Law and judiciary

A representative of villagers in a land dispute in Oddar Meanchey province’s Anlong Veng district was arrested on Wednesday for alleged property damage. Sat Bora, 34, has been representing 122 families in Anlong Veng commune, who have been locked in a land dispute with authorities for ...

The National Assembly unanimously passed amendments to the Constitution and Criminal Code Wednesday that will impose restrictions on political rights and make it illegal to disrespect the King – changes that observers called a “disaster” for civil liberties in the Kingdom. In a full plenary session, ...

Thai and Cambodian authorities met earlier this week to discuss their extradition agreement and strengthen prisoner exchange – a meeting that came just days after Thailand extradited Cambodian refugee Sam Sokha amid concerns about the fate of more than 100 opposition figures who have fled ...

The National Assembly yesterday approved an amendment to the Penal Code allowing prison sentences for anyone insulting the King.An extraordinary session was held yesterday to discuss and then approve the Penal Code amendment, as well as amending five articles of the constitution and a draft ...

Two men were arrested and temporarily detained on Monday in Koh Kong province after authorities discovered 34 marijuana plants being grown illegally in the gardens in front of their homes, police said yesterday. ...

Six officials have filed a complaint to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court asking for their Funcinpec membership to be reinstated after they were removed from the party by its leader, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, at the end of last month. ...

Two Mother Nature activists, who were released from prison yesterday, said they had been “robbed” of their freedom for the past five months after being arrested for documenting suspected illegal sand-bearing vessels in Koh Kong without evidence that they had committed a crime.​ ...

The Ministry of Economy and Finance held a workshop yesterday to finalise a draft on a sub-decree managing non-tax revenue sources, part of the government’s attempt to improve its revenue collection. ...

The head of the bidding office for Veal Veng district in Pursat province was sent to pre-trial detention yesterday on allegations of falsifying paperwork for locals seeking land ownership documents. Heng Donin, Pursat Provincial Court spokesman, confirmed the detention and said district bidding chief Prak ...

NGOs and foreigners have been warned that they could face fines or expulsion from the country for causing confusion or affecting the results of the upcoming Senate elections. NEC spokesman Hang Puthea said the NEC has made regulations and procedures based on existing laws in Cambodia. ...

Two activists who were convicted of incitement to commit a felony and violation of privacy by Koh Kong Provincial Court may be released today following the completion of their five-month prison terms. The two environmental activists, Hun Vannak and Doem Kundy, are being detained in Prek ...

The National Assembly will hold an extraordinary session on Wednesday on some agendas including an amendment to the Penal Code that gives jail time to anyone insulting the King.The National Assembly’s permanent committees held a meeting yesterday afternoon presided by assembly President Heng Samrin to ...

Anti-human trafficking police are seeking the arrest of prominent Cham Muslim community leader and former Social Affairs Ministry official Ahmad Yahya for sending roughly 20 women to Saudi Arabia to work as maids more than a decade ago, after arresting his nephew last week. ...

Former Cambodia National Rescue Party member Ismail Pin Osman was arrested in Phnom Penh on Wednesday for alleged human trafficking, though police officials offered little detail on why he was taken into custody. ...

An investigating judge has rejected Kem Sokha’s request that he interview a representative from the US government in connection with the former opposition leader’s “treason” case, despite the fact that Sokha stands accused of plotting a US-backed overthrow of the Cambodian government. ...

Military police, forestry administration officers and Wildlife Alliance officials on Wednesday raided a house in Pursat province used to facilitate the illegal wildlife trade, seizing nearly 80 kilos of snakes. ...

The Australian Parliament is considering a motion to condemn Cambodia’s political crackdown, with lawmaker Mark Butler declaring Australia has “a solemn duty” to take action to defend Cambodia’s “fledgling democracy”.​ ...

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a 30-month sentence for land activist Tep Vanny on charges relating to a 2013 protest outside Prime Minister Hun Sen’s house that turned violent, leaving the Boeung Kak resident to serve out more than a year of her remaining ...

Cambodian People’s Party spokesman Chhim Phal Virun was questioned Tuesday morning as a witness in the “treason” charges brought against former opposition leader Kem Sokha, his former colleague at the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR). ...

Senior government figures yesterday noted major flaws in an ongoing drug crackdown, among them a lack of rehabilitation for incarcerated users, during a day-long review of the campaign yesterday. The government also proposed establishing five ill-defined “white villages” – or drug-free locations – on the ...

The National Assembly’s Permanent Committee met to discuss a proposed lèse majesté law yesterday, as criticism of the law and draft constitutional amendments continued to mount. National Assembly President Heng Samrin presided over the meeting, where it was decided to forward the draft law banning ...

The Ministry of Mines and Energy has accused a Kandal province businessman of defamation and operating an illegal digging site, a few weeks after he allegedly shot into the ground to scare off officials trying to inspect his land. ...

Five more suspects have been arrested and are being interrogated by authorities in relation to the murder of three forest patrollers last Tuesday in Mondulkiri’s Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, authorities confirmed yesterday. ...

Police in Mondulkiri province yesterday arrested a military officer who is a suspect in a shooting that killed three people during an operation to crack down on illegal logging. ...