Watch video of Suong Sophorn being beaten unconscious and arrested by the police.
Suong Sophorn held to the ground, bloodied and unconscious after beaten by the police. More pictures here.
Gulf TimesDPA/Phnom Penh
A senior UN human rights official condemned “excessive force” she said was used by police against several dozen peaceful protesters who were trying to meet with visiting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
“I have expressed concern in person to the ministry of interior about this incident and the excessive use of force used against the petitioners and Suong Sophorn specifically,” said Kyung-wha Kang, the UN’s deputy high commissioner for human rights, who arrived in Cambodia on Tuesday with Ban’s delegation.
A prominent local human rights group, Licadho, said earlier that Suong Sophorn had been beaten unconscious and dragged away by police who used electric shock batons and walkie-talkies to beat protesters.
Kang said the local UN human rights office had contacted the police, who later released Suong Sophorn “as promised.”
“I have also received the petition of the (protesters) on behalf of the secretary general,” she said.
The protesters are to shortly be evicted from their homes in central Phnom Penh to make way for a large development by a well-connected company. They had unsuccessfully petitioned Ban to meet them to discuss their plight.
Licadho director Naly Pilorge said the beatings, which took place close to a hospital that Ban was visiting, was indicative of the government’s approach to human rights and its international reputation.
“Either they don’t understand the harm that this sort of incident causes to Cambodia’s reputation, or they don’t care, or perhaps they just think they can get away with it,” she said.
Earlier yesterday, Ban visited Phnom Penh’s S-21 prison, where more than 14,000 people were tortured and marked for execution during the Khmer Rouge’s rule of the country in the late 1970s.
“I have expressed concern in person to the ministry of interior about this incident and the excessive use of force used against the petitioners and Suong Sophorn specifically,” said Kyung-wha Kang, the UN’s deputy high commissioner for human rights, who arrived in Cambodia on Tuesday with Ban’s delegation.
A prominent local human rights group, Licadho, said earlier that Suong Sophorn had been beaten unconscious and dragged away by police who used electric shock batons and walkie-talkies to beat protesters.
Kang said the local UN human rights office had contacted the police, who later released Suong Sophorn “as promised.”
“I have also received the petition of the (protesters) on behalf of the secretary general,” she said.
The protesters are to shortly be evicted from their homes in central Phnom Penh to make way for a large development by a well-connected company. They had unsuccessfully petitioned Ban to meet them to discuss their plight.
Licadho director Naly Pilorge said the beatings, which took place close to a hospital that Ban was visiting, was indicative of the government’s approach to human rights and its international reputation.
“Either they don’t understand the harm that this sort of incident causes to Cambodia’s reputation, or they don’t care, or perhaps they just think they can get away with it,” she said.
Earlier yesterday, Ban visited Phnom Penh’s S-21 prison, where more than 14,000 people were tortured and marked for execution during the Khmer Rouge’s rule of the country in the late 1970s.
2 comments:
As a Khmer I strongly condemn those cowered act against Mr.Suong Sophorn
If you are real Khmer police you must not hide your cowered heads under Srey Yuon pants.
Go to fight and protect Cambodian sovereignty from Yuon and Thai .
Once again I strongly condemn such cowered act again Mr. Suong Sophorn,and against innocent Khmer people.
I wish Mr. Suong Sophorn to recovery pretty soon.
My sympathy and the sympathy from Khmer around the world are with You.
This shows that the police has no regard for civility and humanity. To use force against peaceful protesters who only want to present a petition to the UN chief is very barbaric indeed. Suong Sophorn was only trying to escape and did not violate any police cordon. I condenm in the strongest term this uncivilized and barbaric act of beating Mr. Suong Sophorn.
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