President Hun Sen’s order to shutdown Voice of Democracy (VOD), one of Cambodia’s last independent news media outlets, greatly imperils journalistic freedom in the country. With 92 other organisations, Reporters without Borders (RSF) condemns such an arbitrary decision and demands the immediate restoration of the VOD’s broadcasting licence.
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Cambodian villagers pray during a rally against the destruction of the Prey Lang forest, in front of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 18 August 2011, TANG CHHIN SOTHY/AFP via Getty Images Civil society groups in Cambodia denounced the arrest of five forestry activists who were collecting evidence of widespread illegal logging inside the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary.
This statement was originally published on cchrcambodia.org on 9 February 2021.
We, the undersigned groups, urge the Ministry of Environment to stop their campaign of harassment against local forestry activists and community members. On Friday morning, local officials working for the Ministry of Environment arrested five forestry activists who were wrapping trees in Buddhist cloth and collecting evidence of widespread illegal logging occurring inside Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary.