8 April 2011
APPEAL FOR INTERNATIONAL PARLIAMENTARY SOLIDARITY
My name is Sam Rainsy. I am an elected member of parliament of Cambodia and the leader of my country’s second largest political party.
As the leader of a vocal opposition I have been persecuted by the authoritarian ruling party and government of Cambodia.
In 1995, I was unconstitutionally expelled from the National Assembly, but I managed to recover my parliamentary seat following subsequent elections.
At every election my party collected more popular votes and gained more parliamentary seats.
But on 16 March 2011, I was again stripped of my parliamentary seat and unconstitutionally expelled from parliament by a decision from representatives of the ruling party.
Over the last fifteen years I have escaped several assassination attempts, such as a deadly grenade attack in 1997, but some eighty of my supporters have been murdered. Besides trying to kill me or expelling me from parliament, the ruling party has managed to deprive me of my parliamentary immunity and to get me sentenced to prison terms on countless occasions. The last time was earlier this year when I was sentenced to a total of 12 years in jail under political
charges. I have therefore been forced to go into exile in France.
My only crime is my unyielding denunciation of corruption and human rights abuses and my unwavering defense of the people who have elected me as their representative.
In 2006, I received the Prize for Freedom from Liberal International.
In a 12-15 July 2010 decision of its Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva “reaffirms that the judicial action against Mr. Sam Rainsy bears no relationship to the alleged offence.”
A 14 September 2010 statement of a coalition of 16 Human Rights NGOs reads, “the [Cambodian] government has used the courts to silence criticism of its responses to land-grabbing, corruption and border disputes,” and the “criminal charges [against Sam Rainsy and other government critics] are politically motivated.”
In its 21 October 2010 "Resolution on Cambodia, in particular the case of Sam Rainsy", the European Parliament condemns “all politically motivated sentences against representatives of the opposition and NGOs.” It specifies, "the strategy of Cambodia's ruling party is to use a politically subservient judiciary to crackdown on all government critics.” [Read the whole text of the European Parliament Resolution at http://tinyurl.com/34cq5pe].
In its 17 January 2011 decision, the Inter-Parliamentary Union “considers that it has become urgent to review Mr. Sam Rainsy's case and to rehabilitate him and calls on the authorities, including Parliament, to take action to this end without delay so as to enable Mr. Sam Rainsy to resume his rightful place as a member of the National Assembly.” [Read the whole text of the IPU decision at http://tinyurl.com/6yrt4t4].
I call on your solidarity as fellow parliamentarian. Please help me by asking the government of your country to put pressure on the authorities of Cambodia, which are heavily dependent on international aid, so that I can resume my parliamentary work in acceptable conditions and continue to promote democracy in my country.
Thank you.
Sam Rainsy
APPEAL FOR INTERNATIONAL PARLIAMENTARY SOLIDARITY
My name is Sam Rainsy. I am an elected member of parliament of Cambodia and the leader of my country’s second largest political party.
As the leader of a vocal opposition I have been persecuted by the authoritarian ruling party and government of Cambodia.
In 1995, I was unconstitutionally expelled from the National Assembly, but I managed to recover my parliamentary seat following subsequent elections.
At every election my party collected more popular votes and gained more parliamentary seats.
But on 16 March 2011, I was again stripped of my parliamentary seat and unconstitutionally expelled from parliament by a decision from representatives of the ruling party.
Over the last fifteen years I have escaped several assassination attempts, such as a deadly grenade attack in 1997, but some eighty of my supporters have been murdered. Besides trying to kill me or expelling me from parliament, the ruling party has managed to deprive me of my parliamentary immunity and to get me sentenced to prison terms on countless occasions. The last time was earlier this year when I was sentenced to a total of 12 years in jail under political
charges. I have therefore been forced to go into exile in France.
My only crime is my unyielding denunciation of corruption and human rights abuses and my unwavering defense of the people who have elected me as their representative.
In 2006, I received the Prize for Freedom from Liberal International.
In a 12-15 July 2010 decision of its Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva “reaffirms that the judicial action against Mr. Sam Rainsy bears no relationship to the alleged offence.”
A 14 September 2010 statement of a coalition of 16 Human Rights NGOs reads, “the [Cambodian] government has used the courts to silence criticism of its responses to land-grabbing, corruption and border disputes,” and the “criminal charges [against Sam Rainsy and other government critics] are politically motivated.”
In its 21 October 2010 "Resolution on Cambodia, in particular the case of Sam Rainsy", the European Parliament condemns “all politically motivated sentences against representatives of the opposition and NGOs.” It specifies, "the strategy of Cambodia's ruling party is to use a politically subservient judiciary to crackdown on all government critics.” [Read the whole text of the European Parliament Resolution at http://tinyurl.com/34cq5pe].
In its 17 January 2011 decision, the Inter-Parliamentary Union “considers that it has become urgent to review Mr. Sam Rainsy's case and to rehabilitate him and calls on the authorities, including Parliament, to take action to this end without delay so as to enable Mr. Sam Rainsy to resume his rightful place as a member of the National Assembly.” [Read the whole text of the IPU decision at http://tinyurl.com/6yrt4t4].
I call on your solidarity as fellow parliamentarian. Please help me by asking the government of your country to put pressure on the authorities of Cambodia, which are heavily dependent on international aid, so that I can resume my parliamentary work in acceptable conditions and continue to promote democracy in my country.
Thank you.
Sam Rainsy
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