Friday, June 07, 2013

Cambodia passes bill criminalizing genocide denial

Cambodia passes bill criminalizing genocide denial 
Associated Press | 7 June 2013

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia's National Assembly on Friday approved a bill making it a crime to deny that atrocities were committed by the country's genocidal 1970s Khmer Rouge regime, a law that critics allege will be used as a weapon against the political opposition.

The assembly passed the bill unanimously in the absence of opposition lawmakers, who were expelled from the legislature this week. A committee controlled by the ruling Cambodian People's Party said the opposition lawmakers must relinquish their seats because they had left their old parties to joined a new, merged party to contest the country's general election in July.

The recently established Cambodia National Rescue Party faces an uphill battle against Prime Minister Hun Sen's well-organized, well-financed political machine. It is already handicapped by having its leader, Sam Rainsy, in self-exile to avoid jail on what are widely seen as politically motivated charges.

Hun Sen, who has been prime minister since 1985, called for the new law after a leading opposition lawmaker reportedly suggested that some of the evidence of Khmer Rouge atrocities was fabricated by Vietnam, whose army invaded to oust the Khmer Rouge in 1979.
Hun Sen was once a Khmer Rouge cadre himself, and his political allies include people linked by scholars to Khmer Rouge atrocities.

The radical policies of the communist Khmer Rouge are generally held responsible for the deaths of 1.7 million people from execution, overwork, disease and malnutrition. A U.N.-assisted tribunal is currently trying two of the group's surviving former leaders for genocide and other crimes.

The bill approved Friday must go through several more pro forma stages before becoming law. It would punish anyone denying that crimes were committed by the Khmer Rouge with imprisonment of six months to two years, and a fine of 1 million to 4 million riel ($250 to $1,000).

Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, commented in a prepared statement that his group does not deny that serious crimes were committed under the Khmer Rouge, but it does not consider a law prohibiting such denials to be necessary.

"Restricting debate, discussion and education about the Khmer Rouge period through such a law would be to the detriment of survivors, rather than for their benefit," he said. "The law is therefore a blatant politicization of our country's history in order to score points before the national elections."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a hypocrite! A former Khmer Rouge pretend to be Khmers saviour with this law, he should instead let case 003 and 004 go ahead without his interference, then we all will see who the murderous Khmer Rouge are...

Anonymous said...

Lying and and denial of reality are acceptable in the freedom of expression?
Do not confuse about freedom of expression and the lie. These are two totally different things. In the freedom of expression, you give your personal opinion freely but you recognize the truth established and undisputed.
In negationism ( the denial of genocide ), you deny the reality established and undisputed. In denial you're lying.
In the freedom of expression, there is the willingness to observe objective reality.
In denial, there is willingness to falsify objective reality.For example, when a person is killed, freedom of expression, said there is a murder, and discuss the reasons for the murder. But the denial, said that there is not murder, but the person committed suicide.In the freedom of expression, there is the willingness to observe objective reality.In denial, there is willingness to falsify objective reality.
It's the same thing, in trade, there are criminal laws punishing of lying and fraud in business. If you sell a counterfeit goods and products of famous brand, you fall under the criminal law for infringement.
The public and social order, the established truth must be defended and lies and dishonesty must be punished.

Freedom of opinion and expression never means anarchy.
But freedom of expression and opinion implies responsibility of
his talks.

Anonymous said...

Yes, it was an atrocity during Pol Pot era no doubt about that, but who created Pol Pot? it was VC and so, who were behind those atrocity? of course VC and so, why is it so hard to understand? and why, do you have to make a law to jail our brothers and sisters from speaking truth? everyone in this world knows this. so, why making law to cover up such crimes against humanity? from such action, everyone is laughing, such a crook leader really. Having nothing else to do acccept banning people from speaking truth about who is behind such atrocity, hahaha making me laugh too.