New information:
The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources about the continued judicial harassment of Mr.Yi Soksan, Senior Investigator, Mr. Nay Vanda, Head of Administration, senior staff members of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) and Mr. Ny Chakrya, former Head of ADHOC’s Human Rights and Monitoring Section and now Deputy Secretary-General of the National Election Committee (NEC).
According to the information received, on the morning of August 12, 2018, Mr. Nay Vanda received a summons at his home issued by the Vice Prosecutor of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, Mr. Kuch Kim Long and dated August 9, 2018. On August 15 and 16, 2018, respectively, Mr. Ny Chakrya and Mr. Yi Soksan also received the same summonses. They have all been sued to attend a hearing at 7:30am on August 27, 2018 at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, in relation to trumped-up charges that were brought against them in May 2016 and for which they have been arbitrarily detained for more than one year between 2016 and 2017 (see background information)
The Observatory recalls that, in addition to Messrs. Yi Soksan, Nay Vanda, and Ny Chakrya, the charges, which are still pending, include ADHOC Senior Investigator, Ms. Lim Mony, and ADHOC Head of Human Rights and Land Rights Section, Mr. Ny Sokha (see background information). All five human rights defenders face 5 to 10 years’ imprisonment, if convicted.
The Observatory condemns in the strongest terms the continued judicial harassment against Mr. Ny Sokha, Mr. Yi Soksan, Mr. Nay Vanda, Ms. Lim Mony, and Mr. Ny Chakrya and urges the Cambodian authorities to drop all charges against the five human rights defenders, as they are only aimed at punishing them for their peaceful and legitimate human rights activities. The Observatory also urges the authorities to end all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, against all human rights defenders in the country.
Background information:
In March 2016, Ms. Khom Chandaraty (aka Srey Mom) had requested the assistance of ADHOC in connection with her interrogation by anti-terrorism police and a prosecutor about an alleged affair with deputy opposition leader Mr. Kem Sokha. ADHOC responded to Ms. Srey Mom’s request for legal and material assistance and provided a US$204 allowance to cover her food and transportation costs. This legitimate support, aimed at covering the basic expenses of a client, was subsequently construed by the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) as bribery and corruption.
On April 27 and 28, 2016, Messrs. Ny Sokha, Yi Soksan, Nay Vanda, Ny Chakrya, and Ms. Lim Mony were brought in for questioning by the ACU. Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) official Mr. Soen Sally, who was also summoned, did not appear before the ACU due to his immunity as a UN staff member.
On May 2, 2016, Messrs. Ny Sokha, Yi Soksan, Nay Vanda, and Ms. Lim Mony were charged with “bribery of a witness” under Article 548 of the Criminal Code and detained. In addition, Messrs. Ny Chakrya and Soen Sally were charged with being “accomplices to bribery of a witness” under Articles 29 and 548 of the Criminal Code. Mr. Ny Chakrya was also detained.
On June 13 and September 28, 2016 respectively, the Court of Appeals in Phnom Penh and then the Phnom Penh Municipal Court denied bail to the five defenders.
On October 27, 2016, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court extended the detention of the five for up to another six months under the pretext that the defendants needed to remain available for any further interrogation and court procedures.
On November 11, 2016, the five defenders were denied bail for the second time by the Court of Appeals.
On November 21, 2016, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) declared the detention of Messrs. Ny Sokha, Yi Soksan, Nay Vanda, Ny Chakrya, and Ms. Lim Mony arbitrary. The UNWGAD said their deprivation of liberty was in contravention of Articles 7, 9, 10, 11, and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and Articles 9, 10, 14, 22, and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Cambodia is a State party. The UNWGAD called on the Cambodian authorities to immediately release the five human rights defenders and award them appropriate compensation.
On November 28, 2016, the Court of Appeals upheld the extension of their pre-trial detention for another six months and refused to close the investigation. The Court argued that the issue of the extension of detention and the continuation of the investigation were up to the discretion of the Investigating Judge of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.
On November 30, 2016, the Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeals’ June 13, 2016 decision to refuse to release the five on bail. The Court based its decision on Article 205 of the Criminal Procedure Code, therefore upholding the continued applicability of both detention grounds, i.e. to maintain public order and to prevent collusion with accomplices, victims, and witnesses.
On February 27, 2017, the Supreme Court decided to sever the appeal of Mr. Ny Chakrya from that of the other four defenders.
On March 13 and March 31, 2017 respectively, the Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeals’ November 28, 2016 decision to extend the pre-trial detention of Messrs. Ny Sokha, Yi Soksan, Nay Vanda, and Ms. Lim Mony and of Mr. Ny Chakrya for up to another six months.
On April 27, 2017, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s Investigating Judge Theam Chanpiseth extended the detention of Messrs. Ny Sokha, Yi Soksan, Nay Vanda, Ny Chakrya, and Ms. Lim Mony for another six-month period.
On June 29, 2017, Investigating Judge Theam Chanpiseth ordered the release on bail of Messrs. Ny Sokha, Yi Soksan, Nay Vanda, Ms. Lim Mony, and Mr. Ny Chakrya. Between 7pm and 8.30pm, they were all released from Phnom Penh’s Prey Sar and Police Judiciaire prisons, where they had been incarcerated for 427 days in pre-trial detention on trumped-up charges. The decision came after the Judge closed the investigation and sent the case to trial for a yet to be determined date.
Actions requested:
Please write to the authorities in Cambodia, urging them to:
*Ensure that Messrs. Ny Sokha, Nay Vanda and Ny Chakrya right to a fair trial is respected andguarantee their physical and psychological integrity, as well as that of all human rights defenders in Cambodia;
*Put an end to all forms of harassment, including at the judicial level, against Messrs. Ny Chakrya, Ny Sokha, Yi Soksan, Nay Vanda, and Ms. Lim Mony, and against all human rights defenders in the country so that they are able to carry out their work without hindrance;
*Comply with all provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 9, 1998, in particular with its Articles 1, 5(b), and 12.2;
*Guarantee the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and other international human rights instruments signed or ratified by the Kingdom of Cambodia.
Addresses:
· Mr. Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Fax: +855 23 360666 / 855 23 880624 (c/o Council of Ministers), Email: leewood_phu@nida.gov.kh / cppparty@gmail.com
· Mr. Sar Kheng, Minister of Interior and Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Fax: +855 23 212708, Email: moi@cambodia.gov.kh
· Mr. Ang Vong Vathna, Minister of Justice of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Fax: +855 23 364119, Email: moj@cambodia.gov.kh
· Mr. Prak Sokhon, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Fax: +855 23 216 144 / +855 23 216141, Email: mfaic@mfa.gov.kh/ mfaicasean@mfaic.gov.kh
· Mr. Keo Remy, President of the Cambodian Human Rights Committee. Fax: +855 12 813781 / +855 23 211162 / +855 23 881045 (c/o Council of Ministers)
· Mr. Suon Visal, President of the Cambodian Bar Association. Fax: +855 23 864076, Email: info@bakc.org.kh
· Ambassador Mr. Ney Samol, Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Fax: +41 22 788 77 74, Email: camemb.gva@mfa.gov.kh
Please also write to the diplomatic missions or embassies of Cambodia in your respective country as well as to the EU diplomatic missions or embassies in Cambodia.
***
Paris-Geneva, August 22, 2018
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of this programme is to intervene to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.
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