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 the opposition I have been persecuted by the authoritarian ruling party and government of Cambodia.

In 1995 and again in 2005, I was unconstitutionally expelled from the National Assembly, but managed to recover my parliamentary seat after subsequent elections.

At every election my party has increased its number of votes and parliamentary seats.

But on March 16, 2011, I was -- for the third time -- stripped of my parliamentary seat and unconstitutionally expelled from parliament by the ruling party, in total disrespect for the principles of representative democracy.

Over the last fifteen years I have escaped several assassination attempts, such as a deadly grenade attack in 1997 and another attack at the Interior Ministry in 1998. Some eighty of my supporters have since been murdered in a long series of acts of political violence perpetrated with total impunity.

Besides trying to kill me or expel 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. I now stand sentenced to a total of 14 years in jail under political charges and have therefore been forced 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 2000, former Portuguese socialist President Mario Suarez, with a group of MEPs from several parties, helped me obtain a “Passport for Freedom” from the European Parliament. In 2006, I received the Prize for Freedom from Liberal International.

On October 21, 2010, in its "Resolution on Cambodia, in particular the case of Sam Rainsy", the European Parliament condemned “all politically motivated sentences against representatives of the opposition and NGOs.” The resolution stated that "the strategy of Cambodia's ruling party is to use a politically subservient judiciary to crackdown on all government critics.”

On January 17, 2011, the Inter-Parliamentary Union said that it has ''become urgent to review Mr. Sam Rainsy's case and to rehabilitate him'' and called 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.''

I am making this appeal to you in the spirit of solidarity between parliamentarians. Democratically elected representatives from several countries have decided to create an international parliamentary committee to enable me to return to my country and resume my work as a member of parliament. Such an initiative is timely as major elections are approaching in Cambodia: communal elections on June 3, 2012, and legislative elections in July 2013.

My party, the second-largest in Cambodia, is the only real challenger to the ruling party, which has been in power for 33 years. The governing party has sought to eliminate me from the election process by every possible means. This “International Parliamentary Committee for Democratic Elections in Cambodia” will be an important tool to help restore democracy in my country by pushing for free and fair elections with the participation of political leaders from all competing parties, which implies my safe return. I would be grateful if you would accept at least a symbolic part in this committee by sending me your name, which would represent a valuable moral support.

With warmest thanks,

Sam Rainsy
samrainsysrp@gmail.com