Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Sunday called on United Nations member states to pressure the Cambodian government to implement important reforms as the human rights situation in the country continues to deteriorate. The group said Prime Minister Hun Manet's government continued to tighten restrictions on freedom of expression and the press, labor rights and trade unions, and civil society.
Recent events within Southeast Asia seem to lend credence to HRW's concerns.Since the beginning of this year, 11 political opposition figures have been arrested on politically motivated charges. Forgery. In preparation for the local elections scheduled to be held this month,Political opposition leader Kem Sokha's request for a review of his house arrest was rejected. The decision was made following his arrest in March 2023 on politically motivated treason charges. On May 3, Cambodia's Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Khmer Employees Union leader Chim Sitar and seven other union activists who support Nagaworld's workers' rights. In January, outspoken Cambodian critic Ninyak was arrested on defamation charges over Facebook posts criticizing the country's agriculture ministry.
Bryony Lau, acting director of Asia at HRW, argues that the Cambodian government under Manet has increasingly become a de facto one-party system, with “no meaningful elections, no press freedom, and the judiciary controlled by the ruling party.” do. Mr Lau called on UN Member States working within the UNHRC to condemn these violations.
HRW's call comes ahead of Cambodia's appearance at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on May 8 for its fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The UPR is a mechanism of the Human Rights Council, the UN's main body responsible for addressing human rights violations, and requires all UN member states to undergo a peer review of their human rights performance every four and a half years. In the 2019 review, Cambodia accepted 173 of the council's 198 recommendations. However, it reportedly did not respect these recommendations, which were binding once accepted.
This is not the first time HRW has criticized Cambodia's unsatisfactory treatment of human rights. In October 2023, Cambodia expressed similar concerns in a submission to the UPR, citing the government's crackdown on freedom of expression and the use of intimidation, violence and repressive laws to crush dissent. denounced its use. The United Nations also reported that Cambodia's national elections in early August 2023 were “extremely embarrassing” amid strict media restrictions, harassment of opponents, and complete exclusion of opposition parties.
