: Workshop for youth on electoral reform

This Outcome Report summarizes the issues raised and the recommendations of participants during the Workshop for Youth on Electoral Reform held on 20-21 June 2014 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Cambodian Center for Human Rights 18 August 2014

Freedom of information and legislative transparency in Cambodia

CCHR has released a Briefing Note on freedom of information and legislative transparency in Cambodia, where laws are almost always drafted in secrecy, without the inclusion of relevant stakeholders.

Cambodian Center for Human Rights 5 August 2014

CCHR Briefing Note: The criminalization of defamation and freedom of expression in Cambodia

Cambodian Center for Human Rights 28 May 2014

Overcoming traditional media restrictions

"Human rights violations are often unreported by the censored media, facilitating a culture of impunity"

Southeast Asian Press Alliance 2 May 2014

Freedom of the Press 2014: Cambodia

Ranked 147th in annual global media freedom report

Freedom House 2 May 2014

Freedom in the World 2014: Cambodia

Coverage of government land grabs and extralegal resource extraction not tolerated

Freedom House 1 May 2014

CCHR Factsheet - Rubbish collectors' protests

This factsheet provides an overview of the recent rubbish collectors’ protests and subsequent negotiations with garbage collection company CINTRI. The strike for an increased minimum wage and improved working conditions went ahead in spite of the current ban on all demonstrations, assemblies and marches, and remained peaceful, despite heavy military police presence

Cambodian Center for Human Rights 23 February 2014

Conditional release of human rights defenders violates fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly

This Briefing Note addresses the increasing practice of forcing human rights defenders, protesters and everyday citizens to sign written statements agreeing to not partake in future demonstrations or illegal activities, as a condition of their release or to avoid charges

Cambodian Center for Human Rights 5 February 2014