Monday, December 09, 2013

Amnesty International -- International Human Rights Day: Cambodia must respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly



AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PUBLIC STATEMENT | Dec. 2013
 
International Human Rights Day: Cambodia must respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly

The Cambodian authorities must respect, protect and fulfill the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, Amnesty International said today, with thousands of people participating in marches, public meetings and other assemblies in the run-up to and on International Human Rights Day (IHRD), 10 December.

 

IHRD is an opportunity for people around the world to come together and celebrate the progress that has been made in realizing human rights and reflecting on the challenges that remain. The peaceful assemblies planned by a diverse array of groups in Cambodia form part of this global event, and are a welcome demonstration of Cambodian society’s increasing dynamism and confidence.

Since 1 December 2013, Buddhist monks have led youth networks, human rights defenders, communities affected by forced evictions, members of formal and informal civil society groups, and other citizens on ‘peace marches’ from five of Cambodia’s provinces. They are holding discussions along the way on Buddhist teachings and human rights.


The marchers are due to arrive in the country’s capital Phnom Penh on 10 December and converge outside the National Assembly. They plan to raise human rights concerns to lawmakers from the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).


Also on 10 December, a coalition of non-governmental human rights organizations plans to hold an assembly and other celebrations in the capital.

And on the same day, the CNRP reportedly intends to hold mass marches and assemblies in Phnom Penh and at the country’s iconic Angkor temple complex in northern Siem Reap province. The CNRP is calling for an investigation into alleged irregularities around the disputed national election of 28 July 2013 and even a new election.

Amnesty International is concerned that razor-wire roadblocks appear ready for use in parts of the capital, and calls on the Cambodian authorities to facilitate rather than restrict people from participating in peaceful assemblies around IHRD. The use of numerous roadblocks during the non-violent demonstrations held by the CNRP between 7 to 17 September 2013 unduly restricted freedom of movement in Phnom Penh in such a way that tensions mounted and violent clashes between people and security forces ensued.

A disturbing trend

On at least four separate occasions in recent months, security forces have used unnecessary or excessive force – including live ammunition – against those protesting and participating in other assemblies, and bystanders. Two people have been shot dead, and scores injured.

Most recently, on 12 November hundreds of garment workers planned to march to the Prime Minister’s house to seek a resolution in an ongoing labour dispute. But riot police backed by fire trucks with high-pressure water-hoses blocked the marchers near a Buddhist pagoda in the capital’s Stung Meanchey commune. People responded by throwing rocks. The police retreated, but a few officers were left stranded. Security forces stormed the pagoda compound and went on a violent rampage.

Eyewitnesses saw security force personnel firing live ammunition at point-black range, corroborated by several gunshot injuries. Rice seller Eng Sokhom, 49, was shot through her chest and died. Twenty-six-year old university student Hoeurn Chann was shot in the side, the bullet damaging his spinal cord, and is now paralyzed from the waist down. Eight others received bullet wounds.

International obligations

The right to freedom of peaceful assembly – for people to come together to express their views – is protected in Cambodia’s Constitution and in Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Cambodia is a state party. As the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia has stated, “the role of the state in peaceful demonstrations is to facilitate, not hinder, them.”

Further, Cambodia must respect the right to life and physical integrity, also protected in the Constitution and the ICCPR.

If an assembly turns violent, security forces should use only such force as is strictly necessary and to the extent required for the performance of their duty. They may use firearms only when less dangerous means are not practicable and only to the minimum extent necessary for defence against an imminent threat of death or serious injury. The intentional lethal use of firearms can only be justified if it is strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.

Under international law, Cambodia has an obligation to provide an “effective remedy” for anyone whose rights have been violated. But as far as Amnesty International is aware, in none of the recent incidents has an investigation into the use of force been completed or any member of the security forces been held accountable.


11 comments:

Anonymous said...

true to respect the rigts, however, when they block public traffic, the police also must do their job clearing the way as fast as they could, too.

Anonymous said...


...wonder if the police ever found information about who killed Chea Vichea, Chut Wuthy, ven. Sam Buntheun, the grenade attack, and Koh Pich killing...etc..

Anonymous said...

All Cambodia Monks must be touch how to use Chemical or Biological or Nuclear weapons, this is the way to liberate country from Vietnamese communist or Dictatorship HUN SEN

Anonymous said...

how about you, monk? yourselves don't respect human right, your abused your family, your wife, your children, your parent, escaped society to become monk, pretending to give love and live to serve Buddhist. you won't be famous with such an act. go back to work and support your family, they really need you instead of waste time with these unnecessary protest.

Anonymous said...

ទិវាបុណ្យសិទ្ធិមនុស្សដែរឬ?
១- ស្តាប់ទៅហាក់ដូច ជាកំប្លែងដែរ--រដ្ឋ-ភិបាលខ្មែរ ចូលរួមប្រារព្ធ
‹‹ទិវាសិទ្ធិម្នុស›› អង្គការពិភព--កំណត់ប្រារព្ធ ពីឆ្នាំ៥០ (១៩៥០) ។
២- តាំងពីហ៊ុន សែន បានកាន់អំណាច--ព្រហើនកោងកាច មិនខ្លាចក្រមច្បាប់
ទាត់ធាក់ចាប់ចង សំពងប៊ិបៗ--មានទាំងសម្លាប់ ៣០ឆ្នាំប្លាយ ។
៣- ‹‹ទិវាសិទ្ធិម្នុស›› រាល់ថ្ងៃ១០ធ្នូ--ម្នុសបានតស៊ូ ជាយូរមកហើយ
ទារសិទ្ធិសេរី ឥតបីកន្តើយ--ឱ្យម្នុសគ្រប់កាយ សប្បាយរស់នៅ ។
៤- បុណ្យសិទ្ធិម្នុសដែរ ឬខ្មែររដ្ឋា?--បើមេឫស្យា អំបូរជនខ្លៅ
បំពានសិទ្ធិយើង ជារាស្រ្តទូទៅ--យើងរស់សោកសៅ ជនខ្លៅសប្បាយ!
៥- គេមានសិទ្ធិត្រួត ឆ្កួតនឹងអំណាច--យើងមានសិទ្ធិខ្លាច វាមិនអាចឡើយ
ខ្មែរត្រូវតែរើ បើយល់ច្បាស់ហើយ--ប្រាប់ សែន ‹‹ថាវើយ ឆ្អែតហើយ ឈប់ជាន់!

Anonymous said...


The election's loser - Hun Sen,

Be a brave person like Yingluck.

Adopt her idea below and solve Cambodia's problem.

Stop being a Yuon's slave !! Kom Thork Teap Peuk !!

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Sunday proposed a public referendum on proposals by anti-government protesters to let the majority of the people decide and suggest a way of holding a clean and fair election with a consensus from all parties as a way to end the conflict.

Bun Thoeun

Anonymous said...

BAD'S GOVERNMENT PEOPLE RISE UP! HUN SEN AND CPP IS WORST, WHAT IS IT?

Anonymous said...


Dear compatriots,

Our Cambodia situation has a quite similarity with the situation in Ukraine.

Bun Thoeun

Kiev Protesters Toppled Lenin Statue.

KIEV, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Crowds toppled a statue of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin in the Ukrainian capital and attacked it with hammers on Sunday in the latest mass protests against President Viktor Yanukovich and his plans for closer ties with Russia.

The statue's felling - a symbolic rejection of Moscow's power - came after opposition leaders told hundreds of thousands of demonstrators to keep up pressure on Yanukovich to sack his government.

A Reuters reporter at the scene saw the protesters breaking up the statue with hammers after using ropes and metal bars to bring it crashing down.

The demonstrators are furious with the Yanukovich government for its decision to ditch a landmark pact with the European Union in favour of a trade deal with Moscow, Ukraine's Soviet-era overlord.

Yanukovich's sudden tack towards Russia has provoked the biggest street protests since the 2004-5 Orange Revolution, when people power forced a re-run of a fraud-tainted election and thwarted his first run for the presidency.

Sunday's rally marked a further escalation in weeks of confrontation between the authorities and protesters that have raised fears for political and economic stability in the former Soviet republic of 46 million people.

"This is a decisive moment when all Ukrainians have gathered here because they do not want to live in a country where corruption rules and where there is no justice," said world heavyweight boxing champion-turned-politician Vitali Klitschko.

Anonymous said...

Bun Thoeun

Very good idea but what do you wait for? Please go ahead, you go first...If not, just useless barking.

Kdam Chet

Anonymous said...

Kdam 70

Anonymous said...

សូមប្រុងប្រយ័ត្នជាមួយពួកវាផង ​ចចកបន្លំ
ខ្លួនបន្លំក្នុងហ្វូងចៀម(រំលឹកថ្ងៃរំលោភសិទ្ធិមនុស្សសិទ្ធិមនុស្ស) :

ចចកយួនបន្លំខ្លួនជាខ្មែរ
-អាយួនសម រង្សី
-អាយួនកឹម សុខា
-អាយួនហ៊ុន សែន
-អាយួនមួ សុខហួ
-អាទម្មិឡស្រីយួនសេង ធារី
-​ក្រុមអាឆ្កែយួនបន្លំខ្លួនជា POLICE, PM
-​ក្រុមអាយូកូងយួន
-​ក្រុមអាក្មេងយួន ហិតកាវ
(បន្លំខ្លួនជាតុបាករ)