Restrictions on the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in Cambodia grew significantly in 2024, in violation of national an international laws, a rights group said Monday.
Adhoc said in a report that local authorities curbed the freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly in more then 90% of 311 community outreach activities on democracy, civil rights, and politics held in 22 provinces last year.
Such actions were in violation of national and international laws, the group said, particularly a 2018 Ministry of Interior “Notice on the Activities of Associations, Non-Governmental Organizations, and Local Communities.”
According to the 2018 notice, signed by former Minster of Interior Sar Kheng and circulated to local officials, legally registered NGOs are not required to inform local authorities prior to conducting their activities.
Among the restrictions documented in the Adhoc report were authorities asking for permits, preventing public gatherings and human rights training, and requiring notification from village heads before holding public events, Adhoc said.
In addition, the report said, provincial authorities took photos and requested attendance lists, monitored public events, demanded the phone numbers of participants after the event, and threatened to ban citizens from attending public events.
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Adhoc spokesperson Yin Mengly told RFA Khmer that the group’s goal in releasing the report was to provide the government with clear data on restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly.
He urged the Ministry of Interior to take appropriate measures to address the issue, saying such restrictions negatively impact the country.
“When issues are presented, but no action is taken to tackle them, the problems will get worse and affect the reputation of the government and the responsible ministries that aren’t enforcing the law properly,” he said. “In such cases, it can be said that it is a violation of human rights, associated with the rights to speech and assembly.”
Attempts by RFA to reach Deputy spokesman for the Ministry of Interior Touch Sokhak for comment on Adhoc’s findings went unanswered Monday.
Freedom space ‘limited’
But Am Sam Ath, the general director of Cambodian rights group Licadho, told RFA that the Adhoc report “reflects reality,” as do reports by other civil society organizations, on human rights abuses in Cambodia.
“The freedom space has been limited, meaning restricted,” he said. “Local authorities should abide by the Ministry of Interior’s instruction and the ministry should make sure they are doing so. If not, the ministry must take action against them.”
After former Prime Minister Hun Sen handed over power to his son, Hun Manet, in 2023, national and international rights monitors noted that the human rights situation in Cambodia was not improving.
CIVICUS, an international network of organizations that monitor citizens’ rights, released a report in 2024 on the power of citizens in 198 countries, including Cambodia, and ranked Cambodia 27 out of 100, among countries with the worst human rights restrictions.
The rights network also observed that the Cambodian government has continued to restrict freedoms of association, peaceful assembly, and expression since the country’s Universal Periodic Review by the U.N. Human Rights Council in 2019.
Translated by Sum Sok Ry. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.