Uwazi

Sath Chanbuth, a Rasmei Kampuchea Daily and Apsara TV journalist, appeared for questioning on Monday at the Mondulkiri provincial court on allegations of incitement and defamation in line with a lawsuit filed by Lieutenant Colonel Sophat Serivuthy.

The defendant was questioned by Mondulkiri provincial court prosecutor Eang Sokun over a video he released where he interviewed about 10 indigenous families of O’Raing district’s Dak Dam commune who accused Serivuthy of planting fence posts in an attempt to grab their land.

“The court must conduct a proper [and fair] investigation. I disseminated correct information and have a reliable source from among the residents,” Chanbuth said.

Mondulkiri provincial court prosecutor Mam Vanda said the questioning was a primary procedure to collect further evidence regarding the allegations filed by the plaintiff.

“We questioned him because we wanted to collect evidence regarding the complaint. We allowed relevant parties to show evidence. The defendant can testify and the plaintiff has the burden to prove the defendant’s guilt.

“A summons is a procedure of the court. But I don’t know yet when the court will summon him. We’ll have to check his testimony first,” he said.

The plaintiff’s lawyer Seng Singheng told The Post on Monday that in July this year, Chanbuth allegedly disseminated false information accusing his client of land encroachment. Serivuthy was said to have asked Chanbuth to amend his report and take down the video but the latter refused to do so.

“I expect the court will process it in accordance with the legal procedure,” he said.

Alliance of Cambodian Journalists (CamboJa) founder May Titthara said the plaintiff should have issued a statement to correct the report instead of taking the matter to court.

He said legal action against journalists posed a threat to freedom of the press.

“As a journalist, he [Chanbuth] must find relevant documents and credible sources to support his allegations [against Serivuthy]. He should also seek legal advice from a lawyer,” Titthara said.

Serivuthy could not be reached for comment.

The Cambodian authorities should immediately drop fabricated incitement charges against two former Cambodia Daily journalists, Human Rights Watch said today.

On December 13, the Rattanakiri provincial court set December 25 as the first trial date for Aun Pheap, 55, and Zsombor Peter, 41. Neither currently live in Cambodia. Their lawyer said he had never received notification from the court that the investigation had been completed and a trial was imminent.

“The decision to take Pheap and Peter’s case to trial seems intended to intimidate all of Cambodia’s journalists,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Prosecutors should drop these bogus charges and the government should end its efforts to restrict press freedom by criminalizing independent reporting.”

On August 28, 2017, the Rattanakiri provincial prosecutor filed “incitement to commit a felony” charges against both journalists. If convicted under articles 494 and 495 of Cambodia’s criminal code, they face up to two years in prison. Aun Pheap had been working as a reporter and Zsombor Peter as a reporter and associate editor at the Cambodia Daily. Both left Cambodia because of fears of being arbitrarily arrested and detained.

The case arose out of Pheap and Peter’s interviews with registered voters in Rattanakiri province prior to the Pate commune council elections on June 4, 2017. In 2012, Pate had been the only commune in the province that elected opposition political party candidates, leading local officials to tell journalists not to interview local residents. When Pheap and Peter refused the demand, the officials accused them of inciting voters to support the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).

In June 2017, Pheap and Peter won the Excellence in Investigative Reporting award from the Society of Publishers in Asia for their reporting on military involvement in Cambodia’s illegal timber trade. Both had frequently written about illegal logging and government corruption in Rattanakiri and other provinces in Cambodia.

Government harassment of independent journalists has increased over the past two years, Human Rights Watch said. In July, Rattanakiri provincial authorities issued a letter demanding that all journalists report to them with identification and inform officials of their intentions before reporting on any stories in the province, VOD reported.

Two Radio Free Asia journalists, Uon Chin and Yeang Sothearin, continue to face baseless espionage charges, after being arbitrarily arrested and detained in 2017. While they were released under judicial supervision, the charges have not been dropped. On October 3, a judge ruled that there was insufficient evidence to convict them, but instead of dismissing the case, sent it back for re-investigation. On January 20, 2020, the Court of Appeal will hear Chin’s and Sothearin’s appeals of that decision.

Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government has attacked and shut down independent media outlets. In September 2017, the Cambodia Daily, one of the country’s longstanding independent local newspapers, was forcibly shut after being handed a dubious unpaid tax bill of US$6.3 million. In May 2018, the government coerced the sale of the last independent local newspaper, the Phnom Penh Post, to a Malaysian businessman with reported ties to the Cambodian government by imposing a similarly questionable unpaid tax bill of US$3.9 million. The newspaper was subsequently transferred to a ruling Cambodian People’s Party member.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) closed its office in Phnom Penh in September 2017, after 20 years of operations in Cambodia, citing threats to its staff. A few days after RFA’s office closure, the Interior Ministry threatened journalists who had worked for RFA with legal action if they continued reporting for RFA.

“Cambodia’s persecution of journalists is sending a message that independent, investigative reporting is not only unwelcome, but could get you thrown in jail,” Robertson said. “The European Union and other foreign governments should publicly call for these charges to be dismissed and urge the government to allow journalists to do their jobs without harassment.”

Six representatives of villagers involved in a long-running land dispute with a sugar company in Koh Kong have been summoned for questioning again by the provincial court over disputed allegations brought by tycoon Heng Huy.

The six were initially summoned along with four others earlier this year over a complaint filed by Huy, who accused them of public defamation and incitement to commit a felony. Four of the 10 have been questioned while the six others asked for a delay at the time.

They face up to two years in prison if convicted.

Koh Kong Provincial Court prosecutor Ros Saram summoned three people to appear for questioning on December 17, and the other three on the following day, in court documents dated November 18 and received by the six representatives on Wednesday, said Chhan Chhoeun, one of the six.

Chhoeun told VOD on Friday that he was ready to testify in court as scheduled. He was not worried because he had done nothing wrong, he said.

“I will tell the court what the reality is. Mr. Heng Huy’s company really encroached on people’s land. How did I defame him?” Chhoeun said. “I only spoke about our land being encroached on.”

Chhoeun said 197 families from Sre Ambel district lost their land because Heng Huy Agriculture Group had encroached on their plots since 2007.

Huy could not be reached for comment.

Another land disputant representative, Ith Toeng, said it was unjust for the court to call villagers for questioning based on Huy’s complaint. He had encroached on people’s land, she said.

“The court seems to be biased in favor of an oknha, while hundreds of people, it has never investigated. [The court] never came to ask for the location of the people’s land but instead believed in the tycoon alone,” Toeng said.

She called on the government to resolve the land dispute and asked the court to consider canceling the summonses.

“I asked the court to clearly inspect before issuing summonses for us to see whether we really have a land dispute with Mr. Heng Huy or not, and please drop accusations against the 10 villagers,” she said.

Pen Vuthea, a monitor with human rights group Licadho in Koh Kong, said the summonses were a threat to keep people from protesting over their lost land.

In order to show concern for people, the government must resolve the dispute soon, and the court should drop the charges against the 10 representatives, otherwise people will continue to protest, Vuthea said.

“For the authorities, if there are still people protesting and going up to Phnom Penh to find a solution, it looks like the government is not finding a solution for people who are the landowners and have lost their land,” he said.

More than 300 people from Koh Kong protested in Phnom Penh this week, calling on the ministries of interior and land management to resolve their land disputes with companies that were granted concessions by the government, including Heng Huy.

In July, the Land Management Ministry rejected the claims of about 100 Koh Kong land protesters who demonstrated outside the ministry in Phnom Penh, and requested that legal action be taken against them.

Two VOD journalists were detained for three hours at the Poipet military police headquarters on Saturday after reporting on border security in the area.

CNRP acting president Sam Rainsy had vowed to attempt a return to Cambodia via Thailand that day, leading to the deployment of armed forces to the Thai border as well as dozens of arrests of CNRP supporters in the lead up.

Rainsy only got as far as Kuala Lumpur on November 9.

VOD reporter Vann Vichar said he and cameraman Chorn Chanren were detained by military police from about 3 to 6 p.m.

Officers went through all his equipment, including communications on his phone between him and his wife, Vichar said.

“After detaining me for about half an hour, they separated me from Chanren. They brought me to a room to question me and check my laptop and smartphone, going through all messages, group conversations and files,” he said.

“They listened to voice chats. After questioning, they wrote reports to send to their superiors. I don’t know how high it went,” Vichar added.

Poipet city governor Keat Hul and Banteay Meanchey provincial governor Um Reatrey declined to comment on the detentions. Poipet city military police commander Nuon Ninaro hung up on a reporter when contacted by VOD.

Information Ministry spokesmen Phos Sovann, Meas Sophorn and Ouk Kimseng could not be reached.

Ninaro, the military police commander, told Khmer Times that his officers had suspected the two journalists of being “involved” with Rainsy’s supporters.

“We just called them for questioning and then allowed them to go back,” Ninaro said.

In a statement on Sunday, the Cambodian Journalists Alliance, whose co-founders include VOD editors, said the journalists had at the time been interviewing fish sellers frustrated at being unable to cross the border.

The association’s executive director, May Titthara, added that the detentions amounted to a threat.

“The government and authorities must guarantee the rights of journalists by allowing them to report the news without fear,” Titthara said.

Cambodian Center for Human Rights coordinator Vann Sophath, who was also at the Poipet border at the time to monitor the situation, said journalists have the right to cover events happening in public places.

“Freedom of the press in Cambodia is not yet being broadly respected to an international standard,” Sophath said.

In recent years, Cambodia has steadily declined in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index, falling from 137th worldwide in 2017 to 142nd last year and 143rd this year.

A Cambodian judge Thursday ordered a reinvestigation in the espionage case against two former Radio Free Asia journalists, saying he could not rule on their guilt or innocence without enough evidence.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge Im Vannak ordered the new investigation on the day he was scheduled to deliver a verdict in the case against the two reporters, Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin.

The 2-year-old case has added to concerns about a crackdown on criticism and dissent by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who extended his rule of more than three decades in a general election last year after the main opposition party leader was arrested on treason charges and his party banned.

In a statement, John Lansing - the out-going CEO of the US Agency for Global Media, the agency that oversees RFA and other U.S. international broadcasters such as VOA - called the court's action "unacceptable" and said the international community should respond accordingly.

"While these continuing acts of intimidation and repression are meant to instill fear, they only underscore USAGM'sresolutesupport forits journalists and networks, including RFA," Lansing's statement read. "Together, we will continue to provide the Cambodian people with accurate, objective and professional journalism and to shine a light on the political and humanitarian crises facing the country."

The two former reporters for Washington-based RFA were arrested in November 2017 and charged with espionage and producing pornography. They denied the charges.

Hun Sen has accused the United States of trying to end his rule.

RFA earlier in 2017 shut down its Phnom Penh office complaining of a “relentless crackdown on independent voices.”

On 3 September 2019 at 8h30 am, the Ratanakiri Provincial Court has unfairly summoned Mr. Pen Bunnar ADHOC Senior Officer to appear. He is accused for “incitement to commit crimes On June 2017, Seda’s community required the support of ADHOC concerning a land issue. Indeed, the community was trying to prevent land clearing in the Lumphat district and ADHOC is providing a legal support to the communities with their land rights issues in the course of a program financed by USAID. On June 22 and 23, 2017, the communities tried to obtain help from the authorities with the monitoring and support of ADHOC represented by Mr. Pen Bunn. Then considering the lack of interest concerning this case from the government, they determined that the legal way was the best option to solve this issue. Mr Pen Bunnar and other community members have lodged a complaint against the land clearers but the court refused to take its responsibilities in this case. Instead, a lawsuit was launched Mr Pen Bunnar the ADHOC’s member that was supporting communities.”. Tomorrow convocation is for the second trial since the defendant have been already summoned by the investigating judge Mr Sreng Simsorya on 12 August 2019. On the first trial, where Mr Pen Bunn wasn’t present or represented because he couldn’t hire a lawyer and come to Phnom Pen in time (he got informed very late). During this first court, a few community members lied, under the pressure of the trial, and told the court that Mr Pen Bunn he was encouraging people to clear the lands. In exchange, the accusers received the right to use the cleared land from the court. ADHOC is very concerned that Mr Pen Bunnar could face charges and/or arrest and detention under Article 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code. This is a basic and vicious attempt to attack a defender of human rights and a violation of community’s rights. This trial is placed under the mark of corruption and is threatening a dedicated human right advocate from our organization. We call upon local, regional and international partners, embassies and UN representatives to intervene before the situation continues to deteriorate.

Two outspoken critics of Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen are to be dragged to court this month on vague charges of "incitement to commit a crime," but the defendants say they have done nothing illegal. Prominent activist monk Luon Sovath received a summons dated Oct. 22 and signed by Phnom Penh Municipal Court deputy prosecutor Meas Chanpeseth accusing him of "incitement to commit crimes in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and abroad" in 2011, under Penal Code article 495. U.S.-based Cambodian dissident Sourn Serey Ratha, who leads the Khmer People Power Movement (KPPM)-a group labeled a terrorist organization by Phnom Penh-received a similar summons from the court dated the same day, also accusing him of incitement in 2011 in the Cambodian capital and abroad. Neither of the summonses, which ordered the two men to appear in court together in the capital on Nov. 25, specified what crimes they had incited or how their cases were linked. Under the Penal Code, incitement is vaguely defined in article 495 as directly provoking the commission of a crime or an act that creates "serious turmoil in society" through public speech, writings or drawings, or audio-visual telecommunication. The warrant sent to Sourn Serey Ratha also accused him of "creating a disturbance against voters" and "conspiracy" in the run up to the July 2013 general elections and beyond, though it did not elaborate on what acts the charges were related to. Prior to ballot, the KPPM had printed T-shirts with slogans urging the public not to vote amid allegations of widespread irregularities. In August 2013, the group had distributed leaflets calling on the Cambodian armed forces to turn their guns against the country's "dictator" instead of against mostly opposition supporters protesting over the disputed general elections. Luon Sovath faces up to five years in prison if convicted, while Sourn Serey Ratha faces a total maximum punishment of 15 years. Luon Sovath told RFA Monday that he would attend the hearing and said local nongovernmental organizations had provided him with two lawyers for his defense, but he questioned why he was facing criminal charges. "What is meant by an incitement to commit crimes?" he asked. "In Buddhism, incitement means to provoke people to kill, rob or lie, but what I have done? Has anyone seen me incite people?" Luon Sovath said that he had attended a United Nations conference in New York in 2011 where he met Sourn Serey Ratha "but I was not involved with what he does in the U.S.," referring to his group's aim of regime change in Cambodia. "I came with a human rights NGO to give a presentation on the land dispute issue in Cambodia," he said. Sourn Serey Ratha also denied the charges against him and told RFA from the U.S. that his lawyer would represent him at court in his absence. "Our struggle depends on international laws to fight against the dictatorship[in Cambodia]," he said. "We are not involved with any armed forces or illegal acts." An earlier hearing for both Luon Sovath and Sourn Serey Ratha had been scheduled for Sept. 18, but was delayed because the monk was traveling abroad. A report by the Cambodia Daily at the time cited Sourn Serey Ratha as saying that he had sponsored a trip by Luon Sovath to the U.S. in 2011 and helped raise nearly U.S. $30,000 for the monk's human rights work in Cambodia, but that they did not communicate after that. The report had quoted deputy prosecutor Meas Chanpeseth as saying that the two would be tried together because they are involved in the same case, without elaborating. Luon Sovath, who is known as the "multimedia monk," is known for his presence at protests against land grabs and election fraud where he regularly documents the events through video and photography. He became the first Southeast Asian recipient of the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders in 2012, the aim of which is to provide protection through international recognition, according to the award's official website. Sourn Serey Ratha had filed, on behalf of the KPPM, a complaint with the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) two years ago accusing Hun Sen of "crimes against humanity" but it was eventually dropped. The complaint alleged that the Cambodian government has forcibly evicted more than 100,000 people from land the group says they have "legal title" to, and that members of the government are personally profiting from the use and sale of such land. The U.S.-based group cited "credible reports" of beatings, unjustified imprisonment, and killings of individuals who question or legally resist the forced evictions. The KPPM's complaint is believed to have upset Hun Sen.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has summoned two prominent union leaders for questioning on Friday October 24th over charges that they incited violence and property damage at a garment worker protest in Phnom Penh in January during which military police fatally shot at least five people. The summonses are dated October 9 and ask Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, and Yang Sophoan, who heads the Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions, to "bring any documents related to the case above if they have them." Mr. Chhun and Ms. Sophoan said they each received the summonses Monday 27th October and would attend the questioning session. They have both denied any wrongdoing and claimed they were not at the protest. However, Mr. Chhun on Monday added a slight caveat to his previous denial. "I am not worried about being arrested because I was not present at the demonstration," he said. "But if I was there, I am not guilty because I just joined to demand a higher minimum wage for workers." They and other union leaders facing the same charges are currently under court supervision, restricting their activities in the midst of ongoing garment sector wage negotiations between the unions, factories and government.

On the afternoon of October 11th 2014, police in Oddar Meanchey beat a staff member from human rights organization Equitable Cambodia after they refused to allow officers to search their car without a warrant and gain access to a camera. Police stopped the car as it was transporting villagers back to their community, following interviews with Equitable Cambodia staff at an office belonging to ADHOC. Following the illegal search and beating of the staff, police confiscated the car and deleted a number of photos from the camera. The staff from Equitable Cambodia are now in Oddar Meanchey Provincial Police Station negotiating with police but are not currently detained. The violence comes after Equitable Cambodia staff were detained last month during a visit to Bos village in Oddar Meanchey, to investigate a case where approximately 100 families were affected when their rice fields were destroyed to make way for sugarcane plantations.

Ath Thorn, head of Cambodia's largest independent labour union, was placed under court supervision yesterday, the second such prohibitive order for the union leader. A judge told Thorn, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union (C.CAWDU), that he cannot attend public demonstrations, and must report to police once per month, along with other requirements. The court also ordered Pav Sina, head of the Collective Union of Movement of Workers, and Chea Mony, who leads the Free Trade Union, to also stay away from demonstrations and check in under the same timeline. "It is not fair, because we have not done what[the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC)] and the authorities have accused us of," Thorn said, referring to the organisation behind the complaint, which was filed on behalf of some 170 factories affected by a nationwide garment worker strike from late December to early January of this year. A total of six union leaders are charged with several crimes, including intentional violence in aggravating circumstances, connected to the strike, which led to the deaths of at least five people. Charges against the union members are baseless, because they accuse them of committing acts at places they were not present, said Dave Welsh, country director of labour rights group Solidarity Center. Courts are charging union leaders with these crimes now to give the government leverage during minimum wage negotiations and ahead of the decision on next year's industry floor wage, which is expected by the end of October, Welsh said. "I think the basis for the charges and the issue of supervision are farcical," he added. "They're purely political and it's being done in the event that[the government decides on] a minimum wage that is not satisfactory to unions". Thorn was already under court supervision for a separate case in which he is a defendant, stemming from a strike at SL Garment Processing a few months before the nationwide protests last year. In that case, he is accused of inciting violence that injured the plaintiff, an SL security guard. One bystander was killed by stray gunfire from security forces during the strike. The C.CAWDU president already ignored the first court order on Wednesday, when he led a small march favouring a $177 minimum wage next year.

On Tuesday, 9 Sept. 2014, Cambodian authorities detained two employees of Equitable Cambodia (EC) without just cause. Ms. Meg Fukuzawa, a research consultant who has dual citizenship in the United States and Japan, and Mr. Lida Sok, a Cambodian research officer, had been in Oddar Meanchey province since last Monday to conduct field research on the human rights impacts of forced evictions resulting from the development of industrial sugarcane plantations. The plantations are owned by the Mitr Phol Group, one of Coca-Cola's top three global suppliers. Ms. Fukuzawa and Mr. Sok were working to collect research data to provide to the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, which is investigating Mitr Phol's activities in Cambodia. Around 4:30 p.m., four police vehicles attended Bos village where Ms. Fukuzawa and Mr. Sok had been conducting their research. In 2008, the rice fields of approximately 100 families in Bos village were seized to make way for sugarcane plantations. When officers approached the researchers, they immediately asked Ms. Fukuzawa and Mr. Sok to accompany them to the Oddar Meanchey provincial police station. The officers' requests were denied, as by then, it was dark and the EC staff were concerned about traveling by motorcycle at night. An hour later, Long Sokun, the Deputy Police Chief of Oddar Meanchey, arrived at the village and asked to see Ms. Fukuzawa's immigration documents. Ms. Fukuzawa did not have her passport in her immediate possession. At approximately 8:30 p.m., a police vehicle attended Bos village and Ms. Fukuzawa and Mr. Sok were transported under duress to the provincial police station. The officers did not inform them of the reason for their detention, nor was an arrest warrant produced. They were held in police custody and interrogated about their research activities for over three hours, after which Mr. Sok was released from police custody. However, he chose to remain with his colleague to act as her translator and to provide support while she remained in custody. At the police station, Ms. Fukuzawa attempted to show both Mr. Long Sokun and his assistant scanned copies of her Japanese and American passports, which were sent to Mr. Sok's telephone. On both occasions, she was told that it was not necessary to provide such documents. Ms. Fukuzawa was held in police custody overnight and transported to the Department of Immigration in Phnom Penh on the morning of 10 Sept. 2014. After an interview was conducted with the Director of the Department of Immigration, Ms. Fukuzawa was released from police custody at 3:30 p.m. Police indicated to the researchers that they were asked to leave the village for their own safety because it was a remote area. Neither Ms. Fukuzawa nor Mr. Sok were concerned about their safety while undertaking their research at the village. The community members had treated the visitors with respect and hospitality. It was only after police arrived and detained them against their will that Ms. Fukuzawa and Mr. Sok felt their safety was at risk. Ultimately, the authorities claimed that Ms. Fukuzawa was detained because she could not produce her original passport when questioned by the police in Oddar Meanchey. No charges were laid nor fines imposed. Equitable Cambodia condemns the arbitrary detention of its employees, both in Oddar Meanchey and Phnom Penh. The absence of a passport upon request by police does not result in criminal sanctions. Moreover, neither individual was engaging in illegal activities. As such, there were no credible grounds to justify Ms. Fukuzawa and Mr. Sok's detention in police custody, the former lasting nearly 24 hours. Without warrant or reasonable grounds to seek detention, police and immigration officers violated Ms. Fukuzawa and Mr. Sok's constitutional right to not be arbitrarily detained and deprived them of their liberty without just cause.[ We the undersigned condemn the continued intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders in Cambodia. We call upon the competent authorities to investigate those responsible for ordering the illegal and unjust detention of Meg Fukuzawa and Lida Sok.

This morning at around 9.20am, four community activists from Boeung Kak Lake Community were arrested at Wat Chas, Chrouy Changvae district. The activists had arrived to support rural land communities from Pailin, Banteay Meanchey, Battambang and Svay Rieng, who are preparing a march to petition the National Assembly and Prime Minister Hun Sen this morning. The four activists arrested are Song Sreyleap, Tep Vanny, Kek Chanrasmey and Kong Chantha. They are currently being detained at Chroy Chong Va district office. Authorities have now locked the communities inside the grounds of Wat Chas. Update: The Supreme Court today upheld the convictions of three Boeung Kak activists - including Tep Vanny - for allegedly obstructing and insulting public officials during a 2011 demonstration outside Phnom Penh City Hall. Their six month sentences were also upheld. Vanny, Bo Chhorvy and Kong Chantha were originally sentenced in September 2016, five years after an effort by some 100 community activists to deliver a petition to City Hall grew violent when security forces tried to disperse them. Authorities accused them and another activist, Heng Mom, of attacking and "insulting" security officials. According to a statement from rights NGO Licadho, neither the plaintiff's lawyers nor witnesses were present during the appeal process. "As in earlier court hearings on this case, insufficient evidence was presented to meet the legal standards for proof," the statement reads. The statement also notes that no "enforcement order" was issued, meaning Chhorvy and Chantha can be arrested at any time to serve their sentences. Vanny has been in Prey Sar prison since August 2016, and is already serving a 30-month sentence for her alleged role in a demonstration outside Prime Minister Hun Sen's house.

This morning approximately 100 land activists from Borei Keila, Lor Peang and Boeung Kak Lake communities marched to the Council of Ministers to submit petitions for the resolution of their respective land disputes. Their peaceful assembly was disrupted by riot police and Daun Penh district security guards, who temporarily detained three activists amid an unsuccessful push to disperse people. This morning, Prime Minister Hun Sen plans to meet at the Council of Ministers with a number of top officials to discuss unresolved land disputes across the country.

When the ruling CPP and opposition CNRP sat down Monday for a third round of electoral reform talks, the ruling party took a surprising new direction in its policy priorities. Rather than bring up voter lists, electoral bodies or access to the media, the CPP delegation wanted to talk about the political neutrality of civil society groups-particularly those who report on the country's democratic process. -News Analysis The CPP proposed a law to ensure the neutrality of civil society organizations and a review of independent election monitors working in Cambodia. Many had released reports highly critical of July's national election. "It is very serious when the civil society groups are not neutral, because it creates a very bad impact on the public and elections," said CPP lawmaker Sik Bunhok. "We are not targeting on any particular NGOs and civil society organizations, but we want to see them all respect the law and be responsible for doing anything wrong," he said. "Thus, we need to write in the law a requirement that any civil society groups must be responsible before the law if their claims... cause problems with the election," Mr. Bunhok added. A group of 12 civil society groups, calling themselves the Electoral Reform Alliance, released in December the Joint-Report on the Conduct of the 2013 Cambodian Elections, the most comprehensive analysis thus far of the July's fiercely disputed national election. The report, using information gathered by six election monitoring groups, showed that widespread election irregularities- including flawed voter lists and extensive distribution of temporary identity cards-ultimately favored the CPP, which officially won the election with 68 out of 123 National Assembly seats. The CNRP has boycotted parliament since it was convened in September, demanding that the CPP either agree to an investigation into the election or hold a new election before 2018. As the CPP fought off claims from the opposition that its government is illegitimate due to the flawed elections, the ERA report-and its authors-have been placed at the center of Cambodia's ongoing political quarrel. In a 60-page response to the ERA report in January, the Council of Ministers proclaimed that the civil society groups behind it, which include many of the country's most prominent election and human rights NGOs, were collaborating with the CNRP. "The Joint-Report which was compiled based on the research by various so-called "independent organizations,' whose agents are also called "independent,' does not reflect the adherence to those principles and neither do the current activities of these NGOs in Cambodia," the Council of Ministers response said. The response went on to say that the post-election efforts by the CNRP to undermine the credibility of July's election "were planned and designed in close cooperation with a number of non-governmental organizations allied with the CNRP, which have received technical, financial and political support from abroad." Although the newly formed CPP government has promised deep reforms, it has continued to confuse criticism with political opposition, said Koul Panha, executive director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, a contributor to the ERA report. "[The CPP] doesn't want any report regarding election irregularities," Mr Panha said. "They want to see a legitimate[election] outcome. They want to say "Everything is perfect. The election is free and fair and everything is fine.'" "But there have been complaints from the public, so they should deal with that," he continued. "They should recognize the problem and then move forward, otherwise how can they reform?" Chea Vannath, a political analyst and former president of the Center for Social Development, said that the tension between the ruling party and civil society groups is a function of the CPP's refusal to embrace democratic principles enshrined in the Constitution. "Neutrality[among civil society groups] is to say what you are supposed to say based on democracy, good governance, transparency and accountability, not because of political bias," she said. "From the ruling party's point of view...all that is considered biased," she added. Thun Saray, president of local rights group Adhoc, said that, in the absence of independent electoral institutions within the government, the role of civil society groups as a check on the ruling party's power was critical. "Civil society has to be neutral and independent from both parties, but when we see the elephant try to step on the mouse we cannot keep silent," Mr. Saray said. "We have to speak when we see injustice or unfairness," he added. "If we keep silent we are not neutral anymore, we are on the side of the elephant."

A worker with the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) has been intimidated and received death threats while trying to document the plight of three families involved in a bitter land dispute with a developer in the country's capital, according to the center. The worker, Vann Sophath, was shooting a video at the dispute site in Phnom Penh's Sangkat Boueng Kak 1 on May 9 when he was confronted by around six civilians known to work as security guards for the developer, Khun Sear Import Export Company, CCHR said in a statement. "Vann Sophath went to the site while the Khun Sear Company security guards were demolishing the home of one of the three families," the statement said. "He was interrupted by a group of Khun Sear Company security guards, who were armed with knives, axes and hammers. They pushed him out of the site as other[s] threatened to cut him on the head." CCHR said that one of the security guards screamed at Vann Sophath, saying, "Old fool! I will not allow you to be free" and ordered others to take photos of the worker and his car's license plate. Vann Sophath left the site shortly after being threatened. CCHR plans to file a complaint with the Phnom Penh Municipal Court against the Khun Sear guards because of the threats made against Vann Sophath, said Chhay Chhunly, project coordinator for CCHR's Human Rights Defenders Project, which closely tracks those working to protect human rights in Cambodia "We think this is a serious threat," she told RFA's Khmer Service. "This group is a brutal group. They have attacked the villagers[involved in the land dispute with the company]." Chhay Chhunly said that the security guards had also threatened other rights activists, but that they had targeted Vann Sophath because he was filming the three families at the site. "We want to produce a documentary which profiles the victim families," she said. Earlier incident Vann Sophath and his team first visited Sangkat Boueng Kak 1 on April 25 to begin shooting interviews with the family of Ly Sreakheng-one of the three households involved in the dispute with the Khun Sear Import Export Company, which has offices on property adjacent to their homes and has been seeking to extend its property to include the residents' land. During the shoot, around 10 company security guards "tried to interrupt by verbally attacking Mr. Sreakheng," CCHR said, while one of them photographed the team, focusing on Vann Sophath's face. CCHR said that Ly Sreakheng and the two other families have been living on the plot since 1982, prior to which it had been occupied by the Vietnamese army after invading Cambodia in 1979 and driving out the notorious Khmer Rouge regime. The three families have repeatedly attempted to register the land under the country's 2001 Land Law, but have been ignored by the authorities, CCHR said. On Oct. 4, 2010, Cambodia's Council of Ministers granted the land to Khun Sear and, in order to facilitate the transfer, the Phnom Penh municipal government in 2013 issued a certificate stating that the site belongs to the state. Since then, Khun Sear has claimed ownership of the land and has repeatedly harassed the three families, destroying crops, disconnecting electricity, damaging property and beating the residents, CCHR said. In October last year, ahead of a protest march on City Hall by dozens of residents involved in land disputes in the capital, the three families found three poisonous cobra snakes had been placed near their homes. Days earlier, after company employees had threatened the families about killing their pets, two of their cats and one of their dogs were poisoned to death and left on the doorstep, unidentified persons sprayed insecticide on one of the houses, and others harassed customers at one of the families' businesses, according to a statement by rights groups. Ly Sreakheng and his family members have requested intervention from nongovernmental organizations, including CCHR, regarding security and mediation in finding a solution to the land dispute. Bitter problem Land disputes are a bitter problem for Cambodia, where rural villagers and urban dwellers alike have been mired in conflicts that the U.N.'s special rapporteur for human rights to Cambodia has warned could threaten the country's stability. The country's land issues date from the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge regime, which forced large-scale evacuations and relocations, followed by a period of mass confusion over land rights and the formation of squatter communities when the refugees returned in the 1990s after a decade of civil war.

After refusing for days to disclose the location of 23 protesters arrested last week and then charged in court, prison officials revealed Wednesday that the group is being held in a notorious jail in Kompong Cham province. Ten people were arrested on Thursday and a further 13 were arrested on Friday during protests by striking workers that saw at least five people shot dead by military police. Keo Sovanna, chief of Kom�_pong Cham's Correctional Center 3 (CC3), confirmed speculation earlier this week by rights groups Adhoc and Licadho that the 23 protesters-who have not yet been convicted of any crime-are being held at his maximum security jail. "We've detained them in the same building[here], since we don't have the rooms available to detain them separately," he said. Mr. Sovanna declined to comment further when asked about the health conditions or treatment of the 23 prisoners. The group includes union leaders, activists and striking workers, who have been charged at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court with the intentional destruction of property and intentional violence under aggravating circumstances. On Monday, Licadho and the Community Legal Education Center described the CC3 facility as "among the harshest prisons in Cambodia." Am Sam Ath, technical supervisor with Licadho, said that medical teams from his organization had visited the CC3 prison Wednesday and met with the prisoners. Each member of the group had been beaten both before and after their arrest, he said. "Vorn Pao's condition is the most serious," Mr. Sam Ath said, referring to a prominent union leader who heads the Independent Democracy of Informal Economic Association. "He recently had a kidney operation, and he has been repeatedly kicked in the area and has severe pain at the site of the operation. All the others detained have been badly beaten too." Chan Soveth, senior investigator at Adhoc, said a team from his organization had also seen the 23 and confirmed all had been repeatedly kicked and beaten. Mr. Soveth questioned why pre-trial detainees had been sent to a maximum security prison hours from Phnom Penh. "CC3 is a place where inmates convicted of serious crimes and then sentenced to at least 10-year prison terms are detained," Mr. Soveth said. "It is very abnormal that the courts and prison departments have detained the 23 people who have been charged there while they are only in pretrial detention." Kuy Bunsorn, director-general of the general prisons department at the Ministry of Interior, who refused to disclose the location of the 23 prisoners earlier this week, said it was not abnormal that the prisoners had been sent to CC3, which lies almost two hours east of Kompong Cham City. "Under the French, prisoners were taken to Koh Tralach prison where nobody could reach them or see them," Mr. Bunsorn said, referring to a colonial prison island off Cambodia's southwestern coast that is today a part of Vietnam. UPDATE 24/03/2014: Bail denied for the protestors. Several of the protestors are in a poor state of health due to the fact that they had been subjected to police brutality during the violent crackdown on protests. Only two of the original 23 activists arrested have been released. UPDATE 01/04/14: On April 18 2014, the 21 activists will be tried in 3 seperate trials. On April 4 2014, a Phnom Penh court will consider the request for medical leave of Sokun Sombath Piseth of the Center for Labor Rights of Cambodia. His hand was badly broken in the course of his arrest, but he has been denied medical care since. UPDATE 04/04/14: Vorn Pao and Sokun Sombath Piseth have had their bail requests rejected again in two seperate rulings. Piseth's hand requires urgent surgery after beatings he received upon his arrest, but his bail request was rejected due to CC3 prison's failure to provide sufficient details about his condition. According to the latest information, all of the 23 workers and rights defenders, including Pao and Piseth, will be tried at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court at 8am on April 18. UPDATE 07/05/2014: The trial of the activists has once again been delayed, this time to May 20th. After a day of trial on April 25, the trial had been rescheduled until May 6th, when it was again delayed. The trial sessions at this time were heavily criticized by NGO observers, who noted that judges displayed an open bias towards the prosecution. Exchanges between the prosecution and the defence became heated and the court decided that purportedly in the interests of the defendants' security the trial should be delayed. UPDATE 09/05/2014: On 9 May 2014, the Supreme Court of Cambodia upheld the February 11 Court of Appeals decision to deny the 21 detained workers and labor rights activists bail. UPDATE 30/05/2014: the 23 were given suspended sentences of between 1 and 4 years and released. 4 of the 23 were ordered to pay fines of 8 million Riel (2000 USD).

A Cambodian journalist who exposed illegal logging and forest crimes involving the local elite has been murdered, police said Wednesday, after his battered body was found in the trunk of his car. Hang Serei Oudom, 42, a reporter for the local Virakchum Khmer Daily newspaper, had been missing since Sunday afternoon and his body was found on Tuesday in northeastern Cambodia's Ratanakiri province, said Ek Vun, the police chief for Balung City, the provincial capital. Authorities are working to identify suspects involved in the murder of the reporter, who had recently written a string of stories about deforestation and timber smuggling in Ratanakiri, where logging and mining in recent years have taken a big toll on the environment. "We have already collected the necessary evidence and we are investigating the case," provincial governor Pao Ham Phan said. Police also found the reporter's camera and press card in the car, which was abandoned at a cashew plantation. The Ratanakiri-based reporter had been beaten with sticks and had bruises on his head and other parts of his body, Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) provincial investigator Chhay Thy said. Intimidation The Club of Cambodian Journalists condemned the murder as a threat to freedom of expression in the country and appealed to the authorities to arrest those responsible. "The Club of Cambodian Journalists regards the murder as an attempt to intimidate professional journalists. The suspects also attempted to obstruct journalists from upholding freedom of press and expression," the group said in a statement. In his most recent article on Sept. 6, Hang Serei Oudom accused the son of a military police commander of smuggling logs in military-plated vehicles and extorting money from people who were legally transporting wood, according to Agence France-Presse. The Cambodian Center for Human Rights and Southeast Asian Press Alliance issued a joint statement calling for a thorough investigation into the case, saying the reporter had uncovered several cases linked to the country's powerful, well-connected elite.Illegal logging Hang Serei Oudom's murder follows the death in April of environmental activist Chut Wutty, who was gunned down while investigating illegal logging in southwestern Cambodia's Koh Kong province. According to military police, Chut Wutty had been leading two journalists from a local newspaper to show them what he thought were illegal logging activities when he was killed. A security guard from a logging company was charged in connection with the murder, but conflicting accounts given by the authorities about the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death prompted calls from rights groups for a thorough investigation. Rights groups said Hang Serei Oudom was the first Cambodian journalist killed since 2008, when reporter Khim Sambo and his son were shot dead in Phnom Penh. Khim Sambo, who wrote for the pro-opposition Moneakseka Khmer newspaper, had published an article on nepotism and corruption within Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party. Police have completed Hang Serei Oudom's autopsy and sent his body to the family for the funeral. They have still not established the motive for the murder.

Outspoken land activist Kuch Veng will regain his freedom in 15 days after the Pursat provincial court yesterday handed down a guilty verdict with a one-year sentence, then suspended nearly three quarters of that term. Veng has been in prison since May 19 on charges of fraud that rights groups and supporters believe to be politically motivated and tied to his activism against developer Pheapimex. Long Lun, Veng's lawyer, said the court had insufficient evidence against his client and he was considering launching an appeal. Veng stands accused of having defrauded a villager of $4,500 in 2010. His arrest came following a series of protests against Pheapimex, which is owned by Choeung Sopheap, wife of CPP senator Lao Meng Khin. Thousands in Pursat and Kampong Chhnang have been affected by the company's vast economic land concessions, and many have accused it of further land grabbing. Veng's verdict was originally set to be handed down last month, but the judge postponed it after hundreds of villagers camped outside the court in support of the activist. Only 30 appeared yesterday in the hopes of forestalling further delay, a community representative said. Lon Serey, a community representative from Krakor district who attended the hearing and verdict decision, said the judge appeared to disregard substantial evidence in Veng's favour. "This decision is very unfair," Serey said. Rights group Adhoc offered a similar conclusion, saying there had been insufficient proof of Veng's guilt. "If we listen to the hearing, the judge did not have evidence to incriminate," Pursat provincial coordinator Phuong Sothea said. Presiding judge Mao Sina could not be reached for comment.

Police said Sunday they have arrested four people believed to be involved in a conspiracy hatched by a dissident Khmer-American group plotting to topple the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen. Two men and two women were arrested on Thursday suspected of at�_tempting to hand out 1,000 yellow roses to soldiers and police across the city along with small cards urging them to turn their weapons "against the despot," the national police said in a statement on Saturday. The campaign was organized by the Khmer People Power Movement (KPPM), the same U.S.-based group that ordered the printing of hundreds of polo shirts urging Cambodians not to vote in last month's national elections and for which three others remain in pre-trial detention. The government has often accused the group of attempting to organize a private army to topple the regime, though it has yet to provide any evidence. "On August 15 the competent authorities arrested four suspects who were producing and distributing hundreds of leaflets with content to incite armed violence to overthrow the Royal Government," the national police said in the statement. The suspects, it added, "distributed the leaflets following orders from Sourn Serey Rotha who remains abroad, is president of the Khmer People Power Move�_ment, and has established illegal armed forces and was summoned by the court on the charge of in�_citement to commit a felony." The statement did not name the suspects or specify their alleged crimes. Nor did it provide evidence of the illegal armed forces supposedly created by KPPM. In separate comments posted to the national police website, spokesman Kirth Chantharith said the suspects were all charged with Article 495 of the Criminal Code, which covers incitement to commit a felony and carries a prison sentence of up to two years. Contacted on Sunday, Mr. Chantharith declined to provide their names and referred questions to the Phnom Penh Munic�_ipal Court. Court officials handling the case could not be reached. Contacted in the U.S. by phone, Mr. Serey Rotha admitted to or�_dering the flowers and cards in the hope of sparking a "rose revolution" across Cambodia. Addressed to "every heroic soldier" and titled "The Nonviolent Rose for Change," the cards read: "Turn your guns against the despot and sacrifice your life to protect the people who have the same Khmer blood because Cambodian troops and Cambodian people are Khmer and we have to protect each other." The "despot" Mr. Serey Rotha was referring to was Mr. Hun Sen. He and his group have accused the prime minister of running sham national elections-including last month's, which show a win for Mr. Hun Sen's ruling CPP but re�_main mired in unresolved reports of widespread irregularities. His group has also tried convincing the International Criminal Court to try Mr. Hun Sen for alleged crimes against humanity in relation to land evictions. "The dictator never falls down by the polling paper; the dictator always falls by the power of the people," Mr. Serey Rotha said. Having lost faith in the ballot box, he said his "rose revolution" was looking instead to the Arab Spring for inspiration. "The Arab countries can rise up to change the dictator, why not in Cambodia?" he said. But Mr. Serey Rotha maintained that he was advocating a non-violent approach because he was calling on soldiers and police to protect the people from the violence of the government. "That's non-violent because they point to protect the people.... Who[are] the people? They[are] the innocent people," he said. "We propose the non-violent weapon, and the non-violent weapon is the flower and the pen." Mr. Serey Rotha condemned the four arrests on Thursday and called on Cambodia's foreign donors to pressure the government into releasing the suspects. Earlier this month, opposition CNRP president Sam Rainsy posted comments to his Facebook page calling on police and soldiers to "stand up" with the people and "demand" a change of government. Facing accusations from the government of trying to incite a coup, Mr. Rainsy has denied any violent intent. He posted the messages in the wake of a military buildup in Phnom Penh to prepare for the mass demonstrations the CNRP-which also claims to have won last month's election-is planning to call unless the CPP concedes defeat. In a statement Sunday, the CNRP condemned Thursday's KPPM arrests and also called for the suspects' release. "This action strongly violates private rights and the freedom of expression of the people, which are guaranteed by the law and the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia," it said. Though national police did not name the suspects, rights groups, relatives and commune police identified them as: Hiv Borin, 33; Tut Chanpanha, 30; Sok Dalis, 28; and Lim Lypaeng, 32. Human rights group Licadho, which is providing legal representation for Mr. Chanpanha and Ms. Dalis, said all four suspects were questioned by the court on Saturday and charged the same day under both articles 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code. Am Sam Ath, a technical supervisor for Licadho, said Mr. Chanpanha and Ms. Dalis had committed no crime. He said they were part of group of friends formulating their own plans online to hand out flowers to soldiers and police-along with a much tamer note-when Mr. Serey Rotha offered to supply the flowers but made no mention of his own, far more militant cards to go with them. He said Mr. Chanpanha and Ms. Dalis were both arrested while picking up the flowers and had no cards with them at the time. "They came to pick up the flowers and they had nothing to do with the[cards], and when they were arrested they were not holding the[cards] in their hands," Mr. Sam Ath said. "They just wanted to give the flowers with a message of peace for the nation. They did not incite; they just called for peace." Ms. Lypaeng's husband, Kao Sokchea, who runs a printing shop with his wife, professed her innocence Sunday. Speaking inside their small shop on Street 169, Mr. Sokchea said he was not there on Wednesday when a man-a regular customer whose name he claimed not to know-came to his wife with his order for the cards. He said his wife was summoned for questioning at the commune police station the next day and subsequently arrested. "It's not right because my wife was not involved in any conspiracy," he said. "My shop did not make the design. I trusted him[the man who placed the order] and did not read the card because he was a long-time client."

IN a brutal show of force, dozens of police and thugs dressed in civilian clothes descended on a peaceful vigil at Wat Phnom last night, and set upon the roughly 20 protesters with slingshots, batons and electric prods. At least six people were injured, while an additional five were treated at Calmette Hospital for slight wounds. An unknown number of people - journalists and rights workers among them - sustained injuries from electric prods and marbles fired from slingshots by men in facemasks who appeared to be under police protection. The forces arrived at about 10pm last night, just as the protesters were clearing up the area where they had staged a demonstration for peace - spelling out the word "justice" with candles. As they left the area, according to witnesses, police and a group of young men began shooting marbles into the group with slingshots. "They were hidden behind the stupa and wearing civilian clothing," Boeung Kak activist Bo Chorvy said. Several witnesses said the group appeared to be intent on catching high-profile activist Tep Vanny, who ran into a car when the clash began and was allowed through the gates of the US Embassy - only after the windows of the car had been smashed in by the attackers. Her mother, Si Heap, was among those badly wounded after a longan-sized marble was slung between her eyes. Also seriously injured was activist Nhet Khun, 73, who was shot in the chest with a marble and may have suffered a lung injury, according to witnesses at Calmette. Doctors were not immediately available for comment. "The police arrived with[electric prods] and ran after me and my friend and began kicking him," said Phan Chunreth, who sustained a head injury after being kicked to the ground by police. "It was the police who did that, but the other men came at us with sticks." As journalists and human rights workers approached the scene shortly after 10pm, thugs armed with electric batons, sticks and slingshots chased them down the street while police looked on. Several journalists and rights workers were shocked with the electric prods and hit with marbles as they ran away, while a Post journalist had his camera smashed. According to Chorvy, a US Embassy vehicle attempted to enter the area but was forced to turn around by police. Stunning as the brutality was, however, a marked lack of police presence chilled many. Unlike at the incidents at Stung Meanchey and the Kbal Thnal overpass, few - if any - officers were sent to the scene after violence broke out. Over the course of an hour and a half, only a single truck carrying a dozen military police officers drove through the nearly deserted streets leading to Wat Phnom. "I think they're trying to kill all Cambodians," an agitated Bopha Vi said, while watching the thugs wave tasers in the air in the distance. "The boys try to kill us and the police try too." Military police spokesman Kheng Tito said he was unaware of the incident but defended the actions saying, "the people wanted to do something, but our force stopped[them], would not allow them to do anything." On 27 September 2013, a Joint Urgent Appeal was issued by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; and the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The Cambodian government has not responded.

Land activists who were brutally cracked down on at a protest in September submitted video and pictorial evidence of masked suspects slinging marbles, beating and electric shocking them to Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday. The group of 70 Borei Keila and Boeung Kak activists are suing Phnom Penh officials for their alleged involvement in the attack on a peaceful vigil at Wat Phnom in September by plain-clothed men as a large security detail stood guard. Eleven people were injured in the unprompted clash, including journalists and rights workers. Su Sophal, who sustained injuries from the crackdown, said he and nine other victims filed a lawsuit at the municipal court last month against four Daun Penh district officials: Sok Penhvuth, deputy chief; Kim Vutha, director of order and regulation; Pich Socheata, council official; and Soa Nol, deputy police chief. "In the morning[yesterday], we took evidence including nine photos and a CD which show the intentional abuse by the suspects ... and handed them to the[municipal] court," Su Sophal said. Meas Chanpiseth, deputy prosecutor, received the evidence and told the protesters that officials are investigating. The protesters also submitted the additional evidence to the national police. Since the Wat Phnom attack on September 22, police and other security officials have frequently employed violence to disrupt land dispute protests, most recently at City Hall on Wednesday. "The court seems to not take up any measures to protect the land activists who are arrested and detained one after one because of those police officials," housing rights activist Tep Vanny said. "However, we hope that the lawsuit will be considered by the court and that the truth will be found. We will get justice." Sok Penhvuth, Daun Penh district deputy chief, and Pich Socheata, an official at Daun Penh district hall, could not be reached for comment.

A prominent Cambodian housing rights activist was released on bail Friday after more than a year in prison, but says she has not yet been served "full justice" and fears she could still be sent back to jail. Yorm Bopha, held on charges widely condemned as trumped up to silence her activism, left Phnom Penh's PG Jail after the country's top court ordered her case re-investigated. The Supreme Court ruled the outspoken 30-year-old mother of one, who campaigned for the rights of evictees from Phnom Penh's Boeung Kak community, should be temporarily released pending a review of her case by the Court of Appeal. Rights groups had demanded her unconditional release, saying there was no evidence to support her conviction on charges of taking part in the beating of two men last year. Stepping out of her jail cell to a cheering crowd of hundreds of enthusiastic supporters, Yorm Bopha hugged her son and husband and broke down crying. "I welcome the Supreme Court's verdict ordering me released temporarily, but I have not received justice yet because the Supreme Court has sent my case back to the Court of Appeal," she told RFA's Khmer Service. "I was only released temporarily, and I am not satisfied because I haven't yet received justice in full." She said she feared she could still be re-imprisoned after the appeal hearing. Rights groups welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to release her, but urged the Court of Appeals to free her unconditionally and clear her name. "It has been clear from the very beginning of this case that Yorm Bopha has been targeted for her activism in the context of the Boeng Kak community's struggle for their rights," Cambodian Center for Human Rights director Ou Virak said in a statement. "While today's decision to temporarily release Bopha from jail is a welcome step, we must urge the Appeal Court to act quickly and to put an end to the suffering of Bopha and her family once and for all." Yorm Bopha's case has drawn widespread attention inside and outside the country since she was arrested in September last year, with thousands signing Amnesty International petitions calling for her release. "Yorm Bopha's case is symbolic of a worrying trend in Cambodia over recent years where human rights defenders face harassment, threats, arrest, imprisonment and worse for their peaceful activism," said Rupert Abbott, Amnesty International's Researcher on Cambodia who attended Friday's appeal hearing. "She should never have been imprisoned, locked up and separated from her young son and family," he said in a statement. Yorm Bopha was convicted of "intentional violence" in December last year and sentenced to three years in prison for allegedly ordering an attack on two motorbike taxi drivers she said she did not even know. This June, the Court of Appeal ruled that Yorm Bopha was not a direct perpetrator of the assault but the instigator behind it, reducing her sentence to two years. Unsatisfied with the decision, Yorm Bopha took her case to the Supreme Court, outside of which some 100 supporters gathered to await Friday's verdict. After a several-hour hearing, Supreme Court Judge Khem Ponn said the Appeals Court must reinvestigate the case because the evidence was inconclusive. The plaintiffs' father, Vann Sarath, who had filed the complaints against Yorm Bopha, said he was disappointed with the decision and wanted the activist to remain behind bars. "Yorm Bopha is released temporarily only because of court procedures. As the victim's father, I am not satisfied and it is unfair to the victims," he said. Rights groups have said the case is aimed at intimidating protesters from Boeung Kak-where thousands were pushed out of their homes after the government leased to a development company in 2007-and other land rights campaigners into dropping their protests. Forced evictions across the country have displaced thousands of families and prompted protests and violent clashes between residents and armed security forces.

After nearly two years of silence on its draft NGO Law, the Ministry of Interior on Sunday said it was aiming to have the highly contentious piece of legislation ready for the Council of Ministers early next year and voted on by July. Meas Sarim, deputy director-general of the Interior Ministry's local administration department, said they also hope to consult once again with NGOs about the bill before it reaches the Council of Ministers. Asked when the bill would reach the Council, Mr. Sarim replied, "Probably 2014, in the first quarter of the year, and in the first half of the year we will pass the law." The Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations would require NGOs to register with the government in order to have legal standing, set minimum conditions for who can form such groups and require them to file reports on their activities and finances each year. However, NGOs fear the government will use the bill's vague wording to clamp down on groups it perceives to be too critical of the ruling CPP, and few draft laws have attracted as much international criticism in recent years. In early 2011, the country director of the USAID warned that the U.S. might refuse to increase its aid to Cambodia if the government passed the bill as it stood at the time. Later that year, the U.N.'s human rights envoy to Cambodia, Surya Subedi, urged the government not to pass it. The U.N.'s high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, said the law risked "undermining" human rights in Cambodia, as it extended to the government broad discretion to reject an NGO's application, and lacked an appeal process. Amid intense international pressure, and with critical commune and national elections on the horizon, Prime Minister Hun Sen in late 2011 said the government was in no rush to pass the law and would wait until 2014. On Sunday, Mr. Sarim of the Interior Ministry said the government still needed the law to ensure that NGOs followed relevant rules and regulations and to keep track of the thousands of nongovernmental groups at work in the country. "Previously some NGOs did not follow the Interior Ministry's regulations," he said. "Some NGOs were operating but did not inform the ministry of their activities. If the ministry doesn't know of their activity, the ministry cannot manage them." Naly Pilorge, director of the human rights NGO Licadho, said Cambodia already had enough laws to regulate nongovernment groups and had no practical need for another. With the opposition CNRP still refusing to take its 55 seats at the National Assembly in protest over July's national election, she said it was also the wrong time for parliament to table such legislation. "In light of existing legislation to provide legal and tax regulations on NGOs, such as the 2011 civil code, and the absence of elected opposition MPs[members of parliament] in the National Assembly, we believe any attempt to draft and pass an Association and NGO law would be another attempt by the ruling party to eliminate and stifle selective civil society groups," she said, especially those working on human rights, evictions and other sensitive issues. "There is enough legislation now to ensure accountability and transparency of associations and NGOs without introducing another law which aims to control and restrict rather than enable and protect," she added.

Authorities in northwestern Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province on Tuesday summoned a former local representative of the now-dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) after he and others gathered in support of the return of acting party chief Sam Rainsy from self-imposed exile. Ly Soun, ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) deputy chief of Svay Chek commune, questioned CNRP commune seat representative Minh Hor and two other members of the party-which was dissolved by the Supreme Court in November 2017-in a bid to force them to end their support for the return of Sam Rainsy, Minh Hor told RFA's Khmer Service, adding that he will not be intimidated by authorities. Minh Hor had held the public "unity strengthening gathering," which was attended by about 30 CNRP supporters, on Feb. 28 to discuss how to welcome Sam Rainsy back to Cambodia, where he has pledged to return from more than three years of exile to in 2019, despite threats by Prime Minister Hun Sen to arrest him for a host of convictions that are widely seen as politically motivated. According to Minh Hor, Ly Soun asked the three CNRP members on Tuesday why they held an event to show support for Sam Rainsy's return, and whether the acting CNRP president "joined the meeting" by phone or video conference. The CNRP representative said that despite the efforts of the local authorities to intimidate him by questioning them, "their tactic didn't work" because he and other party members had already "sacrificed themselves for the country" and believe that "only Sam Rainsy and[former CNRP president] Kem Sokha can restore Cambodia's democracy." "I am very disappointed by the authorities' actions, but our spirits are strong and we cannot be intimidated, despite the many threats from Hun Sen that he will "destroy' the opposition party," he said. "Our spirits are strong and we are united," he added. Hun Sen on Monday said that Kem Sokha will not be released from detention despite hitting the 18-month maximum allowed by law in pre-trial detention, a move denounced by the opposition as a violation of the constitution. Kem Sokha was arrested in September 2017 for alleged acts of "treason" and the Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of the CNRP two months later, which paved the way for Hun Sen's CPP to win all 125 seats in parliament in a July 2018 general election. CNRP activist Yat Phyrom, who witnessed Tuesday's questioning, agreed with Minh Hor's assessment that the move was part of a bid to intimidate the opposition. "As I a citizen, I will continue my activities[with the opposition party] to protect the constitution, which states that people have the rights to freedom of expression and assembly," he said. Svay Chek commune chief Chrouk Sophal confirmed to RFA on Tuesday that she had summoned and questioned the CNRP activists, but said that it was in connection with a comment Minh Hor had posted on Facebook that defamed local authorities involved in a land dispute, and had nothing to do with politics. "It was about defamation," she said, adding that she could not provide any further comment, as she was busy with a meeting. Sum Chankea, Banteay Meanchey provincial coordinator for local rights group Adhoc, told RFA that Cambodia's constitution protects the right of the people to gather and their freedom of expression, and that the CNRP activists were not in breach of the law by holding the event in support of Sam Rainsy. Police officers or local authorities who abuse those rights, on the other hand, are violating the law, he added. "Authorities dare to[question] people because there is no institution that will prosecute them for doing so," he said. "In a democracy, those who abuse the freedom of expression are held accountable." Call for removal In an interview with RFA on Monday, Sam Rainsy called on his supporters, as well as the workers and farmers of Cambodia, to "stand up" and "peacefully bring down the Hun Sen regime" if the prime minister fails to reverse course on a crackdown on the political opposition, independent media and NGOs in effect since the lead up to last year's general election. The U.S. has since announced visa bans on individuals seen as limiting democracy in the country, as part of a series of measures aimed at pressuring Cambodia to reverse course, and the European Union, which was the second biggest trade partner of Cambodia in 2017, has said it will drop a preferential trade scheme for Cambodian exports based on the country's election environment. Sam Rainsy again pledged to return home within the year, "as long as global pressure remains at its peak," saying that Hun Sen is facing "political suicide" if international sanctions are leveled on Cambodia, and that he is willing to consider working with the CPP to resolve the political crisis if the prime minister-who has ruled the country for more than three decades-is first "removed from office." "The CNRP does not demand a regime change-we extend an embrace towards the ruling party, as only these two parties can determine the destiny of Cambodia," he said. "We are considering working with the CPP, but we request that Hun Sen be removed. Removal of Hun Sen is the first step." Speaking to RFA from Finland, political commentator Kim Sok said that the two sides should hold talks to resolve the political crisis with the national interest in mind. "As for conditions for the talks, I think it should be about promoting democracy-a democracy with fair competition, which is a standard in democracies," he said.

Cambodia's Ministry of the Interior on Wednesday arrested a member of the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party after he posted a Facebook message saying the European Union plans to impose a tariff on Cambodian rice, sources in the country said. Kong Mas, a political activist from Svay Rieng province, was taken into custody at a coffee shop in the capital Phnom Penh by around 10 officers accompanied by a government prosecutor, fellow CNRP member Em Sokvan told RFA's Khmer Service. "The police said they were arresting him because of his Facebook post. They said they wanted to question him," Em Sokvan, who had been drinking coffee with Kong Mas when he was detained, told RFA. Police offered no further details on the reasons for the arrest, Em Sokvan said, adding that Kong Mas is now being held at National Police Commission headquarters in Phnom Penh. Reached for comment, national police spokesman Chhay Kim Khoeun denied knowledge of the arrest. But speaking to RFA, Kong Mas's lawyer Sam Sokong said his client will be held for questioning for 24 hours before attorneys or family members will be allowed to meet with him. "Police told me that he has been accused of "incitement,' but I don't know what that means," he said. In a Facebook posting on Wednesday, Kong Mas said that EU officials plan to impose a tariff on Cambodian rice of $200 per ton. The EU move, which includes Myanmar and targets a surge in imports of rice from both countries, sets a three-year period in which tariffs, set in the first year at 175 euros (U.S. $200) per ton, will decline in the second year to 150 euros and in the third year to 125 euros, media sources say. The policy goes into effect this week. Politically sensitive Threatened EU trade sanctions are a politically sensitive topic in Cambodia, which banned the CNRP and jailed its leader in 2017, paving the way for Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) to win all 125 seats on offer in parliamentary elections in July 2018. According to the European Commission, the EU ranked in 2017 as Cambodia's second-largest trade partner, importing goods worth 5 billion euros (U.S. $5.8 billion) from the country. Key EU imports from Cambodia include textiles, footwear, and agricultural products. Speaking to RFA on Jan. 16, CNRP activist Sun Makara described the arrest of Kong Mas as "politically motivated," calling the opposition activist a brave man unafraid of intimidation by authorities. "The authorities used to call Kong Mas to offer him a position[in Hun Sen's government], but he always refused," he said, adding, "He has really done nothing wrong." Also speaking to RFA, Soeng San Karuna-spokesman for the Cambodia-based rights group Adhoc-said that if authorities have arrested Kong Mas simply for posting on Facebook, they will have violated the country's constitution. "If they take actions like these against dissidents, they have violated human rights," he said. Petition to work Also on Wednesday, former National Election Commission member and advisor to the Cambodian Independent Teachers' Association Rong Chhun filed a complaint with the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, asking that the court reverse a move by the Ministry of Education to refuse permission to 10 CNRP-affiliated teachers to work. Elected to commune council positions before their party was dissolved by Supreme Court order in 2017, the 10 had petitioned to be allowed to resume teaching, but were turned down. "We want the court to annul the Ministry of Education's decision," Rong Chhun said. Meanwhile, Cambodian king Norodom Sihamoni on Tuesday issued statements rehabilitating two former opposition politicians, Kong Koam and his son Kong Bora, allowing them to return to political life in Cambodia. The two were among 118 officials slapped with a five-year suspension of political rights as part of a decision by the Supreme Court in November 2017 to dissolve the CNRP for its role in an alleged plot to topple the government. Prime Minister Hun Sen's CPP then ran effectively uncontested in July 29, 2018 general elections, drawing condemnation from Western nations who called the ballot unfree and unfair amid a wide crackdown on the political opposition and other rollbacks on democracy. Speaking to RFA, political analyst Kim Sok called the politicians' reinstatement a defeat for plans by Hun Sen to weaken the CNRP, now organized and active in exile, by allowing opposition officials to return to politics only if they each make individual requests for a "pardon." "Hun Sen has failed in his plans, because only two people have now asked to go back into politics," Kim Sok said.

Ninety-five NGOs have issued a joint statement condemning the convictions of six union leaders for their roles in a minimum wage protest at Veng Sreng Boulevard in Phnom Penh in 2013. On December 11, Ath Thorn, Chea Mony, Mam Nhim, Pav Sina, Rong Chhun and Yang Sophorn were each handed two-and-a-half year suspended prison sentences by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court and ordered to pay compensation of 35 million riel ($8,750) to two victims, Chea Sophany and Tim Vuthy. The four original charges against the union leaders - intentional acts of violence with aggravating circumstances; intentionally causing damage with aggravating circumstances; threats to destroy property followed by an order; and blocking public traffic - had all been changed to charges of instigating the acts. The NGOs' statement criticised the court for not providing sufficient credible evidence. "At trial, prosecutors failed to produce any evidence to establish that the six had committed the crimes they were charged with, nor were any witnesses produced to prove the accused had acted violently during the protests." "Importantly, no evidence was submitted to prove that the six union leaders had instigated any of the acts with which they were charged. Further, none of the actual perpetrators of violence or damage were named or charged," the statement read." The NGOs urged the government to guarantee fundamental rights and permit the reopening of public spaces in order to allow genuine freedom of association for the Cambodian people and to ensure that independent trade unions can freely operate in the interests of their members. Pav Sina, the president of the Collective Union of Movement of Workers, said he had already filed a complaint to the Appeal Court on December 18. The NGOs' statement called for the convictions against the six union leaders to be immediately quashed. "While the delivered sentences do not require the six convicted leaders to go to prison, they face imprisonment on these charges if they commit any other felony or misdemeanour within the next five years - a period that coincides with the next national elections in 2023." "As the criminal charges stem from independent trade union activity, we are concerned these suspended sentences will be used to imprison the convicted union leaders if they engage in any protest action over the next five years," the NGOs wrote. The president of the Cambodia Alliance of Trade Union Yang Sophorn said she had also filed an appeal last week and welcomed the NGOs' statement. "I am happy that the NGOs support our work. We were not involved in any activities destroying anyone's property," she said. Ministry of Justice spokesman Chin Malin considered the statement an example of freedom of expression. "It's their right to issue[the statement] but dropping the charges is the court's decision and the decision has already been made," he said.

On Monday 5 November 2018, Mr. Poek Sophorn, a staff member of non-governmental organization Ponlok Khmer, was presented with a summons to appear for questioning at the Preah Vihear Provincial Court on 14 November 2018, over charges of being an accomplice to arrest, detention and unlawful confinement (Articles 29 and 253 of the Criminal Code of the Kingdom of Cambodia). According to the information contained in the summons, the charges relate to events which took place back in 29 December 2014 in Prame commune, Tbaeng Mean Chey district, Preah Vihear province. No further details are provided in the summons, which contravenes Mr. Sophorn's right to know the charges against him. The summons did not contain the correct family name and personal details of Mr. Sophorn, who declined to accept the summons and asked the police to bring it back to the Court for corrections. On the same day, Mr. Lut Sang, another Ponlok Khmer worker, was informed that the local police tried to deliver a summons to him as well. He was on field mission at the time and therefore has not received the summons. He is unaware of the charges associated with this summons. Ponlok Khmer is a small NGO based in Preah Vihear province, that works to promote sustainable development and the protection of Cambodia's natural resources, including by empowering vulnerable and indigenous people to ensure the protection of their rights. In addition, at least four community members from the Kui indigenous group in Prame commune also received summonses on 5 November 2018 to appear at the Provincial Court on the same day as Mr. Sophorn. They are summonsed over charges of arrest, detention and unlawful confinement (Article 253 of the Criminal Code) in relation to acts allegedly committed on 29 December 2014 in Prame commune. It has been reported that a total of ten community members received the said-summonses, however CCHR was only able to see four of them. Since 2012, the commune of Prame has been the theatre of a land dispute involving the local Kui indigenous community and two companies, Lan Feng and Ruy Feng in relation to two economic land concessions attributed in 2011 for the purposes of growing rubber, acacia and sugar cane, and located on the Kui indigenous community's ancestral land. On 29 December 2014, bulldozers came to clear out the farmlands of the villagers for the ELC. The villagers, who have been awaiting a resolution to the land dispute, stopped the bulldozers in an effort to attract the attention of the authorities and the companies and to resume negotiations for a dispute resolution. In the absence of any reaction, on 30 December, the villagers pressured the bulldozer drivers to drive back to Prame commune, to meet with the authorities. The bulldozers' drivers left with the authorities on that day. As no resolution was found, the community members refused for the bulldozers to be taken away. The bulldozers were kept at the commune office till 2017, where they were reportedly taken away by the authorities as evidence for further proceedings. Mr. Lut Sang and several community members have already summoned for questioning over the 29 December 2014 events, back in June 2015, in relation to charges of arrest, detention and unlawful confinement. Since no further development occurred since, they believed that the case had been closed.

Cambodian workers taking part in protests against Prime Minister Hun Sen in other countries should be identified and beaten by gangsters or made to suffer "traffic accidents," a ruling party official says in a recording taken from a phone call, and now circulating widely on Facebook. Speaking in a minute-long sound bite, Labor Ministry spokesperson Heng Sour urges an unidentified colleague to set up a network to target and attack Cambodian migrant workers opposed to Hun Sen, who recently won re-election in a national vote widely condemned as unfree and unfair because he had banned the only credible opposition party before the vote. "Let's find some gangsters and thugs and then use them to beat up the identified targets. Just do whatever you can to break them down," Heng Sour says, adding that if the attackers are later arrested, they will probably be sent back to Cambodia after serving short terms in jail. "And when they return to our country, we will feed and support them," he said. Citing protests by Cambodians working in Japan during Hun Sen's visit to Tokyo at the beginning of October, Heng Sour noted that protesters had destroyed a large photo of the prime minister, adding that a subordinate named Sreng had now learned the names of leading activists involved. "Now we will take action against them," Heng Sour said. "And if they come back[to Cambodia], we will make sure that they suffer traffic accidents." "We cannot tolerate those who insult our leader," he said. Spreading fear Speaking to RFA's Khmer Service, Son Seyha, Deputy Director of the Humanitarian Association of Cambodia and a representative of Cambodian workers in Thailand, said that Heng Sour's threats have already spread fear among Cambodians working abroad. "I urge the government of Cambodia to get to the truth in this case," he said, noting that Heng Sour has already denied the voice on the recording is his and has blamed the controversy on a plot against him by the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). "This is a matter of life and death for Cambodians working in South Korea and in other countries, and for those still in Cambodia who support the CNRP," he said. Speaking from Japan, CNRP activist Hay Vanna told RFA he has already notified Japanese authorities regarding the threat, adding that he knows the man named Sreng mentioned in the recording. "I know the suspect named Sreng," Hay Vanna said. "He fled Cambodia to live in Japan when Cambodia fell to the communist regime." "But now he has returned to Cambodia and works to bring Cambodian workers to Japan, and I guess he has worked very closely with Heng Sour to do this," he said. Also speaking to RFA, Yim Sinorn, a CNRP activist and representative of Cambodian workers in South Korea, said that he has now translated Heng Sour's sound bite and given it to authorities in South Korea, adding that he knows Heng Sour and has spoken to him in the past. "I used to respect him," Yim Sinorn said. "But I am very surprised after listening to the vicious death threats contained in this recording." "His plan to kill[Hun Sen's] opponents and set up traffic accidents to hurt people should never have come from an educated person like him." "I cannot accept this," he said. According to Cambodia's Labor Ministry and NGOs, about 1.6 million Cambodians were working in Thailand in early 2018, with nearly 6,000 shown working in South Korea and 2,300 in Japan the year before.

(Jakarta, 27 September 2018) - The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), CIVICUS, Freedom House, and Front Line Defenders condemn yesterday's conviction of four human rights defenders from the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) and a National Election Committee (NEC) official, in what we see as a clear attack against their legitimate human rights work. On 26 September 2018, senior ADHOC staff members - Ny Sokha, Nay Vanda, Lim Mony, and Yi Soksan - were convicted of "bribery of a witness' under Article 548 of the Criminal Code, while a NEC official and former ADHOC staff member Ny Chakrya was found guilty as an accomplice under Articles 29 and 548 of the same Criminal Code. Each has been given a five-year sentence by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, with 14 months and one day considered served and the rest of the sentence suspended. The accused have longstanding histories of promoting human rights in Cambodia, supporting victims of human rights violations and survivors of gender-based violence. In 2017, they were selected as finalists for the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders,[1] in recognition of their important work. This wrongful conviction adds to the long list of attempts by the Cambodian Government to curb fundamental freedoms and dissenting opinion by orchestrating intimidation, prosecution, and imprisonment of human rights defenders.[2] The case relates to the legitimate assistance provided to a victim of government harassment in 2016, which was within the mandate of ADHOC's human rights work. The one-day trial[3] on 18 this month that led to the conviction failed to provide necessary evidence for a conviction, as five witnesses were absent. There was a glaring absence of a cross-examination that undermines their rights of the defence, and the prosecution failed to ascertain whether Chandaraty, the victim ADHOC supported in this case, was a suspect or witness at the time of the alleged bribery. These facts leading to yesterday's conviction, point to a clear retribution against legitimate human rights work, and a failure of the judiciary system in Cambodia to protect defenders. Since April 2016, the accused had spent 427 days in arbitrary pre-trial detention, a clear violation of their right to the presumption of innocence, a well-recognised principle that is affirmed in international human rights framework and Article 38 of the Cambodian Constitution. While in pre-trial detention, Ny Sokha, Nay Vanda, and Yi Soksan were also arbitrarily denied access to medical treatment.[4] Following their release on bail in June 2017, they have been unable to continue their work due to the constant fear of being sent back to prison without a confirmed trial date. We call on the Cambodian authorities to immediately and unconditionally overturn these convictions, and for them to be afforded adequate remedy for the extended period spent in arbitrary pre-trial detention, in line with international standards. We call on the Cambodian Government to ensure an enabling environment for all human rights defenders to work without fear, and for the full practice of fundamental rights and freedoms.

Australian film-maker James Ricketson has been found guilty of espionage in Cambodia and sentenced to six years in jail. His family say they are devastated at his conviction and sentence, and have called on the Australian government to pressure Cambodia to release him. Ricketson, 69, said he had worked as a journalist and video documenter in the south-east Asian country since 1995 and was arrested in June 2017 for flying a drone at a political rally. He has been incarcerated since then, with the guilty verdict given this morning by a three-judge panel in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. Prosecutors said Ricketson used journalism as a front for spying, citing links to former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and the Cambodian National Rescue party (CNRP). The CNRP was Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's party's (CPP) main political opposition until it was dissolved last November. The prosecution also accused Ricketson of treason, saying he planned to overthrow Hun and illegally give information to foreign governments. Prosecutors did not name the states he was alleged to have colluded with despite Ricketson repeatedly asking them to do so during his trial. Ricketson, who made films about poverty and financially supported poor Cambodians he befriended, called the spy claims "fanciful and ludicrous". His lawyer, Kong Sam Oun, said: "James has done a lot of good here, nothing to do with spying. It is impossible to be a spy for 22 years." Before the verdict was given this morning Ricketson said: "I hope I am free today and I could go home." Bim Ricketson, James' nephew, said his family was devastated. He said his uncle was a part of the Cambodian community and loved the country's people. "He goes there regularly and has done for 22 years. Capturing the lives of the poor people there and helping them. And for that to be interpreted somehow as espionage is completely mad." "There's no way he is a spy." Bim Ricketson said the family was relying on the Australian government to pressure Cambodia to release him. "We are looking for a lot more support moving forward from the new Australian government. We know ... they have their attention on this and that they are working on it but now really is the time for a lot of support to be shown and as much pressure as possible to be brought to it, to find some kind of way out of this. "We are looking forward to what the government can do to help us at this point. There is a lot I'm sure that can be done and they are in contact with us." Ricketson's family said his health had deteriorated badly over 14 months in prison, and "we would be very concerned about his health over six years in those conditions". "I don't know where we go from here," Ricketson's brother said. Speaking from Jakarta, prime minister Scott Morrison said the former foreign minister Julie Bishop had made direct approaches to the Cambodian government, and said the government would remain involved in Ricketson's case. "It is best to deal with these things calmly and directly," Morrison said. "He can expect to give all the consular and other support from the government you would expect in these circumstances." Foreign minister Marise Payne said the Australian government would continue to provide Ricketson full consular assistance during this "particularly stressful time". She said there were still appeal avenues open to the Australian citizen. "Mr Ricketson is subject to legal proceedings under Cambodian law and must now consider his response to the court's decision using the avenues open to him. "The Australian government will consider what further appropriate support we can provide after that time." The Cambodian prime minister, who in July won a landslide victory in an election decried as undemocratic by critics, has orchestrated an intense crackdown on free speech and the media in Cambodia. In the past two weeks Hun released around 20 political opponents jailed on what critics claimed were political charges, a move that Ricketson's supporters hoped increased the chances of him being freed. He has closed newspapers and overseen the jailing of journalists, politicians and social media commenters deemed to threaten government rule. Human Rights Watch's deputy Asia director Phil Robertson condemned the Australian government's "softly-quietly" approach towards Cambodia, and other autocratic regimes in south-east Asia, arguing it was not only morally bankrupt but also entirely ineffective. "The Australian government just let Cambodia walk all over them by failing to publicly and consistently challenge this ludicrous charade and demand Ricketson's immediate and unconditional release." Robertson said Ricketson's trial and sentence "exposed everything that's wrong with the Cambodian judicial system". He said court cases in Cambodia were characterised by ridiculously excessive charges, prosecutors with little or no evidence, and judges carrying out political orders from the government rather than ruling based on what happens in court. "When it comes to a conviction in a Cambodian court, clearly no facts are required. From day one, James Ricketson has been a scapegoat in Hun Sen's false narrative of a so-called "colour revolution' used as an excuse to crack down on the political opposition and civil society critics." The Australian Directors Guild has also called on the Australian government to intervene on Ricketson's behalf to have him brought home to Australia. "We call on the new foreign minister, Marise Payne, to contact her counterpart in Cambodia and seek clemency for James and for him to be sent home," chief executive Kingston Anderson said. "Based on the evidence and what we know of James we do not believe he was spying for anyone."