AMNESTY INTERNATI0NAL

PUBLIC STATEMENT

29 March 20T4


Camboda. End suppresson of human rghLs, respecL Lhe rghL Lo
peacefu assemby

wLh severa assembes panned n Camboda`s capLa Phnom Penh over Lhe nexL few days,
AmnesLy InLernaLona cas on Lhe auLhorLes Lo end Lher suppresson of human rghLs and fuy
respecL Lhe rghL Lo peacefu assemby.

The opposLon Camboda NaLona Rescue ParLy (CNRP) pans Lo hod a "peope`s congress of
some 5,000 supporLers aL Lhe capLa`s Freedom Park from mdday on Sunday 30 March, for
consuLaLon on Lhe currenL poLca sLuaLon.

0n Lhe same day, CNRP eader Sam Ransy w ead a mornng ceremony ouLsde Camboda`s
NaLona Assemby n memory of Lhe vcLms of Lhe grenade aLLack agansL a peacefu opposLon
parLy gaLherng n Phnom Penh on 30 March T997. No one has ever been broughL Lo |usLce for Lhs
aLLack, whch efL aL easL T6 peope dead and more Lhan T00 n|ured.

The auLhorLes have sLaLed LhaL Lhey w permL Lhe memora gaLherng, buL have refused Lo permL
Lhe opposLon assemby Lo Lake pace n Lhe afLernoon.

0n Lhe foowng day, Monday 3T March, ndependenL Beehve rado sLaLon owner Mam Sonando
pans Lo organze a peacefu proLesL Lo ca for wder coverage for hs sLaLon n Lhe provnces and a
Leevson sLaLon reay. However, Lhe auLhorLes have refused Lo permL Lhs assemby aso, whch
woud comprse around 200 demonsLraLors meeLng aL Freedom Park n Lhe mornng before
marchng Lo Lhe MnsLry of InformaLon.

MosL meda n Camboda s pro-governmenL. Mam Sonando has been mprsoned Lhree Lmes for
peacefuy exercsng hs rghL Lo freedom of expresson. MosL recenLy, he was senLenced Lo 20
years` mprsonmenL n 0cLober 20T2 on poLcay moLvaLed charges of "nsurrecLon. AmnesLy
InLernaLona desgnaLed hm a prsoner of conscence. In March 20T3, Camboda`s Appea CourL
overLurned hs convcLons for more serous offences, suspended hs senLence for esser offences,
and reeased hm.

AmnesLy InLernaLona cas on Lhe Cambodan auLhorLes Lo ensure LhaL Lhe assembes on 30 and
3T March are abe Lo Lake pace wLhouL undue nLerference and wLhouL harassmenL from securLy
forces, and LhaL n pocng Lhese assembes Lhe securLy forces avod Lhe unnecessary use of force
agansL demonsLraLors. If ncdenLs of voence occur, Lhe securLy forces musL resLrcL any use of
force Lo Lhe mnmum necessary Lo conLan Lhe sLuaLon, n compance wLh nLernaLona aw
enforcemenL and human rghLs aw and sLandards.

!"#$%&'()*

The rghL Lo peacefu assemby for peope Lo come LogeLher Lo express Lher vews s proLecLed n
ArLce 2T of Lhe InLernaLona CovenanL on Cv and PoLca RghLs (ICCPR), Lo whch Camboda s
a sLaLe parLy, and n Camboda`s ConsLLuLon. As Lhe UN Speca RapporLeur on Lhe sLuaLon of
human rghLs n Camboda has sLaLed, "Lhe roe of Lhe sLaLe n peacefu demonsLraLons s Lo
facLaLe, noL hnder, Lhem.

If an assemby Lurns voenL, securLy forces musL use ony such force as s sLrcLy necessary and Lo
Lhe exLenL requred Lo conLan Lhe sLuaLon. They may use frearms ony when ess dangerous means
are noL pracLcabe and ony Lo Lhe mnmum exLenL necessary for defence agansL an mmnenL
LhreaL of deaLh or serous n|ury. The nLenLona eLha use of frearms s ony permssbe f L s
sLrcLy unavodabe n order Lo proLecL fe.

The CNRP has hed a seres of mass peacefu demonsLraLons n Phnom Penh and around Lhe
counLry snce Lhe dspuLed naLona eecLon of 28 Juy 20T3. The parLy has refused Lo |on Lhe
NaLona Assemby, aegng massve eecLon rreguarLes and demandng an ndependenL
nvesLgaLon nLo Lhe conducL of Lhe eecLon.

Sunday`s panned opposLon assemby w be Lhe frsL Lo Lake pace n Lhe capLa snce a voenL
crackdown on sLrkng garmenL workers and oLhers n January 20T4.

In December 20T3, sLrkng garmenL workers demandng an ncrease Lo Lhe mnmum wage
converged wLh ongong opposLon CNRP demonsLraLons conLesLng Lhe resuL of Lhe naLona
eecLon. The scae of Lhese demonsLraLons was unprecedenLed n Camboda.

BuL over Lhree days from 2 January 20T4, auLhorLes used excessve force LhaL fouLed nLernaLona
aw and sLandards on Lhe use of force and frearms Lo puL an end Lo Lhe sLrke and Lo opposLon
assembes, whch had been overwhemngy peacefu.

0n 3 January, aL easL four ndvduas were shoL dead, one T6 year-od boy efL mssng and feared
dead, and scores n|ured, afLer securLy forces fred ve ammunLon aL garmenL workers and oLhers
aL an assemby LhaL Lurned voenL n Phnom Penh`s Pur Senchey dsLrcL.

Dozens of peope were hospLazed ncudng many wLh bueL wounds. Teenagers were among Lhe
casuaLes, and Lhe n|ures susLaned from gunshoLs and beaLngs ncude cerebra beedng, eye
n|ures and possbe bndness, broken mbs, abdomen n|ures and rupLured nLesLnes.

TwenLy-Lhree peope, a mae, were arresLed aL Lhe assembes durng Lhese Lwo days and charged
wLh usng voence and damagng properLy. For severa days, auLhorLes wLhhed nformaLon abouL
Lher whereabouLs, deLaned Lhem ncommuncado and dened Lhem access Lo awyers and famy
members.

A boy aged T7 and one man were reeased on ba on 7 February, buL ba for Lhe remanng 2T men
was dened by a courL aL a cosed hearng on TT February by a decson n whch no deLaed
reasonng was gven and whch apparenLy gnored Lhe nLernaLona ega presumpLon n favour of
reease pendng Lra. AL easL Lhree of Lhose sL deLaned are human rghLs defenders wLh a Lrack
record of peacefu acLvsm. assocaLon eader \orn Pao, farmers` neLwork coordnaLor Theng
Savoeun, and housng rghLs acLvsL and communLy eader Chan PuLhsak.

As parL of Lhe crackdown, on 4 January poce and gendarmes ooked on and mLary hecopLers
few overhead as scores of men armed wLh meLa poes and baLons some n cvan coLhng wLh
red scarves, and oLhers denLfed as Lhe capLa`s Daun Penh DsLrcL Pubc 0rder Personne
sLormed Freedom Park Lo break up an enLrey peacefu ongong CNRP assemby. Moreover, on Lhe
same day, Lhe auLhorLes effecLvey soughL Lo suspend ndefnLey Lhe consLLuLona and human
rghL Lo peacefu assemby by announcng a ban on a assembes n Phnom Penh.

In a speech on 25 February, Camboda`s Prme MnsLer Hun Sen appeared Lo fL Lhe ban on
assembes n Lhe capLa. BuL Lhe muncpa auLhorLy has conLnued Lo refuse Lo permL
demonsLraLons Lo Lake pace and Lhe securLy forces have broken up some of Lhose LhaL have been
aLLempLed.

AmnesLy InLernaLona has caed for an mparLa and Lhorough nvesLgaLon nLo Lhe securLy forces`
use of force aL demonsLraLons and oLher assembes snce Lhe naLona eecLon of 28 Juy 20T3, for
Lhose responsbe for human rghLs voaLons Lo be hed Lo accounL, and for vcLms Lo receve
reparaLons.

The organzaLon s aso cang for Lhe ban on peacefu assembes Lo be fLed fuy, and for Lhe 2T
men who reman deLaned afLer Lher arresL n January Lo be gven a far hearng before a courL, aL
whch Lhey shoud be granLed ba uness Lhe auLhorLes can demonsLraLe convncngy LhaL no oLher
ess resLrcLve measure Lhan pre-Lra deLenLon can suffce Lo aLLan any egLmaLe am wLh regard
Lo Lhe prevenLon or nvesLgaLon of crme. The 2T musL aso be mmedaLey granLed access Lo
adequaLe medca care by a docLor of Lher choce.

NoLes.

For background, see.

!"#$ &#''#( )(*+$* ,$ -..#/+,'# -$0#1'+*,'+2$ +$'2 '3# 4+1,""#,(,$5# 26 73#. 8,"3,'3, JonL
LeLLer, 23 March 20T4,
UnversaI Percdc Fevew Address Cambcda's human rghts crss, Pubc SLaLemenL, AmnesLy
InLernaLona and Lhe Cambodan League for Lhe PromoLon and Defense of Human RghLs
(LICADH0), 26 January 20T4,
9,.:2/+,; -$0#1'+*,'# "(2'#1' <+==+$*1 :> 1#5?(+'> 62(5#1, Press Reease, AmnesLy InLernaLona, 3
January 20T4,
Cambcda 1curnaIst's reIease Ircm prscn a step n the rght drectcn, Press Reease, T4 March
20T3.

ENDS

Pubc documenL ****************************************