CCHR PRESS RELEASE – Phnom Penh, 26 April 2013
A year on, CCHR mourns the murder of environmental activist Chut Wutty
and the twin scourges of violence and impunity that continue to stalk Cambodia
A year on, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (“CCHR”) marks the first anniversary of the murder of Chut Wutty on
26 April 2012 in the remote Cardamom Mountains of Koh Kong province in the
Kingdom of Cambodia (“Cambodia”), and mourns his loss. Chut Wutty was the founder and director of
the Natural Resource Protection Group, and was Cambodia’s foremost
environmental and anti-logging activist.
While accompanying two journalists to investigate alleged illegal
logging and land grabs in Koh Kong province, Chut Wutty was fatally shot in the
leg and stomach as he tried to start his car, following a heated stand-off with
military police and representatives of logging company Timber Green. The alleged shooter, In Rattana, was also
found shot dead at the scene.
To date, no credible, transparent or independent
investigation has been launched, with the result that many questions remain
unanswered. Authorities provided various
conflicting – and mostly ludicrous – accounts of the two deaths in the
following days, and the Cambodian courts have not shed any further light on events
in the months since. Koh Kong Provincial
Court infamously declared the case closed on 4 October
2012, thereby depriving Chut Wutty’s and In Rattana’s families of justice,
while simultaneously revealing that the twin scourges of violence and impunity that
stalk Cambodia have as strong a grip on the country and its people as ever.
In order to ensure that justice is served, that
the judiciary can salvage some credibility, and, most importantly, that the Cambodian
people are reassured that the rule of law prevails to some degree, CCHR urges
the authorities to reopen the case and ensure that a full, transparent and
independent investigation is allowed to proceed. Even if the Cambodian government is not
responsible for Chut Wutty’s murder, it has violated Chut Wutty’s right to life
by failing to conduct an adequate investigation into his death, which it is
legally obliged to do under domestic and international law.
On this sad day, CCHR President Ou Virak comments:
“Today
our thoughts are very much with Chut Wutty’s family. Wutty was a brave man and a good man, and his
mission was to do his best to help Cambodia.
I hope that other activists and potential activists have been inspired
by Cambodia’s forest hero, that they will follow his lead and help to protect
Cambodia’s rapidly dwindling forest reserves.
While the wider public is still none the wiser as to what really
happened on that fateful day last April, those who felt threatened by Wutty’s
activism no doubt hoped that his death would cow other activists into
submission. If anything, Wutty’s example
is a reminder that fear itself should be our worst enemy. The man himself never showed any fear, and
Cambodia must be hugely grateful for his efforts. Rest In Peace Chut Wutty.”
For more
information, please contact Ou Virak via telephone at +855 (0) 1240 4051 or
e-mail at ouvirak@cchrcambodia.org or Senior Consultant
Robert Finch via telephone at +855 (0) 7880 9960 or e-mail at robert.finch@cchrcambodia.org.
Please note that this Press Release is also attached in PDF format. A Khmer translation will follow shortly.
Kind regards,
CCHR
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