Original report from Phnom Penh
07 August 2009
Three members of the European Union met with Foreign Ministry officials Friday to express their concerns over a recent deterioration of the human rights climate.
The EU, represented by British Ambassador, German Ambassador and the European Commission Charge d’Affairs, met with the ministry’s secretary of state, Ouch Borith, officials said.
The EU said it was concerned “specifically with regard to freedom of expression rule of law and the,” the British Embassy said in a statement.
“The EU expressed concern in this context over a number of instances in which criminal charges of defamation and disinformation have been used against representatives of civil society, the media and the political opposition,” the embassy said.
The EU has a rotating presidency, currently held by Sweden, but it is represented in Phnom Penh by the British Embassy.
Government and court officials are facing increased scrutiny after a raft of cases in the court that appear aimed at dissenters.
Respect for democratic principles and human rights “plays a central part in the political and development relationship between the EU and Cambodia,” the embassy said. “The EU noted that transparency, the rule of law, freedom of expression and open political debate are indisputable elements of democracy.”
One journalist has been jailed on defamation charges, another folded his newspaper to avoid the same, and two Sam Rainsy Party lawmakers, including Mu Sochua, were stripped of their immunity as they were sued in different cases for defamation.
Mu Sochua was fined more than $4,000 this week when she lost a suit to Prime Minister Hun Sen, who claimed she had defamed him by lodging a complaint in court over allegedly sexist remarks in a speech in April.
The EU representatives called on the government to take measures to ensure it was “conforming to its national and international commitments, including under the UN human rights instruments to which it is a party,” the embassy said.
Om Yentieng, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen and the head of the government’s human rights body, declined to comment, saying he had not yet seen the EU statement.
The EU, represented by British Ambassador, German Ambassador and the European Commission Charge d’Affairs, met with the ministry’s secretary of state, Ouch Borith, officials said.
The EU said it was concerned “specifically with regard to freedom of expression rule of law and the,” the British Embassy said in a statement.
“The EU expressed concern in this context over a number of instances in which criminal charges of defamation and disinformation have been used against representatives of civil society, the media and the political opposition,” the embassy said.
The EU has a rotating presidency, currently held by Sweden, but it is represented in Phnom Penh by the British Embassy.
Government and court officials are facing increased scrutiny after a raft of cases in the court that appear aimed at dissenters.
Respect for democratic principles and human rights “plays a central part in the political and development relationship between the EU and Cambodia,” the embassy said. “The EU noted that transparency, the rule of law, freedom of expression and open political debate are indisputable elements of democracy.”
One journalist has been jailed on defamation charges, another folded his newspaper to avoid the same, and two Sam Rainsy Party lawmakers, including Mu Sochua, were stripped of their immunity as they were sued in different cases for defamation.
Mu Sochua was fined more than $4,000 this week when she lost a suit to Prime Minister Hun Sen, who claimed she had defamed him by lodging a complaint in court over allegedly sexist remarks in a speech in April.
The EU representatives called on the government to take measures to ensure it was “conforming to its national and international commitments, including under the UN human rights instruments to which it is a party,” the embassy said.
Om Yentieng, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen and the head of the government’s human rights body, declined to comment, saying he had not yet seen the EU statement.
12 comments:
i think any compromise in the freedom and democracy in cambodia is a cause for major concern given the recent history of cambodia, however, i still think everyone should practice president reagon's wise expression of " trust by verify" philosophy as well. because it would be ignorant to trust but not verify the accusation. that's all. god bless.
Le Royaume du Cambodge n'est pas un pays de dictature.Mais Ah Khmer Krâhâm knhom yuon, Khvak Makhang Hun Sèn Premier Ministre et les membres de son Gouvernement pratique la dictature la pression etla corruption sur le peuple khmer innocent et épris de la paix et de la justice.
A bas Ah Khvak Hun Sèn, esclave des Yuon-Hanoï.
A bas le Gouvernement fantoche sous le contrôle des Yuons !
Pi Anh Father of PPU
The European Union keeps talking and barking, but CPP and Hun Zen won't listen. Please keep pumping the dollars for Hun Zen in order for him to crash his opponents and foreign organization. Thank you for helping out our dear leader to become stronger. He is doing a very good job in hurting his own people, but he is scared Hanoi and Siem.
Cambodia people have no faith in democracy and the super power.
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
Tortures
Executions
Massacres
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Overwork to Death
Slavery
Rapes
Human Abuses
Assault and Battery
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leader of the Free Trade Union
Attempted Assassinations on Chea Vichea and Sam Rainsy
Attempted Murders on Chea Vichea and Sam Rainsy
Executed members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders members and activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Killings
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and others military official on board.
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Remove Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Veitnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity
Under Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed all of these crimes above within Hun Sen Khmer Rouge government have ever been brought to justice.
1:48 AM,
You hit the nail on the head. I am totally with your comment.
The international communities need to do more and stern about it. KHmer need to rise up cause This regime need to step down soon.
Dear world communities,
This Hun Sen's regime is 100% dictatorship one. Hun Sen himself was a Khmer Rouge commander. He still uses the Khmer Rouge tractics and monkey laws to oppress Cambodian people. The past o ver twenty years it had never been improved for the benefits of Cambodians , but only for Hun Sen himself, his families, plus his crojnies.
Your aids never never reaches Khmer people, the needees.
How about set some conditions for your aids, and very all transparencies of your aids in all domains.
5:49am
The world communities don't care about other poor nations, they only care for themselves.
Billion will be jobless, 10% unemployed reaches the US.
How can Cambodia will get a real free speech like the west countries because:
1) most leader in this country are most the former Khmer Rouge. They change only their clothes for now but the violence method is not diffence from KR's.
2) they play the tatical game with donner countries, if donners stay calm then they press more on the Khmers but when the donners acts then they reduce to press people.
3) thanks to the west countries those trainned Cambodian polices in order fight against crimes or take care the security of country but you can see the action here (they do against your willing).
Former Survivor of Khmer Rouge Regime
And you 9;06am believe that those policemen who torture Khmers are ALL Khmers? Neth Savoeun the police chief is Hun Sen nephew in law, and he is not KHmer who was born in Cambodia, he has two IDs, one is Vietnamese and one is Khmer.
To all belove Khmer,
You are not deserve to be Khmer, Khmer Australian, or Khmer American...etc if you are not support or donate money to SRP and dares to support the CPP. Despite, we have hidden this policy because Hun Sen and CPP can mocking on us but SRP and our supporters will carry this policy until we win the election. In addition, whoever dares to post any topic in this forum which doesn't support SRP, we will use very bad languages to hunt you down. We are the best in using bad languages against Hun Sen and the CPP.
The opposition (SRP) has no policy to force any Khmer to support us, but if any Khmer dares to support the CPP, SRP and our supporters will brand you as Youn.
Sam Rainsy Party (Candle light)
We like democracy and always respect the freedom of speech, but we really hate whoever support Hun Sen's regime and the CPP.
I do agree the idea that whoever supports the CPP must not call him/herself as Khmer. Khmer have to support SRP and donate money as much as you can to help our party in fighting with CPP.
From SRP's supporter in USA
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