News
Cambodian Permanent Mission to UN hits out at Smith statement
The Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the UN Office at Geneva (UNOG) said it had learned “with great dismay” the statement by Rhona Smith, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia. ...
Niem Chheng
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national-politics/cambodian-permanent-mission-un-hits-out-smith-statement
Smith urges Kingdom to register indigenous
UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Cambodia, Rhona Smith, has urged the government to speed up land registration for indigenous people to prevent possible further land clearance by opportunists. She said this during a meeting with the Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and ...
Khouth Sophak Chakrya
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/smith-urges-kingdom-register-indigenous
UN Human Rights Rapporteur to land in capital
The UN Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Cambodia, Rhona Smith, is to land in the Kingdom on Monday, in her first official visit since questioning the “genuineness” of the July 29 national elections, polls she claimed were “one-sided”. ...
Ben Sokhean
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/un-human-rights-rapporteur-land-capital
UN Rights envoy claims general election ‘not genuine’ without banned opposition party
Rhona Smith, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, has said that the country’s forthcoming national election will not be “genuine” without the participation of the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party. ...
Hul Reaksmey
https://www.voacambodia.com/a/un-rights-envoy-claims-general-election-not-genuine-without-banned-opposition-party/4374548.html
UN human rights envoy raises CNRP dissolution in meeting with National Assembly president
UN Special Rapporteur Rhona Smith raised the forced dissolution of the CNRP and the redistribution of its legislative seats, as well as the government’s frequent legal action against sitting parliamentarians, during her visit on Tuesday with National Assembly President Heng Samrin. ...
UN rep questions end to CNRP
The UN’s Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Cambodia yesterday asked the Interior Minister to justify the dissolution of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party. Rhona Smith is on a 10-day mission to the Kingdom and yesterday held a closed-door meeting with Interior Minister Sar ...
Khuon Narim
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/50113688/un-rep-questions-end-to-cnrp/
UN rapporteur denied prison meeting with Kem Sokha
UN special Rapporteur Rhona Smith’s request to meet with jailed opposition leader Kem Sokha in a Tbong Khmum prison was rejected by an investigating judge who cited “important tasks” that needed to be completed before outsiders were allowed such access. ...
Ben Sokhean and Niem Chheng
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/un-rapporteur-denied-prison-meeting-kem-sokha
UN envoy voices concern to government
UN special Rapporteur Rhona Smith officially commenced her latest visit to the Kingdom yesterday, meeting with the Ministry of Justice to raise concerns over a slew of legislative and constitutional amendments undertaken as part of the government’s recent crackdown on political dissent. ...
Ben Sokhean and Ananth Baliga
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/un-envoy-voices-concern-government
UN: Cambodia ‘approaching a precipice’ amid threats, fear
The U.N.’s human rights envoy to Cambodia condemned the government’s recent violent rhetoric, court action against politicians and attacks against NGOs that have ramped up ahead of a key national election next year, arguing that the country appeared to be “approaching a precipice.” ...
Janelle Retka
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/un-cambodia-approaching-a-precipice-amid-threats-fear-133853/
UN envoy meets with NEC
The National Election Committee (NEC) yesterday told United Nations Special Rapporteur Rhona Smith that election monitoring coalition the “Situation Room” will have to register with the Interior Ministry if it wants to deploy observers for next year’s elections – despite there being no such requirement ...
Soth Koemsoeun and Ananth Baliga
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/un-envoy-meets-nec
United Nations envoy to probe children’s rights
The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia will pay her fourth visit to the country from August 8 to 18 to examine children’s rights, among other issues. ...
Mom Sophon
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/5076543/united-nations-envoy-probe-childrens-rights/
Envoy calls for prison reform
Rhona Smith, the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Cambodia, who is on a three-day trip to the Kingdom, yesterday voiced her concern about overcrowding in prisons caused by an increase in temporary detentions before trials. Ms. Smith, on her third visit to Cambodia, raised ...
Pech Sotheary
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/30689/envoy-calls-for-prison-reform/
UN envoy offers help with surrogacy laws
Visiting U.N. envoy Rhona Smith on Tuesday offered to help Cambodia draft its first laws on surrogacy, a ministry spokesman said. The special rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, who arrived on Monday for a 10-day visit, met with Justice Minister Ang Vong Vathana to discuss ...
Khy Sovuthy
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/un-envoy-offers-help-surrogacy-laws-119167/
Envoy's report shifts gaze back to Prey Speu
Nougy Mom bounces her 2-year-old son in her arms as she waits at the gates of Phnom Penh’s notorious centre for “undesirables”, Prey Speu. The 34-year-old mother was there to visit her husband, a rubbish collector like herself, who was rounded up by authorities as he ...
Erin Handley and Kong Meta
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/envoys-report-shifts-gaze-back-prey-speu
UN Rights review ‘Not business as usual’
With rebuke raining down on the ruling CPP for its judicial assault, arrests and intimidation of the political opposition and other critics, Cambodia’s annual assessment by the U.N. Human Rights Council will be held next week in Geneva. ...
Janelle Retka
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/un-rights-review-not-business-usual-117790/
NGOs urge UN action on human rights
Twelve NGOs have issued an open letter to the UN Human Rights Council urging it to adopt a strong resolution on what they term the grave deterioration of the human rights situation in Cambodia. ...
Jack Davies
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ngos-urge-un-action-human-rights
UN rapporteur Rhona Smith defends approach
UN Special Rapporteur Rhona Smith has responded to growing concerns among the human rights community that she is not fulfilling her mandate. ...
Jack Davies
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/un-rapporteur-rhona-smith-defends-approach
Justice ministry praises UN rapporteur
Justice Ministry spokesman Chin Malin sang the praises of UN Special Rapporteur Rhona Smith on Saturday, following a report in the Post on Friday that she had lost the confidence of many in the human rights community. ...
UN rapporteur not ‘fulfilling mandate’, say rights veterans
Concerns are mounting among the human rights community, particularly in the wake of political analyst Kem Ley’s murder, that UN Special Rapporteur to Cambodia Rhona Smith is failing to fulfil her mandate in a time of what one observer termed “fear and confusion”. ...
Jack Davies
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/un-rapporteur-not-fulfilling-mandate-say-rights-veterans
UN envoy sees rights deteriorate in absence
The U.N.’s human rights envoy to Cambodia said the political climate had clearly deteriorated in the six months since her first fact-finding mission and that the country remained at a “dangerous tipping point” ahead of commune and national elections. ...
Zsombor Peter
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/un-envoy-sees-rights-deteriorate-in-absence-110703/
UN envoy meets interior minister Sar Kheng
After police in Preah Vihear province blocked the U.N.’s human rights envoy from meeting with indigenous villagers earlier this week, Rhona Smith sat down with Interior Minister Sar Kheng in Phnom Penh on Wednesday and called for better communication between national and local government officials. ...
Khy Sovuthy
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/un-envoy-meets-interior-minister-sar-kheng-110656/
Dam-affected villagers make case to UN envoy
The UN special rapporteur for human rights in Cambodia met with Stung Treng Governor Mom Saroen yesterday to discuss the plight of ethnic minorities in the province affected by the Lower Sesan 2 dam project. ...
Jack Davies
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/dam-affected-villagers-make-case-un-envoy
After City Hall snub, Borei Keila evictees ask UN for help
Former residents of Phnom Penh’s Borei Keila community on Wednesday handed petitions to the U.N.’s human rights envoy to Cambodia, requesting that she intervene in their feud with authorities after they were snubbed by City Hall earlier in the day. ...
Sek Odom
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/after-city-hall-snub-borei-keila-evictees-ask-un-for-help-110354/
UN human rights rapporteur discusses judicial sector reform
The independence of the country’s judiciary was among the issues that UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Rhona Smith raised yesterday during a meeting with the minister of justice as part of her 10-day visit. ...
Mech Dara and Yesenia Amaro
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/un-human-rights-rapporteur-discusses-judicial-sector-reform