Cambodian officials have dismissed a joint letter by five UN human rights experts expressing concerns that the ongoing pre-trial detention of seven human rights activists appears to be a violation of their rights and freedoms.
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Call for immediate release of Cambodian trade union activist
Persecution of Rong Chhun a year after his arrest highlights government s unrelenting repression, says CIVICUS
Updated: July 29, 2021 06:04 AM GMT
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Trade union activist Rong Chhun has been charged with incitement by spreading fake news. (Photo: YouTube)
CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance, has called on Cambodian authorities to drop baseless charges against trade union activist and human rights defender Rong Chhun and to release him immediately and unconditionally.
One year on from his arrest, his ongoing persecution highlights the unrelenting government repression of activists in the country and his detention during the pandemic is putting his life at risk, the group says.
Cambodia: Denial of bail to Rong Chhun and Sar Kanika
09/06/2021
Arbitrary detention /
June 9, 2021
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH, has received new information and requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Cambodia.
New information:
Rong Chhun and
Sar Kanika amid a COVID-19 outbreak in many Cambodian prisons. Mr. Chhun, a prominent labour rights defender, is the President of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions (CCU), and a member of the Cambodian Watchdog Council (CWC) [1]. Ms. Kanika is a member of the youth group Khmer Thavrak [2] and an ex-member of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).
Rong Chhun and
Sar Kanika amid a COVID-19 outbreak in many Cambodian prisons. Mr. Chhun, a prominent labour rights defender, is the President of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions (CCU), and a member of the Cambodian Watchdog Council (CWC)[1]. Ms. Kanika is a member of the youth group Khmer Thavrak[2]
and an ex-member of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).
On June 8, 2021, Rong Chhun and Sar Kanika were denied bail by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, which claimed that the crime for which they have been detained affects social security and is therefore unbailable. Rong Chhun and Sar Kanika were not present at the bail hearing as prison officers requested the court to suspend the transportation of inmates to tribunals due to public health concerns. Since mid-May 2021, many Cambodian prisons have been affected by an outbreak of COVID-19. These prisons include Phnom Penh’s Correction Centre 1 (CC1) and Correction Centre 2 (CC2), where the two human rights defenders rema