Washington
13 October 2009
A leading Cambodian rights advocate said Monday the penal code passed by the National Assembly does not meet the requirements of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords, as it does not sufficiently safeguard freedoms of assembly and expression.
“I see that some of the articles are still of concern,” said Pung Chiv Kek , founder of the rights group Licadho, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”
The National Assembly passed the new penal code on Monday, but it mostly ignored recommendations from civic groups, she said.
Groups sent “46 points to the National Assembly…but none of it was considered,” she said, including that defamation not be a criminal charge.
In signing the Peace Accords in October 1991, Cambodia signed onto many conventions and treaties meant to follow human rights norms, including rights in politics, assembly, information, speech and expression, she said.
Laws limiting freedoms can hurt development, she added, as sometimes people need to voice their concerns if they find themselves victims of legal violations.
Still, she thanked the government for passing the code, an improvement over Untac laws that had been followed in the meantime.
“I see that some of the articles are still of concern,” said Pung Chiv Kek , founder of the rights group Licadho, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”
The National Assembly passed the new penal code on Monday, but it mostly ignored recommendations from civic groups, she said.
Groups sent “46 points to the National Assembly…but none of it was considered,” she said, including that defamation not be a criminal charge.
In signing the Peace Accords in October 1991, Cambodia signed onto many conventions and treaties meant to follow human rights norms, including rights in politics, assembly, information, speech and expression, she said.
Laws limiting freedoms can hurt development, she added, as sometimes people need to voice their concerns if they find themselves victims of legal violations.
Still, she thanked the government for passing the code, an improvement over Untac laws that had been followed in the meantime.
2 comments:
The Cambodian National Assembly passed such law without consciously considered other civic groups...MERELY for its own interest....How can defamation be charged as criminal...I NEVER heard of...ONLY HUN SEN CAN ALTER SUCH LAW....IT IS A JOKE!
This new penal code was written by French and Japanese lawyers primarily. Defamation being treated as a crime was in the UNTAC Criminal law (art 63)which was written by U.N. lawyers and adopted by the National Assembly after the formation of the RG. The law was decriminalized by the PM and for which he should be given credit. I haven't yet read the final version to the new penal code, but if defamation is criminal then blame the French and Japanese who basically wrote the laws to mirror their own.
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