Freedom of association

More than 20 former employees of shuttered radio station VOD – closed by order of the Prime Minister last week – have now applied for government jobs in ministries and institutions. ...

Both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday dismissed concerns from the international community and foreign embassies over the decision to revoke the licence of the Voice of Democracy (VOD) radio. ...

Cambodia said on Tuesday that the shutdown of the foreign-funded VOD (Voice of Democracy) radio over broadcasting “intentionally slanderous” information does not undermine the vibrant press freedom in the Southeast Asian country. ...

The government will take stronger action against people spreading fake news on social media, especially concerning COVID-19 vaccinations in the Kingdom. ...

A joint statement signed by 63 Cambodian civil society organisations (CSOs) released Friday requested the government immediately repeal the recent sub-decree on the Establishment of a National Internet Gateway, citing the potential for restrictions on internet users’ freedoms and privacy.   ...

Better Factories Cambodia has found that more and more factories in the country are complying with its standards when dealing with critical worker issues after it began conducting studies on factory compliance. These critical issues include child labour, discrimination, forced labour and freedom of association. ...

The Ministry of Interior has officially registered a newly created “Kem Ley Foundation Association” after months of processing the application. Chhim Kan, director of the Interior Ministry’s Department of Associations and Political Parties, yesterday confirmed the association’s registration had been successful. ...

The Constitutional Council is planning to meet later this week to discuss amendments to the Constitution, including changes to an article guaranteeing the right for citizens to form organisations and political parties. The document, a letter of invitation to local media, outlines an agenda for the ...

Around six people were arrested outside the United States Embassy in Phnom Penh yesterday for attempting to stage a small protest, but were released later in the afternoon after agreeing to not demonstrate again without a City Hall permit. ...

An annual reporting requirement under the contentious Law on Associations and NGOs, or LANGO, is being intentionally misinterpreted by local police, according to a group of NGOs in Oddar Meanchey province. ...

Security forces including riot police were deployed to Phnom Penh’s Borei Keila neighborhood on Tuesday to keep a watchful eye over activists in the area, as rights groups, undeterred by arrests of eight protesters on “Black Monday,” began planning next week’s demonstration.   ...

Eight human rights officers and activists clad in black were arrested on Monday during “Black Monday” protests in Phnom Penh, the first in a campaign to free four fellow rights workers and an election official who were jailed late last month on charges widely believed ...

The United Nations human rights office expressed concern today over a worsening climate for opposition politicians and activists in Cambodia, and stressed that the right to peaceful assembly and to freedom of expression belongs to all. ...

The U.N.’s new special rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, Rhona Smith will make her first official visit eight-day in Cambodia. ...

Police in Koh Kong province on Wednesday late evening set free 17 people, including for local rights workers who were arrested over a protest in the province. ...

Seventeen members of a Cambodian rights group and environmental NGO were briefly detained by authorities in Cambodia’s southeastern Koh Kong province Wednesday as they observed protests calling for the release of three activists held for interfering with sand-dredging operations, sources said. ...

Police in Koh Kong province on Wednesday detained at least 17 people, who had been protesting the detention of three environmental activists. ...

A group of protesters demanding the release of three jailed environmental activists in Koh Kong province clashed with authorities on Tuesday, as they attempted to file a petition to the residence of the provincial governor. ...

Not long ago, Sim Pov, a representative of 69 families from Kratie province, came to Phnom Penh to meet with urban housing rights protesters. He wanted to learn from them how he could organize his own community, which is locked in a land dispute with ...

Six demonstrators were briefly detained as they protested against the recent passage of a law under which critics say the law will hinder the ability of NGOs to operate in the nation. ...

United Nations human rights expert Maina Kiai on Wednesday urged Cambodia to reject a draft law that would allow authorities to shut down and criminalize any group advocating for human rights, basic freedoms and good governance, saying it is not too late to reverse the ...

The government yesterday confirmed four changes to the controversial NGO law in response to widespread criticism; opponents, however, say the edits are insignificant and the legislation remains a “severe violation” of Cambodia’s constitution. ...

ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) today called on the Cambodian government to abandon its proposed Law on Associations and Non-governmental Organizations (LANGO), arguing that the ruling party has pursued a fundamentally undemocratic course in attempting to secure the passage of a law that threatens ...

In the first semester of the year, the number of demonstration and riot up but crime down, said a report of the Phnom Penh Police Commissariat. During that period, there were 236 cases of demonstrations and riots, up 55 cases compared to the same period of ...