Cambodge : l'ONU déplore la mort d'un militant écologiste et d'un gendarme

Rupert Colville, porte-parole du Haut commissariat des Nations Unies aux droits de l'homme (HCDH). Photo ONU/Jean-Marc Ferré

01 Mai 2012
Centre d'Actualites de l'ONU

Le Haut commissariat des Nations Unies aux droits de l'homme (HCDH) a fait part mardi de sa tristesse d'apprendre la mort d'un militant écologiste et d'un gendarme, tués jeudi dernier lors d'une fusillade dans une forêt au sud-ouest du Cambodge.

Le militant écologiste, Chut Wutty, s'efforçait de révéler l'exploitation illégale du bois et la corruption dans ce pays, et In Rattana faisait partie de la gendarmerie cambodgienne.

« Les circonstances exactes de la fusillade qui a eu lieu dans une forêt de la province de Koh Kong, où M. Wutty, en compagnie de journalistes, rassemblait des preuves de l'exploitation illégale du bois restent floues. Notre bureau de Phnom Penh effectue une enquête et une équipe a été dépêchée dans la province deux heures après l'incident », a expliqué le porte-parole du HCDH, Rupert Colville, lors d'un point presse à Genève.

« L'équipe s'est rendu sur le lieu de la fusillade, a interrogé des personnes sur place et a suivi les autopsies des corps des défunts », a-t-il ajouté.

Malgré le manque actuel de clarté sur ce qui s'est passé exactement, le HCDH s'est dit inquiet que le meurtre de M. Wutty marque le dernier incident d'une série d'attaques à l'arme à feu contre des défenseurs des droits de l'homme au Cambodge. Depuis le début de l'année, le bureau du HCDH dans ce pays a enquêté dans quatre autres incidents où des armes à feu ont été utilisées contre des communautés ou des défenseurs des droits de l'homme.

UN human rights office concerned over murder of Cambodian environment activist

1 May 2012
UN News Centre

The United Nations human rights office today voiced concern over last week’s murder of an outspoken Cambodian environmental activist and human rights defender, whom it said had worked fearlessly to expose illegal logging and corruption in the country.

Chut Wutty was shot and killed last Thursday in south-western Cambodia, according to Rupert Colville, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). A member of the Cambodian gendarmerie was also killed in the incident.

“Despite the current lack of clarity about what exactly happened, we are very concerned that the killing of Mr. Wutty marks the latest and most lethal in a series of gun attacks on human rights defenders in Cambodia,” Mr. Colville told reporters in Geneva.

The OHCHR office in Cambodia has since the beginning of this year investigated four other cases involving the use of live ammunition against communities and human rights defenders, which resulted in a number of injuries, he added.

Au revoir Mr. Peschoux, THANK YOU for your dedication to the disposessed Cambodians!

Christophe Peschoux, head of the UN office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia, works from his office in Phnom Penh.(Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

Top UN official leaves Cambodia amid rights concerns

08 May 2011
AFP

"There are regretfully few other checks against Hun Sen's increasing domination and authoritarianism, which has been expanding like a dark cloud over Cambodia's politics and society" - Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch

PHNOM PENH: Sad and relieved. That is how the director of the United Nations human rights office in Cambodia said he felt about leaving the country after effectively being forced out of his post by the government.

Christophe Peschoux, who headed the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for four years, left Phnom Penh on Saturday after admitting it had become "impossible" to work in the country following numerous run-ins with the leadership.

The 52-year-old Frenchman angered officials by speaking out on controversial issues, prompting Prime Minister Hun Sen to demand the UN remove him and the foreign ministry to issue a letter ordering officials to freeze him out.

"Human rights are tolerated to the extent that they do not challenge the political, economic and financial interests of the ruling elite," Peschoux said.

"That's where the red line runs. If you cross that line, trouble starts," he told AFP days before heading to Geneva to take on a senior UN role.

Rights groups say his departure comes as the ruling Cambodian People's Party is curbing freedoms and silencing critics in a bid to consolidate power ahead of local elections in 2012 and a 2013 general election.

OHCHR to be asked to intervene for two Thais held in Cambodia

Wednesday, February 09, 2011
The Nation

The defence plans to seek the intervention of the Office of Untied Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to release two Thais convicted for illegal entry and spying in Phnom Penh, lawyer Natthaporn Toprayoon said on Wednesday.

The trial and verdict for Veera Somkwamkid and Ratree Pipapatanapaiboon were unjust," he said, explaining why the defence wants to involve the OHCHR.

Natthaporn said the petition will be submitted to the OHCHR next week.

He said the defence will take a two-tracked strategy - involving the OHCHR and appealing to overturn the verdict and sentencing.

In regard its next step in the litigation, the defence was waiting to obtain the official copy of the verdict before filing for a bail review and launching the appellate review.

Last week, the Phnom Penh Court of First Instance found Veera and Ratree guilty and sentenced them to serve eight and six years in jail respectively.

The autocratic regime maintains that it will shut down the UN OHCHR office

Hor 5 Hong

28 Dec 2010
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Soch

The autocratic Cambodian regime still maintains that it will shut down the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN OHCHR) in Cambodia when the agreements with this office end in January 2012. Hor 5 Hong, the minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, told reporters on Monday that, according the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Cambodian the UN, the operation of the UN OHCHR will no longer be effective on 01 January 2012. Hor 5 Hong said: “We will shut them down on that day … I say that it could be shut down.”

UN Rights Office Important, Valuable: Clinton

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says keeping the UN office open would provide "good results and reputation for the Cambodian government." (Photo: AP)

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Tuesday, 02 November 2010

“The human rights situation in Cambodia compared to the past is deteriorating.”

Members of the opposition joined with local rights groups in supporting the UN's local human rights office, a day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it a “valuable resource.”

The Cambodian government has said it wants to close the rights office, and Prime Minister Hun Sen told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon he wanted the office head in Cambodia to be sacked.

But Clinton said on a visit here Monday the office provided technical assistance to the government and NGOs. “We think the work is important and we'd like to see it continue,” Clinton said.

Yim Sovann, a spokesman for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, welcomed the support and said the office was necessary to monitor ongoing rights abuses in the country.

“The human rights situation in Cambodia compared to the past is deteriorating,” he said.

Pung Chiv Kek, president of the rights group Licadho, said the UN rights office provided resources to Cambodians and the government.

Keeping it open would provide “good results and reputation for the Cambodian government,” she said.

Thun Saray, head of the rights group Adhoc, said the closure of the office would “make concerns and hesitation from the international community in providing aid to Cambodia.”

Addressing concerns over the office on Monday, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told reporters the government has not made a decision on whether to close the office.

Open Letter to Sec. Gen. Ban Ki-moon from representatives of Cambodian Civil Society

[Hillary Clinton's] Remarks With Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
November 1, 2010
Source: US Dept. of State

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER HOR: (In Cambodian.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you very much Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. I greatly appreciate this opportunity to spend this time with you discussing these matters of great importance to both of our countries. This is my sixth trip to Asia as Secretary of State but my first to Cambodia, and it represents the commitment that President Obama and I have made to restoring America to a high level of engagement in the Asia-Pacific region and in particular to work with the government and the peoples of countries such as Cambodia.

Our two countries recently marked the 60th anniversary of our diplomatic ties, so even as we celebrate old milestones we are firmly fixed on the future to broaden and deepen our partnership. And we had very productive talks this afternoon and I look forward to meeting with the prime minister shortly, and I greatly appreciated the honor of meeting with His Majesty the King earlier today. And then finally, I will meet with leaders of the political opposition.

My discussions have left me convinced that we can work even more closely together to help meet the challenges facing Cambodia and all of Southeast Asia. With help from the United States Government, Cambodia is doing more than ever before to improve its health systems. And in – particularly, we applaud the Government of Cambodia for its commitment to prevent the spread of HIV and deliver life-saving treatment to people living with AIDS.

Our Peace Corps volunteers are now teaching English. And from what I saw earlier in my town hall with these very impressive young people, they are certainly connected to the global economy, and English is one of the keys for doing that.

Through our whole-of-government Feed the Future Initiative, we will be helping the people of Cambodia mount a comprehensive fight against hunger by raising agricultural productivity and making nutritious foods more widely available.

I especially appreciate the commitment of the Cambodian Government to the Lower Mekong Initiative. The deputy prime minister and foreign minister have been deeply involved in this work. It’s a promising new mechanism for the United States, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand to address the challenges in education, health, and the environment that affects all of the people of the Lower Mekong Basin, most especially to address the impact of climate change.

We had our third ministerial in Hanoi two days ago and we look forward to following up on the excellent ideas that Cambodia presented. I also want to acknowledge, as His Excellency did, that Cambodia is making progress in countering corruption. With strong implementation, the new anticorruption law can be a powerful tool to prevent, detect, and punish corruption. This will reassure foreign investors. But more importantly, it will serve the needs of the Cambodian people. It is inspiring to see this country creating such a promising future after a generation of conflict and suffering.

I had a very emotional tour of the Tuol Sleng Museum and I looked at the faces of the young Cambodians, both those who were killed at that terrible place of suffering and those who did the killing. And what is most important is that Cambodians themselves are educating the young generation about a painful chapter in this country’s past and honoring the memory of those who died by working hard to bring accountability and justice while seeking to stabilize and reconcile as well.

Today Cambodia is not only preserving its own peace, it is sending Cambodians overseas to serve as UN peacekeepers in Chad and the Central African Republic and assisting in demining missions in Lebanon and Sudan. So Cambodia is actually using the lessons of its own painful past to help save lives and help other countries who are grappling with conflict and war.

We recently contributed $5 million to Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge Tribunal. And as I told His Excellency, we are committed to helping Cambodia hold accountable those senior Khmer Rouge leaders most responsible for atrocities. I salute the tribunal’s ongoing efforts to bring justice to the victims that promote the rule of law. And I will do what I can to work with the Cambodian Government, with the United Nations, and the international community to ensure that we have the resources needed to proceed with Case 002.

I am very optimistic about Cambodia’s future. The last years have been transformative for this country. And I hope that the United States can be a good partner and a friend as the Government and people of Cambodia make the necessary steps to improve your democratic institutions, to improve the economy, to provide the kind of opportunities that the young people I met with earlier today deserve to have. This visit, Your Excellency, has left me encouraged that our partnership can deepen and grow to serve both our peoples in the years to come. Thank you.

MODERATOR: Thanks, Excellency. Due to the time constraint, the floor is open for only four questions – two questions from Cambodian press and the other two questions from American press. Please raise your hands to get the floor.

QUESTION: (In Cambodian.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: I discussed the debt issue with the deputy prime minister and foreign minister, and if any of you were at the town hall earlier, you know that two of the young questioners, they also asked me about the debt issue. We have agreed that the United States will send a team of experts as soon as possible to resume discussions over ways to settle this debt. The discussions, as you know, ended in 2006. We very much want to see this matter resolved, and as His Excellency said, in accordance with Paris Club principles and in service of Cambodia’s development.

MODERATOR: Second question, please. Gentleman, have the floor. (Inaudible) mike. (Inaudible.)

QUESTION: Hello. This is a question for both Madam Secretary and the foreign minister. Madam Secretary, you said that the U.S., of course, (inaudible) tribunal. Are you looking to see the Cambodian Government do what the foreign minister said that they did not want to do, which is to expand the scope of the trials? Is there enough support? Is the government giving the tribunal enough support? And then secondly on human rights, last week and again today, the foreign minister seemed to indicate that there were already too many groups here promoting human rights. Last week, there was a suggestion that the UN human rights office here should be closed down. I’m wondering what you think about that idea.

And Mr. Minister, I’m wondering if that is indeed what the government’s position is, is that there are already enough human rights groups here that you don’t need the UN office. Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Matt, as to your first question, we are in full agreement with the Government of Cambodia that Case 002 should be brought to trial as soon as possible. That is our first and most pressing piece of business. There is not yet the funding available to do that trial. The estimate is somewhere between $46 and $50 million that will be needed to conduct that trial, funding that would go to the United Nations for the international aspects of the trial and funding that would go to the Cambodian Government. So my highest priority right now is to make sure that we have that money in place so that trial can begin. It is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2011; the sooner the better is my view.

Now there is, as I think you heard His Excellency, concern on the part of the Cambodian Government about going beyond that. That is something that we in the international community should consult closely with the Cambodian Government on. But the first piece of business is getting 002 to trial, and I want to see that happen as soon as possible. So I will be personally reaching out to help raise the money that is needed to get that done.

Secondly, I did not hear the deputy prime minister and the foreign minister say that there were too many NGOs. I think he was making the point, as he did with me in my private meeting with him that there are more than a thousand NGOs in Cambodia, more than a hundred that are committed to human rights. I personally believe that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is a valuable resource. It provides technical assistance to the government. It also works with these NGOs that are in Cambodia – both Cambodian NGOs and international NGOs on a variety of concerns, including human rights, trafficking in persons, and the rule of law. So the High Commissioner’s Office is active in ways that we think are very complementary to what the Cambodian Government is committed to doing, and we think the work is important and we would like to see it continue.

MODERATOR: Second question, please. Gentleman, have the floor.

QUESTION: Thanks for question. I’m (inaudible) from Cambodia Daily Newspaper. Madam Secretary (inaudible). I would like to hear about the U.S. position on the Cambodian Government, which has announced (inaudible) want to close the UN Human Rights Office in Cambodia and (inaudible) be chief of the human rights office in government. And also the second question, if I may –

MODERATOR: Only one question.

QUESTION: Sorry. Please.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I believe that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is a valuable resource and I would hope that it would continue its work, which is important. It works with NGOs; it works with the Government of Cambodia. I think the Government of Cambodia is making significant progress on human rights, and I would like to see that progress continue. I would like to see the cooperation between the United Nations and the Cambodian Government be such that it assists in promoting human rights, ending the trafficking in persons and upholding the rule of law. So from our perspective, we would like to see the work by the UN here on human rights continue.

MODERATOR: Thank you. The last question goes to American –

SECRETARY CLINTON: I think His Excellency might wish to say something.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER HOR: (In Cambodian.)

MODERATOR: The last question, please, to American press. Lady, you have the floor.

QUESTION: Hi, Madam Secretary. I wanted to pick up with a question about what you said earlier, that you’d be willing to send a team of experts to explore new approaches. Can you give us a little detail about what those approaches might entail?

And Mr. Foreign Minister, the Secretary earlier today was saying that Cambodia should pursue alliances beyond – broad alliances beyond those with China.

MODERATOR: Speak louder, please.

QUESTION: The Secretary was suggesting earlier today that Cambodia should pursue alliances broadly, regionally, beyond just China. Could you give us your response to that, please?

SECRETARY CLINTON: We are very, very interested in pursuing a settlement on the debt that was incurred by Cambodia during the Lon Nol regime. There have been no discussions since 2006 at all, and we think it’s time for our experts to meet and explore a broad range of potential areas for settling of this debt.

At this point, I don’t have any preconceived notion of how that will happen because there are a number of different approaches that can be pursued. And we have learned a lot about how to do this during the last decade, so I think the first thing we should start with is a very open discussion between our respective expert teams about options that would be available. But it is my intention to move this up the ladder of priorities, because I think it is something that needs to be given immediate attention. It is a concern that it has not been even addressed, and I would like to see us make it a priority. And His Excellency has agreed, so we will begin to work on that together.

MODERATOR: Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the joint press availability is now concluded. Thank you very much for your participation.

Clinton backs UN rights office, silent on new war crimes prosecutions

Nov 1, 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday described the United Nations' human rights office in Cambodia as 'a valuable resource,' less than a week after Phnom Penh threatened to close it, claiming it was a mouthpiece for the opposition.

Speaking at a press conference with Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, Clinton said the UN human rights office provided technical assistance to the government as well as non-governmental organisations on areas such as trafficking and the rule of law.

'So the High Commissioner's office is active in ways that we think are very complementary to what the Cambodian government is committed to doing, and we think the work is important and we would like to see it continue,' she said.

And in a moderation of Hun Sen's comments last week, Hor Namhong added that the government was in no rush to shut the office, not least since its mandate to operate lasts until January 2012.

Clinton arrived in Cambodia late Saturday as part of a two-week tour to improve relations with a number of Asia-Pacific states, and was scheduled to leave late Monday for Malaysia.

Last week, Prime Minister Hun Sen also told visiting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that he would not allow the war crimes tribunal to prosecute a further five former Khmer Rouge cadres.

If the tribunal decides to prosecute the cases, which are currently under investigation, they would constitute the court's third and fourth trials.

Hun Sen's comments set off a predictable storm of criticism over renewed political interference in the judicial process.

Hor Namhong reiterated that line Monday, saying the trial of five lower-level cadres 'could jeopardise peace and stability in Cambodia.'

'Who will be responsible for that?' he asked, adding that further conflict would hinder the country's development.

Clinton sidestepped a question seeking clarification on the US position on further prosecutions.

Instead she said 'the first and most pressing piece of business' was to secure funding for the tribunal's second case, scheduled to start next year, of four former Khmer Rouge leaders.

'There is not yet the funding available to do that trial - the estimate is somewhere between 46 and 50 million dollars will be needed,' Clinton said.

She also said Washington had agreed to send a team of experts to seek a solution to the 445-million-dollar debt owed to the US by Cambodia's US-backed Lon Nol regime, which preceded the Khmer Rouge takeover of the country in 1975.

'We very much want to see this matter resolved,' Clinton said of the debt, which Cambodia has previously said should be written off.

Clinton is scheduled to meet separately with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and members of the political opposition before flying out to Malaysia later Monday.

She arrived in Cambodia's western city of Siem Reap late Saturday and spent Sunday touring the Angkor Wat temple complex and a US-funded refuge for victims of sex trafficking.

It is the first trip to Cambodia by a serving US secretary of state since Colin Powell visited in 2003.

Clinton Presses Cambodia on China

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton looks at a wall of faces of those killed by the Khmer Rouge regime during a tour of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, formerly the regime's notorious S-21 prison, on Monday. (Associated Press)

NOVEMBER 1, 2010
By JAY SOLOMON
The Wall Street Journal

PHNOM PENH—U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pressed Cambodia to remain independent of China on key economic and environmental issues, as she continued a pan-Asian tour aimed at expanding Washington's diplomatic influence in the region.

To support her campaign, Mrs. Clinton told Cambodian officials Monday that the Obama administration was willing to explore new mechanisms through which to retire nearly $450 million in debts accrued by Phnom Penh's Vietnam War-era government.

Mrs. Clinton also told Prime Minister Hun Sen's government that she will seek to raise more funding for a United Nations-backed tribunal set to try leaders of the Khmer Rouge government that committed genocide in Cambodia during its 1975-1979 reign.

The U.N.-supported court is scheduled to begin prosecuting four of the Khmer Rouge's most senior officials early next year, but the process has been hobbled by financing shortfalls and squabbles over the selection of judges.

To date, Washington has provided $5 million to the tribunal.

"We are committed to help Cambodia hold accountable those senior Khmer Rouge leaders most responsible for atrocities," Mrs. Clinton said at a press conference with her Cambodian counterpart, Hor Namhong. "And I want to urge the Cambodian government to offer its full support to the Tribunal."

Cambodia marks the third country stop on the U.S. secretary's seven-nation Asia-Pacific tour, which is aimed at enhancing the nation's presence in a region increasingly under the influence of China's economy and military.

On Saturday, Mrs. Clinton attended a regional conference in Vietnam that was dominated by China's festering maritime disputes with Japan and a number of Southeast Asia countries. The U.S.'s top diplomat urged the attendees of the East Asia Summit to establish an international legal process through which to mediate these disputes, drawing the ire of Beijing, which views all of the South China Sea as sovereign Chinese territory.

Cambodia is among the Southeast Asian nations that U.S. officials privately worry is the most under Beijing's sway. China is among Phnom Penh 's largest single aid donors, and Chinese firms dominate Cambodia's infrastructure sector. Prime Minister Hun Sen has often sided with Beijing on key regional security issues.

On Monday, Mrs. Clinton attended a town hall meeting with Cambodian students in Phnom Penh and was asked her view on the Hun Sen government's relationship with China. The former First Lady said the U.S. encouraged strong relations between Phnom Penh and Beijing but believed Cambodia should hew to an independent foreign policy.

"It's up to your government and your people to determine your own relationships with other countries," Mrs. Clinton told the gathering of 700 students and representatives of nongovernmental organizations. "But I think it's smart for Cambodia to be friends with many countries. Look for balance. You don't want to become too dependent on any one country."

Mrs. Clinton also said Phnom Penh should hold discussions with Beijing to address concerns that Chinese policies are disrupting Cambodia's economic development and harming its economy. She specifically cited China's damming of the upper Mekong River and its impact on Cambodian agriculture.

"I think there also important issues that China must raise with China. For example, I mentioned the Mekong River," Mrs. Clinton said.

Mr. Hor, the Cambodian foreign minister, declined during the press conference to comment on China-Cambodia relations.

Mrs. Clinton also said Monday the Obama administration hoped the Cambodian government would allow the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to maintain an office. Hun Sen's government has indicated it might close the office after disagreements with its chief representative.

Mr. Hor, however, said during the press conference that no decision had yet been made.

Write to Jay Solomon at jay.solomon@wsj.com

Backflip on UN expulsion

Hor 5 Hong (L) and Khieu Kanharith (R): The prophets of evil on the hellish Hun Xen team?

Sunday, 31 October 2010
Cameron Wells 
The Phnom Penh Post

The government has apparently done an about face on its stance over the closure of the United Nations human rights office in Phnom Penh.

An official has contradicted previous claims that the government had requested the unconditional closure of the office.

In a meeting with visiting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday, Prime Minister Hun Sen proposed that Christophe Peschoux, the long-time head of the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, resign from his post.

“If Mr Peschoux is not removed, then the UN human rights office in Phnom Penh will be closed,” Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said after the meeting.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith confirmed later that the office would be closed regardless, quoting Hun Sen as having requested the closure of the OHCHR office on the grounds that “other countries in the world don’t have human rights offices, and Cambodia doesn’t want this office either”.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong has backed away from Khieu Kanharith’s comments, insisting the government would ask the UN to close the office only as a last resort.

“He [Peschoux] is a spokesperson for the opposition party and does not cooperate with the government of Cambodia,” he said.

Koy Kuong said said Peschoux had failed to adhere to the agreement between the government and the UN that established the office.

“We don’t just want to close [it], we just want the UN to replace Christophe Peschoux,” he said. “If they do not replace him, they [the UN] should close down the office.”

He called the OHCHR “unnecessary” and said there were countless human rights groups capable of filling its role, but reiterated that the office’s closure would only come as a last-ditch measure if Peschoux was not removed.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY VONG SOKHENG

Rights groups condemn Cambodia's threat to shut UN office

Christophe Peschoux

Oct 29, 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - Prominent international human rights groups on Friday condemned the Cambodian government's demand that the United Nations close its local human rights office and fire the country head.

In a joint statement, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International said the government's assertion that the UN human rights office in Cambodia was a mouthpiece for the political opposition were 'baseless.'

The groups said the government's stance was 'a direct assault on the UN's human rights mandate,' and said the UN's leadership should continue to speak out on behalf of the local office and its country head, Christophe Peschoux.

'Donor governments to Cambodia should likewise voice their strong objections to the Cambodian government's statements,' they added.

On Wednesday, the first full day of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's official visit to Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen told him to close the human rights office and sack Peschoux.

In response Ban's spokesman, Yves Sorokobi, said the secretary general stood by the organization's human rights work and its 'representatives around the world including here.'

He said that pulling staff out of a particular country was an internal matter for the UN.

HRW and Amnesty called on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was due in Cambodia this weekend, to express her support for the UN human rights office and its mandate.

Ban arrived in Phnom Penh on Tuesday and left Thursday for Vietnam where he is attending a summit between the United Nations and the regional Association of South-East Asian Nations bloc. He will conclude his current Asian tour in China.

Cambodia: Closure of UN Office Threatens Rights Efforts

UN and Donors Should Strongly Support Human Rights Office

October 29, 2010
Source: Human Rights Watch

(London) - Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have issued the following statement about comments by senior Cambodian officials concerning the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia:

Cambodia: Joint Statement of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch Regarding the Situation of the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International strongly condemn the public statements by senior officials of the government of Cambodia demanding the removal of the director of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Cambodia, Christophe Peschoux, and stating the government intends to force the closure of that office.

From our close knowledge of the work of the OHCHR Cambodia office, we reject as baseless the statements attributed to Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong that the office has acted as a "spokesperson for the opposition party." This attack by the government on the OHCHR Cambodia office should be seen as a direct assault on the UN's human rights mandate, encompassed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international human rights conventions, many of which Cambodia has ratified.

We expect the leadership of the United Nations to continue to speak out in support of the OHCHR Cambodia office, its representative, and staff. Donor governments to Cambodia should likewise voice their strong objections to the Cambodian government's statements. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who will visit Cambodia on October 31 and November 1, should publicly express support for the OHCHR Cambodia office and the UN's human rights mandate. Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International will continue to closely monitor the situation in Cambodia and expose human rights violations and promote accountability.

Human rights head 'seriously concerned' at pursuit of opposition MP

Tue, 13 Jul 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed "serious concern" Tuesday at the Cambodian government's pursuit of a criminal case against opposition parliamentarian Mu Sochua.

Speaking on Pillay's behalf, UN spokesman Rupert Colville said in Geneva the manner in which a defamation case filed by Prime Minister Hun Sen had been conducted appeared to show "an alarming erosion of both freedom of expression and the independence of the judiciary."

The UN body said Hun Sen's lawyer had produced no evidence during the "highly politicized" court case, but had instead relied on a letter written by Mu Sochua to an international parliamentary grouping, which was "totally unacceptable."

"Communicating with international organizations - including the UN Human Rights office itself - is part of the fundamental right to freedom of expression," Colville said, adding the courts should try freedom of expression cases using civil law, not criminal law.

"Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights - which has been ratified by Cambodia - states that everyone has the right to freedom of expression," Colville said.

"The criminal justice system is the bedrock of human rights protection," said Colville. "However, in this case it has become a blunt instrument to silence freedom of expression."

The case between Hun Sen and the former women's affairs minister culminated in a Supreme Court ruling last month that upheld the premier's victory for defamation in the lower courts.

Mu Sochua now faces arrest after missing a July 10 deadline to pay compensation of 1,900 dollars to Hun Sen. The deadline to pay a second court-imposed fine of 2,000 dollars levied in the same case expires on Friday.

Mu Sochua has said she would rather go to jail than pay - a stance she reiterated Tuesday.

The case followed Hun Sen's comments in a speech two years ago when he used the term "strong leg," described by some as derogatory, against an unnamed woman from Kampot province.

Mu Sochua, who represents Kampot province, said the comment was aimed at her, was defamatory, and announced she would sue. Hun Sen countersued saying her defamation allegation was itself defamatory. Mu Sochua's case was thrown out of court.

The case was one of several brought against the government's critics in politics and civil society over the past 18 months, and has led to fears of increasing repression.

Defamation case against Cambodian opposition politician sparks UN concern

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay

Source: UN News Centre

13 July 2010 – United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay has voiced serious concern about the defamation proceedings against an opposition politician in Cambodia, saying they highlight an “alarming” erosion of fundamental freedoms in the South-East Asian nation.

Mu Sochua – who is a serving member of the Cambodian Parliament, a former women’s affairs minister and a prominent women’s rights defender – was convicted last August for defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen when she announced in April that she would sue him for derogatory comments he made about her.

The Prime Minister’s comments included a reference to the unbuttoning of Mu Sochua’s blouse and another reference of a sexual nature that led her to bring a defamation case against him.

Her case against the Prime Minister was dismissed, her parliamentary immunity lifted and she was then found guilty of defamation. Her conviction was upheld by the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court, despite the fact that no evidence proving either damage to reputation or malicious intent was presented during the case.

The court imposed a fine on Mu Sochua and awarded damages to the Prime Minister. She has until 16 July to pay the fine, which she has refused to do.

“We believe this highly politicized case appears to show an alarming erosion of both freedom of expression and the independence of the judiciary in Cambodia,” Rupert Colville of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) told reporters in Geneva.

“Mu Sochua now stood on the verge of imprisonment for merely exercising her legal right to express her view that she was defamed and her intention to seek a legal remedy,” he noted.

“The criminal justice system was the bedrock of human rights protection. However, in this case it had become a blunt instrument to silence freedom of expression.”

OHCHR believes the use of offensive language towards women in the Prime Minister’s statement deserved a response from the courts, Mr. Colville added.

UN representative stood by his comments after threatened with expulsion

Chistophe Peschoux (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

Sunday, 11 July 2010
By Khmerization
Source: Yun Samean, RFA

Mr. Christophe Peschoux (pictured), UN Representative of the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia, said he stands by his comments after he was threatened with expulsion by the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs over his criticism of the swift extradition of two Thai bomb suspects recently, by bypassing due legal process, reports Radio Free Asia.

His criticism has received swift reaction from the Cambodian Foreign Ministry which accused him of interfering in the internal affairs of Cambodia. In a strong worded statement, the Foreign Ministry warned Mr. Peschoux that he would be expelled if "such activities" are repeated in the future.

Mr. Peschoux said he will reply to Foreign Minister Hor Namhong in writing, saying that his letter will detail further his legal analysis based on international human rights regulations which Cambodia has the obligation to respect under international laws.

He added that he and the UN will continue to cooperate with the Cambodian government to strengthen legal framework relevant to exiling and extraditing people from Cambodia.

Mr. Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Cambodian Foreign Ministry, said on Saturday 10th July that he has not yet received Mr. Peschoux's letter, but still maintained the Ministry's earlier statement that Mr. Peschoux had interfered in the internal affairs of Cambodia.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Kingdom of Hyenas

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Comrade Hor 5 Hong threatens to kick out UN Human Rights official from Cambodia

Hor 5 Hong

10 July 2010
By Yun Samean
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Hor 5 Hong, the minister of Foreign Affairs, threatened to kick Christophe Peschoux, the representative of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), out of Cambodia if the latter continues to interfere in the work and the sovereignty of Cambodia.

Hor 5 Hong’s warning took place after Christophe Peschoux expressed his concerns over the deportation of 2 Thai terrorist suspects on 05 July, saying that the deportation did not respect the legal human rights for the Thai citizens.

Cambodia deported the 2 Thai citizens back to Thailand after the police arrested them when they fled from Thailand to Siem Reap province after their alleged grenade attack on the Bhumjaithai party headquarters.

Hor 5 Hong wrote a letter to Christophe Peschoux on 08 July, indicating that if such action takes place in the future, then Cambodia will have to decide on the presence of Christophe Peschoux in Cambodia. Hor 5 Hong added that the UN OHCHR representative should work on technical cooperation as stipulated in the 01 January MOU and that he should stop interfering in affairs strictly involving Cambodia’s sovereignty.

On Friday, Koy Kuong, spokesman for the ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the deportation or not of the terrorist suspects is the exclusive rights of Cambodia’s sovereignty.

Christophe Peschoux declined to comment on the statement issued by the ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.

On Thursday, Yim Sovann, spokesman for the opposition, also said that the government should not pressure a UN official for expressing his opinion because the UN helps Cambodia a lot and Cambodia needs the UN for her development.

On 21 June, Hun Xen expressed displeasure against Surya Subedi, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Cambodia, simply because the latter indicated that he was disappointed for not being able to meet with Hun Xen during his mission. Hun Xen said that Surya Subedi does not respect the rights of the house owner and scorns Cambodia’s leader.

Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review for Cambodia

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OHCHR regrets outcome of case against members of Sam Rainsy Party

UNITED NATIONS
OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER
FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN CAMBODIA

Statement of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia

Phnom Penh, 29 January 2010

Click here to read the article in Khmer (PDF)

OHCHR regrets once again that the courts have been used to respond to a public interest issue that could have been resolved in a more open, constructive manner, through public debate within Cambodia’s democratic institutions. Mr. Sam Rainsy was sentenced to two years imprisonment for damage to property and incitement to racial discrimination (Article 52 and 61 of the UNTAC penal law, respectively). Ms. Meas Srey and Mr. Prum Chea were sentenced to 1 year imprisonment for damage to property. All three were further sentenced to heavy fines and compensation ranging from 5 to 50 millions riels.

Mr. Sam Rainsy allegedly took it upon himself to remove several border demarcation poles on 25 October 2009 in a border village in Svay Rieng province, adjacent to Viet Nam. As a Member of Parliament and a leader of the opposition, he could have raised his concerns about the current process of border demarcation and sought clarification from the relevant authorities or the border demarcation committee, or discussed them at the National Assembly or otherwise publicly.

The trial took place on 27 January in Svay Rieng provincial court. The court building was cordoned off by heavy security forces. A selected number of members of the public including local village and commune authorities and several Members of Parliament from Sam Rainsy Party were allowed in the gallery, although there remained available space. The media were not allowed in. Two human rights observers, including OHCHR, were authorized to observe the proceedings. Whilst it is not the role of OHCHR to determine the merits of the case, it observed that on several occasions the President of the court did not interrupt the civil party lawyer who attacked verbally the accused and their lawyers in an aggressive manner. Due process and international standards provide that trials should be public and respect the principle of equality of arms, whereby all parties must be treated with equal respect.

Border demarcation is an important matter of state sovereignty. It is always a complex and politicallydelicate process, involving neighbouring countries, sensitive negotiations and potentially volatile popular feelings. This is an issue which has led in the past to serious conflicts between Cambodia and its neighbours. It is all the more important that the matter is handled carefully by the Government but also by political parties, with patience, tact, reason and responsibility.

In a democratic society, it is preferable that Government policies or decisions are addressed through public debate. From a human rights point of view, the best response to any allegation is to respond to it with the truth, facts and evidence, and to ensure, wherever possible, a transparent process. In doing so, political leaders should refrain from using border issues in an attempt to gain political dividends by stirring popular sentiments against neighbouring countries and peoples. This is a slippery road that may lead to further conflicts, violence and infringements of human rights.