Thursday, March 30, 2006

Cambodia: UN rights chief urges Government cooperation after reported criticism

30 March 2006 – United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour today called on the Cambodian Government to continue to cooperate fully with UN rights officials in the country following reports that the Prime Minister had denounced them.

“The different Special Representatives over the years and the staff of my Office in Cambodia, established in 1993, have been mandated by the international community to monitor respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and to cooperate with the Government and civil society in order to ensure that the standards accepted by the Government are observed”, High Commissioner Louise Arbour said.

I trust that they will continue to receive the full cooperation of the Government,” she added, expressing concern over reports that Prime Minister Hun Sen had denounced Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Special Representative for human rights in Cambodia, Yash Ghai, and the work of the rights office’s staff.

In January, Ms. Arbour expressed “deep regret” over the Government’s arrest of two more human rights activists and warned that this trend threatened to undo efforts to build a just society in Cambodia.

A month earlier, Mr. Ghai met with representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who complained of the constraints they face in the performance of their duties, including increasing restrictions on their freedom of expression.

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