Human rights

The Ministry of Information is preparing to publish 5,000 copies of Cambodia 2021 ahead of the 13th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), which Cambodia is hosting in the middle of this year, for distribution to delegates and participants. ...

Cambodian Human Rights Committee (CHRC) vice-president Chin Malin said civic space in Cambodia is not shrinking. Instead, it is widely open, but those who enjoy civic space must respect the constitution and the law. ...

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.   ...

The winner of the 2016 Goldman Environmental Prize Ouch Leng and four other forestry activists were sent to Kratie Provincial Court yesterday after being accused of putting signs up in a protected area. ...

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday continued the trial for union chief Rong Chhun and two of his supporters who were charged with “incitement” in connection with a statement he made claiming Cambodia had ceded land to Vietnam along their shared border in Tboung Khmum ...

The Supreme Court yesterday heard the bail applications of three environmental activists  who were charged with “incitement” for criticising Phnom Penh authorities on Facebook last year. ...

The Ministry of Information will expand its monitoring of social media posts to include more platforms. ...

Effective from now, journalists are barred from filming or recording criminal cases that are still under investigation by police.​ The directive was issued on Friday by the General Commissariat of National Police to municipal and provincial police that journalists are prohibited from filming or recording ...

The Ministry of Information is sponsoring the first annual Gratitude Awards for reporters who have produced exemplary work that demonstrated courage, intellect and insight and advanced the profession of journalism starting in the 1970s. ...

The National Police’s Anti-Cyber Crime Department has called on social media users to be wary of messages advertising opportunities to win rewards after observing a recent increase in the proliferation of scams on platforms like Telegram and Facebook. ...

In 2020, the Ministry of Information identified sources of objectionable or illegal material on social media including fake news and disinformation, various incitements, unfair criticism of the nation’s leadership and insults to the King totalling 1,343 cases. ...

The Ministry of Women’s Affairs yesterday said it is studying a Licadho report that found that nearly one in three cases of rape or attempted rape of a woman were perpetrated by a relative of the victim. ...

The Permanent Mission of Cambodia in Geneva has hit back at three United Nations human rights experts, who expressed alarm over what they called the ‘naming and shaming’ of COVID victims. The Mission said that Cambodia’s response to the coronavirus aims to “ensure that precious ...

Human Rights Day in Cambodia was marked in contrasting fashions yesterday, as the government said the rights situation in the Kingdom is improving and “far better” compared to some other countries in the region, while some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) expressed concern over repression of human ...

Three international and domestic rights groups said the government must test prisoners who may have been exposed to an Interior Ministry official who had the disease, with Prime Minister Hun Sen focused on soliciting funds for vaccine acquisitions. ...

Civil society groups and human rights non-governmental organizations knew in 2019 that it would be the last time International Human Rights Days would be a holiday, after the government did away with five national holidays to increase annual work days. ...

The Information Ministry threatened legal action against journalists it claimed were spreading fake news or engaging in unethical behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic, a warning that comes amid persistent persecution of journalists in the country. ...

Three online news journalists from Kratie province were arrested and charged with extortion this week for allegedly demanding money in return for holding back a story about illegal land clearing.​ ...

The Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) on Monday voiced deep regret over claims linking milled-rice exports to Australia with human rights abuses. ...

A news publisher has been sentenced to 18 months in prison over criticisms of Prime Minister Hun Sen in several social media posts. ...

The Ministry of Information issued a statement yesterday to address the concerns of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) regarding press freedom in Cambodia, saying they are trying to mislead the public. ...

The owner of a provincial radio station, Sok Oudom, maintained he had not incited villagers in Kampong Chhnang province against the military during his incitement trial on Tuesday, with a verdict expected on November 17. ...

A joint statement released on November 2 by a group of 57 NGOs called for the government to stop silencing journalists and media outlets and release journalists who they believe were unfairly arrested.​ ...