The Cambodian Bar Association on Wednesday responded to Human
Rights Watch (HRW) over what it called an “utterly groundless” statement
that claimed the legal body was beholden to the ruing party and was
attempting to muzzle lawyers ahead of the July 28 national elections.
In its statement, which was issued on Tuesday, HRW claimed the Bar
Association had been “under de facto CPP control since 2004,” when the
ruling party is alleged to have engineered the election of its
president. HRW also said Bar Association president Bun Honn was
“strongly backed” by Deputy Prime Minister Sok An.
The Bar Association responded through a statement to its website that said the body was an “independent institution.”
“The Bar Association is not under the line of any political
inclination or the influence of any institution, religion or
organization,” the statement says.
“The allegation that the Bar Association is under the ambit of a
political party or the government is completely nonsense and
outrageous, which degrades the image of the Bar Association and the
profession of all lawyers in Cambodian society as a whole.”
The HRW statement followed an announcement by the Bar Association on
February 8 saying that lawyers would have to seek its permission before
speaking to television and radio media.
Phil Robertson, HRW’s deputy director for Asia, said: “When a
professional association starts arguing that its members deserve to have
less rights to freedom of expression than the average Khmer citizen,
it’s clear that something is profoundly wrong.
“Sadly, the Bar Association cannot run from its political controllers
nor evidently can it give a straight answer on why it’s issued a gag
rule for all lawyers in Cambodia and insisted that the government be its
enforcer to manipulate,” Mr. Robertson added.
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