Human rights

Cambodia said on Thursday that the “U.S. Department of State’s 2022 Human Rights Report on Cambodia” was downright unfounded, biased, and prejudicial as to its political nature. ...

The Ministry of Information has demanded that CamboJA News correct the content of its March 18 article which excluded key points made by the ministry’s spokesperson regarding the revocation of three media licences. ...

The National Assembly (NA) said the European Parliament (EP) did not respect the Kingdom’s independence and sovereignty when it passed a resolution strongly critical of the recent conviction and sentencing of former opposition leader Kem Sokha for “treason”. ...

Former opposition leader Kem Sokha’s lawyers said in a Tuesday statement that they were denied access to their client in violation of his rights, preventing them from discussing a planned appeal against his treason conviction. ...

Cambodia has not relented on cracking down on human or sex trafficking, illegal detention, torture, illegal online gambling and other related crimes, General Khieu Sopheak, Ministry of Interior spokesman said yesterday. ...

 A new LICADHO report detailing the murders of 26 women and five children between January 2020 and June 2022 by current or former intimate partners reveals the persistence of domestic violence and flaws in law enforcement. ...

UNESCO and the Women’s Media Centre are promoting media freedom through the project “Strengthening Media Development and Freedom of Expression in Cambodia”, having seen women journalists and media workers face increasing offline and online attacks that make them subject to disproportional, and often specific, threats. ...

DNA testing last week revealed one Cambodian died in the December Poipet casino fire, Banteay Meanchey provincial authorities told CamboJA Monday. ...

NagaWorld union leader Chhim Sithar and eight co-defendants appeared for their first day of trial in Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday. Sithar and all her colleagues, except for one, denied the incitement charges against them. ...

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. ...

The Phnom Penh Post’s weekend editorial about a recent BBC report that included an interview with former staff Mech Dara has drawn heated reactions from across the board among journalists, civil society organisations and members of the public. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen has reaffirmed his position that online news outlet VOD, which published in both Khmer and English and also produced radio programmes, will never be reopened. ...

Germany, the European Union and the international community have been observing former opposition leader Kem Sokha’s court case to monitor Cambodia’s human rights and democratic practices. ...

Senior officials have brushed off concerns raised by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) over the annulment of the licence for online news outlet VOD, saying this would “improve” the professional ethics of the media in Cambodia. ...

The Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation and several partner organisations held a February 15 workshop to share details of a circular which described procedures for dealing with the victims of human trafficking. ...

In a gesture of goodwill, Prime Minister Hun Sen offered government positions to unemployed Voice of Democracy (VOD) journalists. ...

Despite a wave of international concern over the shutdown of independent media Voice of Democracy (VOD), Prime Minister Hun Sen said that the outlet’s license will not be restored and offered VOD reporters government jobs instead in a Facebook post Tuesday. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen has announced that roles within the state framework will be made available for any former employees of online media outlet VOD who wish to engage in public affairs. ...

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. ...

There were tears at Cambodia’s Voice of Democracy on Monday as journalist Khan Leakhena reacted to the sudden order to close the news website. ...

International embassies and other organisations in Cambodia have raised grave concerns about the government’s snap decision to shutter independent media Voice of Democracy (VOD) after revoking its license. ...

After the government shuttered independent media Voice of Democracy (VOD) on Monday, dozens of civil society groups decried the decision and numerous embassies warned the loss of the publication seriously damaged Cambodia’s dwindling press freedom in the run-up to the July national election. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the government will revoke the license for media outlet VOD in a Facebook post Sunday evening, after he previously demanded an apology for an article he claimed was inaccurate. ...