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{{Short description|
{{Politics of Cambodia}}
The [[human rights]] situation in [[Cambodia]] is facing growing criticisms both within the country and from an increasingly alarmed international community. After a series of flagrant violations against basic human rights a feeling of incertitude regarding the direction the country is emerging, sometimes comparing the situation to a newborn [[Burma]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Cambodia: Hun Sen Systematically Silences Critics|url=http://pantheon.hrw.org/legacy/english/docs/2006/01/04/cambod12360.htm|website=hrw.org|publisher=Human Rights Watch|access-date=19 July 2017}}</ref>
In its report on Cambodia, [[Human Rights Watch]] stated that "Authorities continue to ban or disperse most public demonstrations. Politicians and journalists critical of the government face violence and intimidation and are barred from equal access to the broadcast media. In addition, the judiciary remains weak and subject to political influence. [[Sex trafficking in Cambodia]] of women and children through networks protected or backed by police or government officials is rampant. The government continues to turn a blind eye to fraudulent confiscation of farmers' land, [[illegal logging]], and widespread plundering of natural resources."<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=Cambodia|url=https://www.hrw.org/asia/cambodia|website=hrw.org|publisher=Human Rights Watch|access-date=19 July 2017}}</ref>
The current state of the country could be described as a semblance of [[Pluralism (political philosophy)|pluralistic]] [[democracy]]. In July 2004, the royalist opposition party [[FUNCINPEC]] formed a coalition government with the [[Cambodian People's Party]] (CPP) after a political deadlock of more than a year. More recently, [[Sam Rainsy Party]] (SRP) members have been targeted for criminal prosecutions, after seeing the
The NGO Human Rights Watch offers this assessment of the current state of affairs in Cambodia: <blockquote>Prime Minister [[Hun Sen]], a former [[Khmer Rouge]] commander,
==Historical background==
{{See|Cambodian humanitarian crisis|Cambodian genocide}}
Human rights in Cambodia may be seen in the context of both its traditions deriving primarily from [[Culture of India|Indian]] culture and its absolute rule of god-kings, and [[Buddhist|Buddhism]], the main religion within Cambodian society.
In more modern times, the country has been greatly influenced by [[France|French]] colonialism and a half century of radical change from constitutional monarchy, to a presidential regime under [[Lon Nol]], a radical Marxism–Leninism under the [[Khmer Rouge]], a [[Vietnam]]ese occupation under the communist party [[People's Republic of Kampuchea]] (PRK), and finally the restoration of constitutional monarchy under a [[United Nations]] administered transition ([[UNTAC]]), a result of the [[Paris Agreement]] signed in 1991. Under the [[Khmer Rouge]], extensive violations of human rights were committed.<ref>Ben Kiernan. 2008. ''The Pol Pot regime: race, power, and genocide in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge'', 544 pages</ref>
The Paris Agreement required that the Constitution include "basic principles, including those regarding human rights and fundamental freedoms ..." The Paris Agreement also required Cambodia "to take effective measures to ensure that the policies and practices of the past shall never be allowed to return." The Constitution of 1993 does indeed contain a chapter on "The Rights and Obligations of Khmer Citizens" consisting of twenty articles (Articles 31-50), seventeen of which relate to rights and three to duties.
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==Issues==
===Freedom of expression and assembly===
Violations of [[freedom of speech|freedom of expression]], including lack of access to the media, are endemic. More recently, what was decried as a campaign against freedom of expression<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/58761.htm|title=Cambodia: Arrests of Activists and Opposition Leaders|last=Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information|first=Bureau of Public Affairs|website=2001-2009.state.gov|language=en|access-date=2019-06-25}}</ref> marked an accelerating backward slide in Cambodia's efforts to promote human rights values.
There are severe restrictions on [[freedom of assembly]], granted by the Cambodian Constitution, is also being perceived by local organizations<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.licadho-cambodia.org/reports.php?perm=76|title=Briefing: Restrictions on the Freedom of Assembly in Cambodia 2005|website=LICADHO|date=11 December 2005 |language=en|access-date=2019-06-25}}</ref> as a deliberate campaign to repress Cambodian civil society to grow and voice their concern.
On 14 March 2018, the [[United Nations|UN]] expert on the human rights situation in Cambodia Professor [[Rhona Smith]] of the [[United Kingdom]], "expressed serious concerns about restrictions on the media, freedom of expression and political participation ahead of a national election in July, calling on the Government to choose the path of human rights." She urged the authorities to lift the ban on 118 politicians participating in politics.<ref name=crossroads>{{cite web|url= https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22820&LangID=E |title=Cambodia at a crossroads: UN expert calls on Government to choose path of human rights |publisher=OHCHR |date=2018-03-14 |access-date=2021-06-01}}</ref>
Journalists in Cambodia are increasingly being subjected to various forms of harassment and pressure, as well as violence, a report published on August 3, 2022 by the UN Human Rights Office said, amid growing restrictions on civic space and press freedoms in the country. Sixty-five journalists were interviewed and surveyed as part of the report.<ref>{{Cite web |last=UN Human Rights Office |date=August 3, 2022 |title=OHCHR {{!}} State of Press Freedom in Cambodia |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/state-press-freedom-cambodia
Soy Sros, a Cambodian woman who makes bags for international fashion brands like [[Michael Kors]] and [[Kate Spade]], worked at the Superl factory in [[Kampong Speu Province]]. On 4 April 2020, Soy was sent to prison for a Facebook post in which she wrote about her concerns that workers from her factory would be laid off in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. She was interrogated by several police for more than 48 hours. "There were several policemen in the interrogation room, and they asked me if I wanted attention, or to be famous, whether I was trying to incite somebody," Soy said. "They called me names, offended my dignity as a woman."<ref name=":1">{{cite news |last1=Jha |first1=Nishita |title=A Woman Who Makes Bags For Michael Kors Was Sent To One Of The Most Crowded Prisons In The World For A Facebook Post |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nishitajha/michael-kors-factory-worker-prison-facebook-post |access-date=12 June 2020 |work=Buzzfeed News |date=11 June 2020}}</ref>
Soon after, Soy was thrown into the Kampong Speu prison. Superl's initial charges against Soy claimed that she had posted fake news and defamed the factory. But the court that was looking into her case also charged her with two criminal offenses, provocation and discrimination. If Soy were found guilty, she faced up to three years in prison and a fine of up to six million
In 2020, Human Rights Watch raised concerns that the Cambodian government had used the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia|2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic]] to restrict fundamental liberties, including granting laws banning the distribution of information, establishing surveillance of telecommunications, and total control of the media.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-04-05|title=Cambodia: Prisons Potential COVID-19 Epicenters|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/05/cambodia-prisons-potential-covid-19-epicenters|access-date=2021-04-10|website=Human Rights Watch|language=en}}</ref>
===Judiciary system===
Efforts to establish an independent judiciary have been considerable for over a decade but have not yet achieved hoped-for results. The judiciary remains corrupt, inefficient, and mostly controlled by the ruling party CPP. Flagrant violations of human rights by state agents have been identified but prosecutions have been rare.▼
▲Efforts to establish an independent judiciary have been considerable for over a decade but have not yet achieved hoped-for results. The judiciary remains [[Corruption in Cambodia|corrupt]], inefficient, and mostly controlled by the ruling
Arbitrary arrests are also practiced by the CPP government using a politically controlled court as a mean to strengthen its grip on power. In 2006 the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled that 'the detention of [[Sam Rainsy]] Party MP [[Cheam Channy]] is in violation of both Cambodian and international law'.<ref>{{cite web|title=UN Rules Against Imprisonment of Cheam Channy|url=https://www.fidh.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=2970|publisher=FIDH|access-date=19 July 2017}}</ref>▼
▲Arbitrary arrests are also practiced by the CPP government using a politically controlled court as a mean to strengthen its grip on power. In 2006, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled that 'the detention of [[Sam Rainsy]] Party MP [[Cheam Channy]] is in violation of both Cambodian and international law'.<ref>{{cite web|title=UN Rules Against Imprisonment of Cheam Channy|url=https://www.fidh.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=2970|publisher=FIDH|access-date=19 July 2017}}</ref>
===Women's rights===
{{See|Violence against women in Cambodia|Women in Cambodia}}
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===LGBT rights===
{{main|LGBT rights in Cambodia}}
[[Lesbian]], [[
Same-sex sexual acts are not a criminal offence in Cambodia. However, there is no anti-discrimination legislation, or other sanctions for those who violate the rights of LGBTI people. Further, marriage is limited strictly to opposite-sex couples. This definition is also used in the Law on Marriage and Family, where article 3 reads: 'marriage is a solemn contract between a man and a woman', and in article 6 "marriages are prohibited between persons of the same sex".
The Constitution extends its rights and freedoms to every citizen, regardless of 'race, colour, sex... or other status' – a phrasing that can be used in favour of LGBTI persons' rights, given its intent to provide equality regardless of personal characteristics. With widespread corruption and a long road ahead for Cambodia to become a constitutional state, LGBTI persons face the same type of difficulties as other citizens, where rule of law is weak.
The most common situation where LGBTI persons face poor attitudes from authorities is when police target lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals for financial gain. There are two provisions: 'Human trafficking law' and 'Commune and village safety policy'. The police have used these to arrest people (mostly transgender women and gay men) under false charges and claim a payment (between US$10 and 30) not to keep them overnight. Transgender sex workers are frequently abused by the police.{{cn|date=March 2023}}
The UNDP reports that local authorities and police sometimes use various laws to limit the rights of LGBTI people. For example, through forced separation of same-sex couples, as per parental request, or linking of LGBTI people with drug use or sex work. Issues related to LGBTI persons' living conditions and rights are overall absent from political and media discourse in Cambodia. There are a few cases where LGBTI matters have made it to the public agenda, with officials both speaking in favour and against LGBTI rights.
There is no legal group yet to protect LGBT who are victims of legal abuses as well as human right violations. In October 2014 a lesbian couple attempted to marry but police and commune officials stopped them from getting married. However, both of their families still continued to respect the marriage and have the couple marry in the ceremonial sense.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Two married women are banned by the authorities|url=https://kohsantepheapdaily.com.kh/article/106818.html
===Forced evictions===
Human rights activists are increasingly worried that forced evictions in Cambodia are spiralling out of control. An [[Amnesty International]] report shows how,<ref>[https://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/cambodia-burns-homes-poor-20080211 amnesty.org]</ref> contrary to Cambodia's obligations under [[international human rights law]], those affected by evictions have had no opportunity for genuine participation and consultation beforehand. Information on planned evictions and on [[Population transfer|resettlement]] packages has been incomplete and inaccurate, undermining the rights of those affected to information, and to participate in decisions which affect the exercise of their human rights, in particular the right to adequate housing. The lack of legal protection from forced eviction, and lack of regulation of existing standards has left an accountability gap which increases the vulnerability of marginalized people, particularly those living in poverty, to human rights abuses including forced evictions.
=== Internet censorship ===
{{See|Internet censorship in Cambodia}}
===Other===
Other serious and persistent human rights problems include unresolved political murder, abuse of unionists and opposition politicians. Amongst several unresolved assassinations, the murder of union leader [[Chea Vichea]] received strong international coverage by major human rights and labour organizations, and the United Nations.
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==Current issues==
Current issues of particular concerns are the forcible repatriation of [[Vietnamese Montagnard]] asylum seekers by the Cambodian government and an alarming number of land issues throughout the country.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Thai|first1=Tha|title=Cambodia to Repatriate Montagnard Asylum Seekers to Vietnam|url=http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/cambodia-to-repatriate-montagnard-asylum-seekers-to-vietnam-04182017161249.html|access-date=19 July 2017|work=Radio Free Asia|date=18 April 2017}}</ref>
Across Cambodia, authorities routinely detain alleged drug users, homeless people, "street" children, sex workers, and people perceived to have disabilities in a "haphazard system of detention centers around the country". Some of those detention centres are ostensibly for drug treatment, while others are ostensibly for "social rehabilitation". In addition to Prey Speu, the Ministry of Social Affairs also has authority for the Phnom Bak centre in [[Sisophon]] town, [[Banteay Meanchey]] province, and manages a drug detention centre with the military on a military base in Koh Kong town, [[Koh Kong province]]. There are "a further six drug detention centers" in Cambodia "that each year hold at least 2,000 people without due process".<ref name="hrw.org">{{cite web |title=Cambodia: Death Highlights Detention Center Abuses |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/12/06/cambodia-death-highlights-detention-center-abuses |date=7 December 2014 |access-date=25 January 2015}}</ref>
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There are documented cases in Cambodia of people committing murder and then paying state officials so as not to be prosecuted. "Impunity enjoyed by the rich and powerful helps explain a lack of public trust in Cambodia's judicial and law enforcement institutions."<ref>Doyle, Kevin (7 December 2014) [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30324424 Cambodia's culture of impunity: What price for a life?]. Bbc.com. Retrieved on 5 July 2015.</ref> One type of slavery present in Cambodia is when parents sell the virginity of the daughters, often to pay off a debt. Even after their daughter is no longer a virgin, parents may continue to sell their daughters into sex slavery.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Penh|first1=Phnom|last2=Hume|first2=Tim|last3=Cohen|first3=Lisa|last4=Sorvino|first4=Mira|last5=Montessuis|first5=Jeremie|title=The Women Who Sold Their Daughters into Sex Slavery|url=http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2013/12/world/cambodia-child-sex-trade/|access-date=13 March 2018|agency=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Field|first1=Alexandra|last2=Tham|first2=Dan|last3=Tutton|first3=Mark|title=Life after trafficking: The girls sold for sex by their mothers|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/24/asia/return-to-cambodia-sex-trafficking/index.html|access-date=13 March 2018|agency=CNN|date=September 6, 2017}}</ref><ref name="abcnews.go.com">{{cite news|last1=Woodruff|first1=Bob|last2=Kapetaneas|first2=John|last3=Martz|first3=Geoff|last4=Yiu|first4=Karson|title=Inside the world of Cambodia's child sex trade, as told through the eyes of a survivor|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/inside-world-cambodias-child-sex-trade-told-eyes/story?id=45990734|access-date=13 March 2018|agency=ABC News|date=March 8, 2017}}</ref> According to ABC News, it was during a brutal and lawless period, following the fall of the Khmer Rouge, that child sex slavery began to flourish.<ref name="abcnews.go.com"/> Other slaves in Cambodia are forced to make bricks.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cochrane|first1=Liam|title='They're sold like shoes': Cambodia's building boom built on slave labour, report says|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-03/cambodias-building-boom-built-on-slave-labour-report-says/8089470|access-date=13 March 2018|agency=ABC|date=2 December 2016}}</ref>
On 14 March 2018, the UN expert on the human rights situation in Cambodia Professor [[Rhona Smith]] of the United Kingdom, "expressed serious concerns about restrictions on the media, freedom of expression and political participation ahead of a national election in July, calling on the Government to choose the path of human rights."<ref name=crossroads/>
In November 2021, Cambodia released 26 political, environmental and youth activists facing charges of incitement against the government, which human rights groups said was a positive step but that many more remained incarcerated. Prime Minister [[Hun Sen]], who
On 3 August 2022, the [[United Nations]] outlined Cambodia’s increasing lack of press freedom and freedom of expression. Amid the growing restrictions on civic space in the country, journalists were increasingly subjected to various forms of harassment, pressure, and violence. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1123912|title=Press freedom increasingly under threat in Cambodia – UN human rights report|accessdate=3 August 2022|website=United Nations|date=3 August 2022 }}</ref>
==See also==
{{Portal|Cambodia|Freedom of speech|Feminism|LGBT}}
* [[Rong Chhun]]
* [[Chhim Sithar]]
==References==
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==External links==
===International Organizations===
*Cambodia on websites of [https://web.archive.org/web/20030402222555/http://web.amnesty.org/library/eng-khm/index Amnesty International],
* [https://www.hrw.org/doc?t=asia&c=cambod Human Rights Watch] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20101126135542/http://www.fidh.org/-Cambodia- FIDH]
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===National Organizations===
*[http://www.licadho-cambodia.org/ Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO)]
*[http://www.cchrcambodia.org Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)]
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===Others===
* [http://www.sithi.org Cambodian Human Rights Portal (Sithi)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050120062442/http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/146/ Censorship in Cambodia] - [[International Freedom of Expression Exchange|IFEX]]
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